Well after nearly 19 years of hard use the suspension on my car was getting pretty tired. I had already upgraded the swaybars with aftermarket ADDCO units and I installed polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension. The last piece of the puzzle was a spring and shock package. There are not a-lot of options for a car this old but I was able to order a set of Eibach Pro-Kit springs, and a set of Tokico HP shocks and struts. The Eibach springs are a progressive rate spring that also lowers the car approximately 1 inch. The progressive rate springs are designed to give a nice ride for normal driving, but the progressive rate allows them to get stiffer the harder you push the car. The Tokico HP shocks and struts are high performance non adjustable dampners, Tokico was the OEM manufacturer of the dampners on the MK2 Supra.

I started with the rear so that's how I will start the article but it doesn't matter which ones you do first. First get the car up in the air on some jack stands or a lift and get the wheels off. Unbolt the 2 brackets that hold the swaybar to the subframe, but you can leave it connected to the trailing arms. Next unbolt the 4 bolts on each side that connect the axles to the differential like the picture below shows.

Next place a jack under one of the trailing arms and make it where it is just touching the trailing arm. From inside the rear hatch remove the upper shock bolts that are under the plastic cone shaped covers. Then remove the lower shock bolts and pull the shock out of the way. Now you can gently lower the jack and release the tension on the spring. Pull the spring out and swap the upper and lower rubber isolators to the new springs. Here is a comparison picture of the stock rear springs versus the Eibachs.

When you are putting the new springs in the rear make sure they are oriented correctly, the coils that are close together go towards the top. There is a metal tab on the lower perch, align the spring so the coil ends right as it winds past that perch. Then jack up under the trailing arm again to get some tension on the spring. Insert the new bushings on the new shocks and stick them up through the holes in the body. Have a friend put on the upper bushing and washer and start the top nut. Once that's done put in the new lower bushings compress the shock and slide it back on to the mount on the trailing arm. Install that bolt and tighten it, and tighten the upper bolts as well. You should be able to reach under the car and hold the shock still while you tighten the bolts. Now just bolt the axles back onto the differential and bolt the swaybar back to the subframe and it should look all pretty like this.

Now its time to move on to the front of the car. The front of the MK2 Supra uses Macpherson strut suspension so you will need to have a strut compressor to do this part. If you do not have access to one of these most autoparts stores will rent or loan you one with a deposit. Another option would be to take these to a shop to have switched out. For a fee you can have the mechanic remove your old shock and strut and install your new ones, ready to bolt back on the car. You will have saved yourself the labor charge of getting the struts off the car and reinstalling them. Anyway I will go on to explain the full process for you. First here is a picture of the stock front spring VS the Eibach spring.

The fisrt thing you need to do is get the brake line detached from the strut. With some pliers remove the metal clip that holds the brakeline to the tab on the strut housing. Now you will need to cut a slit in the tab usning some kind of saw or cutoff blade. The best tool for the job is probably a Dremel or die grinder with a cutoff wheel. Cut the slit in it like this.

Next bend the outer part of the tab to free the brakeline from the tab like this.

Now unbolt the brake caliper from the backing plate and hand it out of the way, I like to put it on the strut rod, you can also use a coat hanger. Whatever you do make sure its not hanging by the brake line. Now that everything is clear unbolt the 2 bolts on the bottom of the strut tube. Next unbolt the 3 bolts that hold the top plate on in the engine compartment. The strut should be free now, it helps to have a prybar to pry down on the control arm while you pull the strut out.

Once the strut is out use the spring compressor to compress the spring until it is loose inside the strut. Be extra careful at this stage because spring compressors do fail sometimes and there is enough energy stored up in the spring to kill you or hurt you badly. Now remove the bolt that is holding the upper plate on and remove it and the spring from the strut tub assembly. Slowly take the pressure off the spring with the spring compressors. Using a large pair of channel lock pliers remove the large nut at the top of the strut tube. Once that is off the strut should pull right out of the tube. There will probably be some oil or antifreeze in there also that is used to help cool the strut. Now just put the new strut in, add some oil for cooling if you want and reset the nut. compress your new springs with the spring compressors and install the spring and upper mount into place. Make sure the coils sit properly in the seats. I also replaced the upper rubber mounts as the original ones were looking old and cracked. Once its all back together it looks like this.

Now bolt it back onto the car, it helps to have someone line up the upper mount from the top while you guide it in from the bottom. You will need to pry down on the control arm again to get it back in there. Once its back in there reinstall all of your bolts, attach the caliper back to the brake rotor, insert the brake line into the clip and bend the tab back into place then reinstall the clip and you're done.

Here is a series of before and after pictures so you can get a better idea of the lowering and how the car looks finished.

Before

After

Front Before   Front After

Rear Before  Rear After

Any questions or comments should be adressed to wjh@ufl.edu