Got around to installing my BMR LCA's yesterday. This isn't really much of an install guide more of a posting with tips that I found along the way while installing.

I highly recommend taking the wheels off when doing this, gives you way better access to the parking break line that you need to disengage.
On that note, thats probably the most difficult part of the whole install, the instructions make it seem way easier, but its not. trying to decompress the spring that holds the tension is a bit of a pain. When doing it you'll see what i mean but i used a pair of pipe wrench pliers.

After getting the parking brake sorted out the rest was a breeze.

Finally got it off the jack stands and ready for a test drive. Put the car in reverse, and it wouldn't go anywhere....great.

Come to find out that messing with the parking brake line apparently means you need to adjust it. That adjustment can be found within the center console. There is a access port that you can access the adjuster, 10mm DEEP socket. Or you can remove the center console part



since i didn't have a really deep socket i needed to get to the adjustment nut better so i just poped the center console up a little bit.

you can see the adjuster slightly, its the threaded part.



other then that. My initial tests seem to prove to me that wheel hop is gone, though my tires are garbage and spun like crazy but no hop.

the two lca's



one of them mounted

 

That's... weird.

I also am going to do those BMRs soon (life is in the way, but soon, hopefully next week) as part of my suspension redo on Awesome.

But that parking brake thing is... weird. If all goes right, you're not changing the length of of the cable, nor the tube, and the clipping at the caliper is the same place... everything, ostensibly, is the same overall length, just rerouted...

So how in the world did you wind up needing to adjust things?

I'd like to see a pic of the final install on the end, if possible, 'cause no instructions or videos anywhere indicate a parking brake adjustment, so far as I've seen...

Good on ya for the review and they sure are pretty lookin' aren't they?

If it helps anyone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uPE_Tx5Xhk

 

Weird, when I did my bmr suspension I didn't have to adjust the parking brake. I just put a nice big zip tie around the cable. Odd.

 

I installed my BMRs not to long ago and I did have to adjust my parking break after install. The parking break was a little tighter but after a week or so it loosened back up to pre-install feel.

OP are you going to go with relocation brackets in the future? It looks like your lowered so the LCAs wont be parallel with the ground if so.

Matthew

 

You didn't leave the parking brake set when you tried to remove the cable did you? Because if you did have the parking brake set, that would be a beech to remove the cable. lol.

To remove the cable you twist and pull, it pops right out. If you did anything that required more effort you definitely did something wrong.

Make sure you use a torque wrench to get the 129 ft/lbs for the bolts. If you didn't use a torque wrench, and you think its tight enough, you'll cringe at how far you have to tighten to get 129lbs.

 

I didn't have the parking brake engaged, i put the cable back just like i uninstalled it, which had me perplexed. It was no simple just pop the cable off. I've never messed with my parking brake ever. Even in the instructions it says to use a pry bar to lift the lever to release tension on the brake line, something must have cause the line to tighten up. Adjusting the line fixed it like i did and figure i would post that up incase anyone had the same run in.

I did torque them to spec.

I do plan on getting the relocation brackets eventually, been spending a bit to much on the car lately lol with the supercharger and all.

 

I will be doing this install tomorrow after church. Hopefully it all goes well. Do you do one side at a time or just the entire axle.

 

i did one side at a time but that was just me.

 

I read that doing one side at a time was best buy the bmr site says both so I wasn't sure.

 

I lowered the whole axle as I was replacing the springs, PHB, shocks, LCA's, and brackets all at the same time. You can do it either way.

Matthew