Front end rebuild (procedures, advice)

[MaineShark]

Well, I decided that, while I have the radiator out, I should replace my (shot) front bushings. (I'm going to kill myself with the "while I'm at it" stuff, but that's another topic, I think...)

I ordered the polyurethane "deluxe front suspension rebuild kit" from Zip ($180 on sale). It comes with upper and lower ball joints, upper and lower control bushings, outer tie rod ends (two left and two right), two sway bar link kits, and an idler arm.

I'm not sure what of this I can do myself, since I don't have many special tools, and I don't want to mess up the alignment. I'm going to have it aligned after everything is installed, but I need to maintain the alignment during the parts that I do. That way I can drive it somewhere to get the final parts (if any) installed, and the alignment checked and corrected.

So, the first question is: what can I do, as far as tools go? I need to do the upper control arm bushings myself, since those need to be done with the radiator out, from what I hear. It looks to me like I'll need a spring compressor, to take the tension off the system. But maybe there's another technique? If not, I'll have to borrow one. Anything else that requires special tools?

The second question is: at what point during the installation do I mess up the alignment? I want to have it at a shop that can re-set the alignment, before I change out any parts which will knock the alignment out of whack. If not, I'd be stuck trying to drive it, while mis-aligned (and this is Maine, so we're talking driving it a good distance to get to the nearest alignment shop).

Third question: any tips/tricks to making this go smoothly?

Fourth question: I assume that, at some point, the grease will dry out and the poly bushings will start squeaking a bit more. Is there any easy way to replace the grease and quiet them down again? Not a huge problem - I just think it's nicer when a Corvette growls than when it squeaks...

Joe

 

[Jack]

Well, I decided that, while I have the radiator out, I should replace my (shot) front bushings. (I'm going to kill myself with the "while I'm at it" stuff, but that's another topic, I think...)

I ordered the polyurethane "deluxe front suspension rebuild kit" from Zip ($180 on sale). It comes with upper and lower ball joints, upper and lower control bushings, outer tie rod ends (two left and two right), two sway bar link kits, and an idler arm.

I'm not sure what of this I can do myself, since I don't have many special tools, and I don't want to mess up the alignment. I'm going to have it aligned after everything is installed, but I need to maintain the alignment during the parts that I do. That way I can drive it somewhere to get the final parts (if any) installed, and the alignment checked and corrected.

So, the first question is: what can I do, as far as tools go? I need to do the upper control arm bushings myself, since those need to be done with the radiator out, from what I hear. It looks to me like I'll need a spring compressor, to take the tension off the system. But maybe there's another technique? If not, I'll have to borrow one. Anything else that requires special tools?

The second question is: at what point during the installation do I mess up the alignment? I want to have it at a shop that can re-set the alignment, before I change out any parts which will knock the alignment out of whack. If not, I'd be stuck trying to drive it, while mis-aligned (and this is Maine, so we're talking driving it a good distance to get to the nearest alignment shop).

Third question: any tips/tricks to making this go smoothly?

Fourth question: I assume that, at some point, the grease will dry out and the poly bushings will start squeaking a bit more. Is there any easy way to replace the grease and quiet them down again? Not a huge problem - I just think it's nicer when a Corvette growls than when it squeaks...

Joe

Joe:
Since you’re going to all this trouble anyway ... if you haven't done so already, make sure you have all the tie rod ends. Be safe ... there’s gonna be a lotta tuggin’, pushin’ & pullin’. Get the car in air on lotsa good jackstands ... I used 6 or 8 ... 3 or 4/side & one front & rear. A floorjack can be safely & successfully used to compress front springs & CA’s (I did). You’re gonna lose your alignment cuz it’s currently based on worn parts ... set tr end thread depth about halfway. If you can, find a local race car buddy with toeplates & set toe when you’re done. If your old outer ca bushing OUTER shells are good (they’re probably just fine) ... use em (I did)! If so, look at em before you disassemble front end ... note where you can access grease fittings (zerks) ... mark the spots ... when disassembled drill for zerks. You can probably avoid having to press anything in or out if your old outer shells are good ... no risk of tweaking/bending the ca’s. Your old rubber ca bushings are probably mushy ... you can coerce the old rubber from old shells with simple tools ranging from pocket knife to hardware store hole saw in a drill (I did). The new poly bushing assembly is a pressed-together thing and the poly is NOT bonded to metal as are OE rubber ... poly assemblies'll separate with finger pressure. Once you’ve got the old rubber & old inner shell out ... everything cleaned up real good ... drilled for zerks if you like ... the new poly bushings and inner shells will easily slide into your old outer shells. Simply separate the new poly assemblies ... discard the new outer shells ... use only the new bushing & new inner shell with your old outer shell. Make certain you have the female threads in CA shafts’ ends VERY clean and their bushing retaining bolts VERY clean (brake cleaner) ... absolutely NO grease in/on those threads ... install the bushing retaining bolts with loctite ... use loctite! Kids & hangers-on may acquire renewed respect for your expanded vocabulary ... it’s a tough, dirty job but you can do it (all 4 ca's)!
JACK:gap

 

[paintdaddy]

The only advice I can give here would be to dont be cheap.Replace everything.Remember this is an old car.I did my 68 last winter and this is how I did it.I gutted the entire front suspension.degreased under the front third of the car and painted it semi gloss black,nothing special ,just wanted to make it look a little better.During the course of about a month,I bought everything that had to do with the front suspension,front brakes and steering.All of it cost me about $1000 .It took me about another month to get organized and reassemble everything.
Also I would paint everything before you install it.New parts come with an oil on them to prevent rust during shipping and storage but once installed they turn to rust quick.The only stuff that doesnt need paint is the stuff that is plated.

