HcDave1

i went into the tire place to get my car alighned before i go back to school and they told me that they couldnt do it because the bushings are shot i cant remember if they said

traling arm
lower control arm
upper control arm bushings

the car was up on the stand and the tire rocked back and forth in a side to side motion and hitting a bump is murder on my car. You can fell how bad the bushings are that tire moves all over the place. In a in and ouit motion if you were pushing the tire toward the tire wall

right now im just going for what need to be fixed to fix the current problem to make it more drivable. Any help would be great, Im going to run to the store tomarrow and pick up a set of frount shocks.

How hard are the bushings to do yourself???

thanks a lot
-dave

Larry B.

They most likely said the lower and upper control arm bushings. Unless you are knowedgable about suspension work you cannot do the job yourself. You need some special tools and even then it can be a real tough job. Not to mention that it is dangerous.


[Modified by silvervetteman, 7:08 AM 2/16/2003]

HcDave1

Ok thanks thats all i needed to know because then ill just save up some more money and have the shop that i go to do it for me they gave me a package deal for shocks bushings and alignment dor 400 bux a good enough deal i just cant save that kind of money with out blowing it on toys for the car :smash: :smash: :smash:

Ill just take care of the shocks tomarrow then

thanks again

Ybnormal

HcDave1 you can do it yourself I did mine last summer. The only tools I had to purchase to do this was a press and a balljoint buster. I could have taken the arms to a shop but needed the press anyway. Other than that taking the coil springs out is the only other problem you will encounter if you have normal hand tools. I just chained mine with a chain incase they decided to come out before I was ready for them too and used a floor jack. You can get an idea of what all is involved here but is does take a lot to time, those while you at its will get you.
www.angelfire.com/al/swhite7/frontend.com

YBNormal...drive a 81 vette

HcDave1

its funny how peoples opinions change from one thing to another on the same thing... well ill buy the parts i need and give it a go i love to do things myself the feeling i get is awsome when i do something myself a lot of pride comes with it. But if i fail i still got the parts ill just pay for labor but i dont fail :D

norvalwilhelm

ts funny how peoples opinions change from one thing to another on the same thing...

I think it depends on your mechanical ability. To me pulling and replace my front springs is a few hours work , to the next guy it is a tough dangerous job. I also think nothing of pulling a rear set of gears and installing another set, here again it depends on the person.

Without a good spring compressor and floor jack it could be dangerous. Stock springs require a spring compressor the 550 or 460's do not. Any spring can be removed witht he spring compressor. It is need to reinstall the spring.
Once you have the A arms off you and remove the old bushing yourself with hole saw , a torch burnig them out of a simple drill drilling many holes, then a hawksaw splitting the sleeve.
To install a vice works fine. Beware of just pressing them in with a press. The A arms are easy to bend.
You also need a method of breaking the ball joints loose. Good time to replace them too and make the job easier. If you are replacing them a pickel fork can be used.
Calipers need to come off and can be hung to one side, rotors off, upper and lower ball joints removed or at least the spindle removed.
When you reasseble be generous with an anti-seize. Makes future work easier.
If you start and want advice on each step just ask or send me a person e mail. I don't mind and can remember every set from the past.
Good luck.
It is certainly a home job if you are willing to give it a try.

max125

If you plan on keeping your corvette for some time and want it to perform and ride the best it can, you're most likely going find it needs more than just control arm bushings. I just completed the front suspention on my 74, upper & lower bushings, ball joints, 460 lb springs, tie rod ends, idler arm, pitman arm, 1 1/8 sway bar, new spinles, rotors, calipers, bearings and steering components. I went with poly on all the soft parts except the control arm bushing. The after market poly bushings for the control arms have a design flaw and you will find the bolts will not stay tight after driving. The whole process took a while, mainly because I media blasted all the hard parts and painted with epoxy to return then to better than new condition. Keep in mind this whole front end renovation started with a leaking caliper and the ferther I got into it the more warn parts I found. Tearing apart the front suspention is a little bit of job. I would suggest planning to do it only once and do some research on what upgrades you want to finish with. Vette brakes and parts were very helpful with my project.
:thumbs: