Before I begin, I feel I need to address a couple of things. I went this route because S13 Coilovers are expensive, and S13s rarely come up in the junkyard near me, so converting to s13 front end/s13 coilovers was something I was kind of unable to do. Also, I am writing this how to for others who might want to do this instead of converting to s13 for the same reason. There hasnt really been a good how to for this, so I had to dig through a couple of threads to find any info...and even then I still had to do a bit more work to get the fronts to work then I thought I had to do.
Ok, so, here is the components to the setup:
Canuck Lowering Springs for the S12
92 MR2 Front Shocks (Part Number: 765015)
96 Mustang FoxBody Shocks (Part Number: 743021)
Washers....read below for application
Tools Needed Besides a basic set of sockets:
Pipe Wrench
Table Vice
Possibly a saw
Someone on here said that older foxbody mustang shocks have been used in the past. These are the same year set that the ae86 guys run, and it works fine on the back of my car. The only issue we had was that we couldnt use the top rubber bushing that came with the shock. The ae86 guys also use the mr2 front shocks. The reason we have to use these though is because 1) kyb does not make AGX shocks for the S12 2) the gr2 shocks that kyb make have been known to blow out in 2 weeks or so with the canuck springs. (the springs are lower than stock so a shock with a shorter stroke is needed.)
Ok, so now that that is taken care of and I told you the only problem I had with the back already, that means I need to address the issues with the front shocks.
After you get the strut assembly off of the car you need to take the retainer at the top of the shock tube off...you will need to throw the assembly in a vice and take a pipe wrench to the retainer. From here you can pull the old shock out, but now you run into the first problem. If you put the mr2 shock into the shock tube it will be short about an inch and a half from the top of the strut tube. At this point we cut up some round steel scrap that my buddy had to make a spacer, but washers could be used here...so it would be a good idea to go buy like 20 bucks worth of washers before you tear your car apart...or find some metal to make spacers from that you can cut down. Basically you want the shock to stick up about 1/4 inch or so though when you are done above the strut tube. Now that you have done that you need to drill out the hole in the top hat. The mr2 shock top is bigger around than the stock s12 one. Your going to want to drill out the top hat hole out enough to fit down to the top of the shock so that the threads and the un threaded part stick out through the hole. From here you have two options again, either use a spacer/washer, or just use a bunch of washers to make up the space on the shock top that doesnt have any threads on it. Now all you have to do is bolt it back up. My brother was telling me that T3 used to make a shock tube spacer for the ae86 guys like we made for the s12...but he stopped making it and instead just sells a big crown nut...but i am not sure how that would work. Anyways, here are some before and after pics of my car so you can see the difference.
Tires are 195/60, Wheels are 15x7, I think the fronts are something like +35, and I am not sure what the back offset is...but they are slightly staggered. And no spacers, and no rubbing.
before with one coil cut in the front
After
Front drivers side wheel gap...car is kind of sitting on uneven ground...but you get the idea.
Rear Drivers Side 
Rear Camber
front drivers side diff angle
front passenger side
rear passenger side
Special Note:
S13 Caster Camber Plates will not work in the front without modifications to the top hats on the caster camber plates....and even then I am not sure if they will work or not yet...but it is on my project list.
Apr 9, 2010, 10:15 pm · #1
