Front Suspension upgrade

racenmotorsports

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So I finally got around to it. In a previous post, I talked about checking out the suspension and finding that all the bushings were shot, R&P leaked and I suspected the struts were shot.

Well, in reality, ball joints were bad too. I got new struts (Monroe's), ball joints from O'Reilly's and a reman R&P from Advance. I got luck and saved a bunch of money this week with the discounts. I suppose the economy sucks, so they are running huge discounts on-line to get people to spend money. Anyway, I got about 30% off on everything.

Again, this is my daughters first car, not a track, drag or anything else. She's going to drive to school, the mall, and her friends houses.

So last weekend, I burn out the rubber on the control arms, I replaced the front bushings with the prothane front bushings from Summit. I got the LCAs on easily, but then I had to get the springs in. What a pain in the rear. I've changed 1000 lbs springs on my race car and haven't needed a spring compressor, so I figured this wouldn't be difficult. Well, 90 minutes later, I was pi$$ed off, I finally decided to go to advance and get the spring compressor. It should have worked easily.... yeah right.... Finally, I compressed the spring, took 2 pieces of chain and held it down. fought with the jack, control arm and spring and a job that should have taken 15 minutes was finally in in 4 hours. installed the new struts, spindle and got it tight. Did the other side complete in 45 minutes....go figure. Sometimes I hate working on this car.

The struts were SHOT, The passenger one barely held up when I was pushing down on it and it took about 2 minutes for it to push up. The driver's on e was better, but not by much.

Tomorrow after work is the new alternator, replacement p/s pump and hopefully, if everything goes well, the new R&P. Then I can try it out and see if it's better...

Remember,this was the car my daughter wanted to get and work with me to fix it up... Where was she??? In the house with her boyfriend!!!! Dang-it.
 

96TANGERINEGT

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Wow. How's that work ? They should have both been helping . But then again I have 2 kids and good luck . Hahaha
 

Slykin

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Pfft, that boyfriend should have been helping at least... I know I would have been. Kids these days, sheesh.(says the 20year old)
 
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racenmotorsports

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Works like this, I get to do all the work, she'll get to drive it when it's safe. It's not really too big of a deal, she did help clean the inside out and re-sewed the driver's seat where it ripped. So I guess for her, it's a fair trade. She did come out and try to work the jack, although it was in shorts and bare feet in 55 degree weather....
 

Widow Maker

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Sounds like how my dad used to work on my cars. Always being like no i don't need help, but then i just straight up told him to stop and go inside i got this. Now he asks me for help. She will come around! sounds like fun.
 
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racenmotorsports

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Yeah, I'm going to make them sand the roof, hood and trunk when it gets warmer out. They need to be re-painted real bad, then I'm going to have them fix the dings on the sides. Actually the body is in real good shape for being a 95. I can't wait to watch them out there for that...
 

g36 monkey

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Glad it's coming together. I wouldn't go to someones house and not offer my assistance if I noticed them working on car, of any sort. Girlfriend or not lol
 
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racenmotorsports

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I hear ya, but he is 15, and not so mechanically inclined ;) Anyway, I decided to go with the prothanes up front instead of all the rubber and see how it feels. I'm sure it'll be better than it was.
 

96TANGERINEGT

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I hear ya, but he is 15, and not so mechanically inclined ;) Anyway, I decided to go with the prothanes up front instead of all the rubber and see how it feels. I'm sure it'll be better than it was.


Ok maybe keep his hands away . LOL
 

ttocs

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not so sure I would leave my kid with their sig-other in the house alone while I was working a multi-hour long project.....
 
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racenmotorsports

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Update...He did help me get the lines on the rack and get it mounted up yesterday. I'm about ready to finally get it down and set the front end up. Having that caster/camber gauge and setting up dirt track cars let me do it in the driveway and not have to pay someone a whole bunch of money to set it up. Maybe by Saturday I'll get to take it for a drive and see how it is.
 
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racenmotorsports

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OK, finally got the front all done, buttoned up, brakes bled and aligned the front end a little bit so I could drive it. I had a couple things happen that held me up a day or so. First, I couldn't get the lines to go back on the r&p correctly, needed the daughter's bf to help out there. Then when I did the flush of the ps pump, I had the calipers off and my daughter in the car cranking it to flush it out.

Well, when you have to push the pedal to get the car to turn over and they're hanging there... the piston on the drivers side pushed out. Not enough to lose fluid, enough so I had to take it apart to get it to go back in. Fixing that, the rubber boot on the piston started to separate on the metal ring and I couldn't get it to go back in the hole without flipping the wrong way, so I had to go in search of one. Every part store in town...on-line and then finally after no luck, I decided to check autozone (I use them as a last resort). They had one.

I hate using autozone here in town, I don't know where they get the people who work there, they must go find the most stupid, ignorant, non-car working on people that only sort of know how to use that stupid computer. Hell, I looked something up on line before I went to get the boot, told them the name, part number and the price and their computer couldn't find it. I tried to explain it to the old MORON working there (who I know used to work on cars) and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. This place is the same place that told me when I was fixing the brake line to the rear axle that a fuel line barb'd T would work on brakes. I ran from that idiot as fast as I could.... My rant is over for now....