 

[mapman]

Purchase the suspension video from Van Steel. It has a lot of information. Many of the special tools you can rent free (deposit) from Auto Zone. Take your time and be sure to be careful with the springs, I chained mine.

The GM Corvette Shop Manual SPECIFIC for your year and access to the A.I.M. for your year are resources that will help you a great deal. If you are going to do anything major to these cars I think you should have those two documents. Good luck.

 

[MaineShark]

I think the most important question is:

Which items will affect the alignment?

Since the upper control arm bushings need to be done with the radiator out, those need to be done before I re-install the radiator. Can I do that (and any other stuff that requires the radiator to be out) without significantly affecting my alignment?

I realize the other stuff will have a significant effect, which is why I'll probably have them done at a shop that can immediately re-align the car.

But anything that needs to be done before the rad is replaced, I need to do myself.

I'd also like to do as much as possible myself, so a list of the items which won't destroy the alignment (or require special tools) would be helpful.

Joe

 

[mapman]

Three factors effect front end alignment, caster, camber, and toe-in. Your year specific GM Corvette Shop Manual has a good description of the alignment process. I would not attempt a front end rebuild without your year specific GM Corvette Shop Manual at a minimum.

The Assembly Instruction Manual A.I.M. for your year is also very valuable. The generic shop manuals (Haynes/Chilton) are not specific enough IMO to do major work on the car.

Everything you do will effect the front end alignment. The Van Steel video is VERY helpful as you can see a disassembly and reassembly of the suspension. It answers many questions and gives a wealth of helpful tips.

I used a digital camera to document the starting configuration and record my progress. Be sure to identify and bag the alignment shims (caster and camber) on the upper a-arms. You need to know what went where when you reassemble the a-arms.

This job is not too difficult if you arm yourself with the correct shop manuals. Be careful, the springs are under a lot of pressure, I chained mine to the frame during disassembly/reassembly.

 

[69vettester]

Ive totally rebuilt the front end on my car, and I agree with all the comments. Id like to add that I dont think it would even be possible to do a front end and not have to do a good alignment.
Good luck with it, those zips kits are excellent deals.
Tom

 

[MaineShark]

Yeah, I know it will have an effect. But will just changing the bushings, only, have so much of an effect that I won't be able to drive 30 miles to the shop to have the rest done and the alignment set? Because those bushings need to be done with the radiator out, and the car can't exactly be driven to the shop with no radiator.

Joe

 

[68Roadster]

MaineShark,
I rebuilt the entire front end on my 68 this winter, from a arm bushings upper and lower to tie rods, ball joints and added power steering. Just doing the a arm bushings shouldn't throw the alignment out too much as long as you get the shims back in the right spots. When you start swapping out ball joints and tie rod ends, thats when the fun starts. I matched all my old stuff up with the new (thread counts, etc.) and still ended up with a steering wheel pointed towards New York and the car headed for California.
It wasn't fun to drive and the tires chirped a bit but I did make the 30 mile trek to the alignment shop.
If you have access to a small hydraulic press you can do the a arm bushings easily. Just buy some fence post and cut them to the space between the front and rear of the control arm. This keeps you from tweaking the arm while you are pressing the bushings in and out (I used 1" angle iron, round fence post would have been better).
I agree with everyone else, take your time, clean everything and then repaint. My 35 year old front end looks new, took a while to get all that crap off but it was worth it.

Have fun......

Cee

 

[Bolisk]

I know this is an old thread. . .but I thought I would add some of my own comments in case anyone ever reads this thread again.

I had the same results as the previous post when I replaced my tie rods. The reason I had the same results is because I did exactly what the 68Roadster did. I counted the number of visable threads from the collar (as many people are told to do) when attempting to duplicate the old tie rods. This process doesn't really work. The reason for this is, most of the replacement tie rod ends have more / less threads taped onto the tie rod shaft. So just using the tie rod threads yielded poor results.

Measuring the overall lenght of the tie rod and replicating that length on a new tie rod assembly doesn't work either. . .because many of the replacement tie rod ends have differnt sized heads on them.

What you really want to do it measure the distance from the center of the tie rod post (the part that connects to the steering nuckle on the spindel), to the center of the other tie rod post on the other end of the tie rod. The problem is the tie rod posts move . . . because they are a ball joint. So how can you get a semi accurate measurement?

Use the grease zerk fitting!

Most tie rod end manufactures place the zerk fitting directly below and in the center of the tie rod post. So if you assembel a new tie rod assembly. . .try to match the distance between zerk fittings as a measurement reference for final assembly.

NOTE: This process works for building new tie rod assemblies. . .or when replacing a tie rod end. Just take the measurement before you start disassembly (from zerk to zerk) and write that measurement down for use during final assembly.

It's the closest you will get to the correct meausrement without throwing your steering and aligment completely out of whack.

When I did this, my new tie rod's went in. . .and my steering returned to normal. . .and the car drove exactly like it did before I started. HOWEVER. . .I still took the car in for an alignment . ..just to make sure that everything was correctly dialed in.

Regards,
Bolisk