Hmmmm...
 

Should the hats be different? I just looked at my Swifts and both front springs are identical. I figure if the hats are left or right handed how would one spring fit any different than the other. Could the 'rubber cups' be left and right handed?

Boy, with all the hassles the OP went through I'm not sure I want to mess with doing the job myself.

104

The problem with that is you will not know if they were installed properly, if they had any problems but didn't tell you, or maybe they realize they don't fit but don't say anything, put it back together as best they can, and send you on your way.

The first time doing any job is a learning process. From my perspective the only real issues are having a quality spring compressor and the resolution of the questions regarding the fitment of the hats. If one is prepared with all the necessary tools the job should go smoothly.

Vehicle Risers
 

The service manual says all final tightening should be done with the wheels on the ground in a fully laden condition. That's not possible, at least at my house, so I need to lift the car on a set of risers. I found these but they're silly expensive for what I need them for:

Attachment 98262

I think I'll just buy two sets of ramps or perhaps cobble something together using 2X12s. The 2x12s would be cheaper but the tradeoff is they would be fairly heavy.

These would work at $40 a set:

Attachment 98263

Since I've decided to upgrade to coilovers I purchased adjustable end links from SPL. I assume I'll need clearance to install and adjust those.

wow...this sucks. Sorry this happened. I did a full coil over replacement and camber arms in my garage with 2 jacks a cordless impact. Seriously easy, and took about 2-3 hours.

Alignment and Bump Steer
 

I found a great resource explaining alignment issues. It contains technical articles and diagrams as well as tools to DIY camber/caster, toe, and bumpsteer. Check it out!

Longacre Racing