Back to the brake caliper, the boot fit, but the O-ring was too small, fortunately, the one in the caliper was still good. put the boot on, but the hose back on, bled the brakes, etc. Put the car back together, set the toe and didn't worry too much about camber since I was only going a mile or two. pulled out of the driveway and the brakes felt spongy. Did a little back and forth, I could hear the brake fluid squeezing out and the pedal would go to the floor... Back in the driveway.... I didn't get the banjo tight enough. tighten it up, bleed the brake a little. Check the brakes right outside the house on the street,they're o.k not great, but worked.

I took the car for a short drive, ended up being about 5 miles, car handled really good with new front end, the only problem was the steering wheel is a little crooked (7-2), but I'll get that fixed later when I figure out how. You guys were right about the poly bushing being a rougher ride, but down here in SE Georgia the only bumps are those stupid reflectors in the road. Other than that it handled pretty good.

I brought it home and promptly set the camber to -2* for some reason I had that measurement in my head, so that's where it's set. Now after looking I got to go back out and set them closer to -1/2 to -3/4 degree....arrrgh. Soon, all I'll have to do is teach her to drive it and give it to her, Soon. When we were bleeding the brakes she said she wants to get those pink deep shag seat covers, anyone know where to get some good ones?

Oh yeah, I forgot, I pulled the body molding off the car, nobody said anything about those 100 clips that break when you pull it off.... I found a place on line that you can get new pieces both the rectangle and the circle clips for less than one side of clips that LMR sells them for. So now I'm waiting for that and to clean out a place to clean, sand and paint them...
 

Saint

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OK, finally got the front all done, buttoned up, brakes bled and aligned the front end a little bit so I could drive it. I had a couple things happen that held me up a day or so. First, I couldn't get the lines to go back on the r&p correctly, needed the daughter's bf to help out there. Then when I did the flush of the ps pump, I had the calipers off and my daughter in the car cranking it to flush it out.

Well, when you have to push the pedal to get the car to turn over and they're hanging there... the piston on the drivers side pushed out. Not enough to lose fluid, enough so I had to take it apart to get it to go back in. Fixing that, the rubber boot on the piston started to separate on the metal ring and I couldn't get it to go back in the hole without flipping the wrong way, so I had to go in search of one. Every part store in town...on-line and then finally after no luck, I decided to check autozone (I use them as a last resort). They had one.

I hate using autozone here in town, I don't know where they get the people who work there, they must go find the most stupid, ignorant, non-car working on people that only sort of know how to use that stupid computer. Hell, I looked something up on line before I went to get the boot, told them the name, part number and the price and their computer couldn't find it. I tried to explain it to the old MORON working there (who I know used to work on cars) and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. This place is the same place that told me when I was fixing the brake line to the rear axle that a fuel line barb'd T would work on brakes. I ran from that idiot as fast as I could.... My rant is over for now....

Back to the brake caliper, the boot fit, but the O-ring was too small, fortunately, the one in the caliper was still good. put the boot on, but the hose back on, bled the brakes, etc. Put the car back together, set the toe and didn't worry too much about camber since I was only going a mile or two. pulled out of the driveway and the brakes felt spongy. Did a little back and forth, I could hear the brake fluid squeezing out and the pedal would go to the floor... Back in the driveway.... I didn't get the banjo tight enough. tighten it up, bleed the brake a little. Check the brakes right outside the house on the street,they're o.k not great, but worked.

I took the car for a short drive, ended up being about 5 miles, car handled really good with new front end, the only problem was the steering wheel is a little crooked (7-2), but I'll get that fixed later when I figure out how. You guys were right about the poly bushing being a rougher ride, but down here in SE Georgia the only bumps are those stupid reflectors in the road. Other than that it handled pretty good.

I brought it home and promptly set the camber to -2* for some reason I had that measurement in my head, so that's where it's set. Now after looking I got to go back out and set them closer to -1/2 to -3/4 degree....arrrgh. Soon, all I'll have to do is teach her to drive it and give it to her, Soon. When we were bleeding the brakes she said she wants to get those pink deep shag seat covers, anyone know where to get some good ones?

Oh yeah, I forgot, I pulled the body molding off the car, nobody said anything about those 100 clips that break when you pull it off.... I found a place on line that you can get new pieces both the rectangle and the circle clips for less than one side of clips that LMR sells them for. So now I'm waiting for that and to clean out a place to clean, sand and paint them...


The crooked steering wheel could just be that the didn't lock the steeing wheel when the aligned it... out a toe issue.....I doubt the steering arm will have to come off
 
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racenmotorsports

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No, I don't think they'll have to come off, I think I'll do a little one turn this side, one turn the opposite direction on the other side. maybe 2 turns to get it right.
 

Slykin

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How much trouble was it burning out the A-Arm bushings? I've been thinking about doing that until I can afford some good tubular stuff, but didn't want a huge project.
 

mikey94gt

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Sounds like a fun little project... And I hate stock springs. Puttin them in is way harder than putting in lowering springs. I'd probably had done the poly bushings as well. Sweet!
 

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