i started my suspension today and am going by a write up on h-t. i was looking at the pics on the site and realized i didnt have something:


i dont have the little tophat on either side :nervous: is this piece absolutely neccesary or will i live?

 

you could wreck the bushing...among other things
order a new one from honda, or at the very least, put a fat washer on it

 

Its not as bad as it seems since 99% of the time you dont have to be worried about the shock pulling down on that nut since the car is always acting against it. but you should get them back on as soon as you can.

 

is this part called the tophat? im going to honda for MTF anyways so that works out pretty good.

 

No, the top hat is the entire conglomeration of parts that sits on the top of the spring, holding it and the shock together.
The part you want is just called "washer"

 

h: is this a special 'honda' washer or i could i find something close to it at a hardware store?

 

any washer will do fine. :thumbup:

 

yeah, any slightly thick washer will work fine
the honda one is curved slightly at the edges to hold the bushing...but you dont need a special one, no

 

alright thanks guys

 

actually I think its just curved by hondas stamping process. Even on a stock car the curve goes up so its not really holding the bushing. who knows heh but yeah any old washer will do the trick.