Suspension Work

[Bimmer-Bob]

To the guys that did their own suspension work: did you use an impact wrench or just regular old hand tools? I'm thinking of picking up an impact wrench but I'm not sure if it's worth it - always wanted one, but not sure if the wheel wells are too tight a spot to use one. Any suggestions on brands would be helpful, too. Thanks in advance.

[Xaeryan]

Do you have an air compressor? The air-powered impact gun we used on my suspension install was relatively narrow and didn't cause any issues. However, electric impact guns tend to be much wider due to their electric motors and might have some difficulties fitting in awkward locations.

[Bimmer-Bob]

I don't have a compressor, but I'm open to getting one. The cordless models tend to be more expensive anyway (although I guess you save some money by not needing the compressor) but I hadn't considered the benefit of their smaller size due to the lack of a battery.

[Xaeryan]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

I don't have a compressor, but I'm open to getting one. The cordless models tend to be more expensive anyway (although I guess you save some money by not needing the compressor) but I hadn't considered the benefit of their smaller size due to the lack of a battery.

It's not just the battery that adds size, it's the electric motor itself, as can be seen even in the corded models. Air guns are much simpler internally since they don't have an "motor", just a way to convert the force of air into impacting force.
That being said, is it worth your money to purchase an air compressor (which can be large, loud, expensive, and power draining) for what you need? Or would it suffice for you to just wrench it out (breaker bars and large wrenches can fit on everything, but the angle you sometimes have to use isn't always optimal for leverage - but it gets the job done nonetheless)?

[Xaeryan]

My recommendation is, unless you are planning on doing enough work to justify the cost, wrench it out for a one-time only project. You'll run into stuff that's a real bitch, but you'll get through it and have money in pocket still.

[stevenc]

I had a battery powered impact wrench, but it really was not powerful enough, so half way through my install i went and bought a plugin electric impact wrench from pep boys for like $40 and it worked like a champ.

[Das Ein]

I just used good ol brute force.