DIY: "Boat look" Remedy for Accords on Lowering Springs

talontsiawd

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Nice work man. I have seen more than a few people grind off the metal on the shock to get a bigger drop (you can probably get a full inch), but that always scared me a bit. This seems like a much better solution. I will probably try this tomorrow. I don't even mind the "boat" look that bad, it's just the front of my car is just slightly too high for me. I'll have too look at my struts though since they are a bit different from oem.
 

talontsiawd

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Man, i keep looking at your car and thinking i need to do this now. I honestly almost went out and put my car on jackstands and started tonight. Hopefully i have time tomorrow. I think my rear gap might even be smaller than yours so this should be perfect. I'll try to post before and after pictures if i can find a camera, i broke mine litterally less than 24 hours ago. I hope my drill is up for this, my good one broke.
 

talontsiawd

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Ok, so i did tackle this today. However, i had to do it the way i didn't want to and modify the shocks. I'm kind of relieved though because i can now go lower with a little work if i want so just having it done means now i have some adjustability.

Basically, almost all aftermarket shocks and even aftermarket oem replacement shocks usually just have a single tab instead of the "collar" the oem ones have. I was hoping mine wasn't like this but it was. So, i had to mod $150 worth of shocks instead of $50 worth of forks but if i do get new shocks ever, i don't have to replace forks, which is nice.

So what i did, instead of grinding the tab off, i cut most of the way through the tab with a hack saw. Then i just took a large screwdriver and used it to basically "rip" the small amount of metal left. I did it about 1/4 inch below the top. I've been told hundreds of times that that tab is just for alignment. I'm now totally conviced as it could easily be pried off with a small screw driver.


Anyway, if you have aftermarket shocks that have too big of tab to grind out, here are some pics.

p1010565dt2.jpg

donewz1.jpg



I'll throw up some before and after pictures too. I have a good before one but i need to move my dads car for the after. Mine is a slightly smaller drop. With the oem, it's over 1/2 (as i can see, i didn't actually do it), with mine it's slightly under. Probably about 1/8 to 1/4 in difference.
 

talontsiawd

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Lookin good! :thumbsup:

Yeah, thanks for the help. Even though i didn't do it your way, it really helped me figure out a way to do it without totally looseing the tab. And without the pics, i probably wouldn't have been inspired to do so.
 

talontsiawd

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seems like a lot of work to get a barely noticeable difference. just my opinion.

Mine was probably more time consuming than the other way and it took me 2 hours tops. I don't know, the other way might take longer grinding depending on if you have the right tools. I know this will keep me from buying new springs in the near future so it's worth the effort. I know i got right around a .5in drop so i wouldn't call it unnoticeable either, but it's probably not worth it for alot of people.
 

Levi

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quick question! if i were to buy after market shocks, such as tokico blues, would they give my car the boat look still?
 
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