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iTrader: (1)

Car is my 1987 IROC with the 350 TPI.
Thinking this is pretty straight forward. I tried the search function here and didn't find any info which I found odd. So to YouTube I went and found this video.
Seems pretty straight forward but wondering if you guys have any reccomendations on what type to purchase?
Thanks.

JA411

Not that hard as long as you can safety raise car and motor enough to unbolt and remove frame clam shell mounts. Use best quality inserts or OE mount if you can find them. They have been discontinued for along time.
Joe

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iTrader: (1)

Yes I have a Low profile Jack, jack stands and lumber.
I'll verify tomorrow if is the motor mounts for sure.
Thanks

jharrison5

When I replaced mine the AC delcos were running around $180 a pair so I went with the Energy Suspensions for around $50 a pair.

Not quite sure why the guy in the video removed his spring... If you have a long box end wrench you can get them out with a little effort. However when you put the nuts back in put a piece of tape on the wrench to hold the nut in place and it will go a lot quicker.

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iTrader: (1)

So looks like he used the spring compression tool, then took out the control
Arm bolt to get access that way.
JHarrison Are you saying you don't have to go in from where the Control arm is bolted onto?

jharrison5

Yes you still go up the same way but you don't need to drop the lower control arm. I basically did it the same as him but without the hassle of having to compress the springs.

When I did mine I supported the car with stands towards the rear of the k member and let the front suspension hang down with both front wheels off. I removed the three motor mount bolts by sticking a longer box end wrench up into the lower control arm hole in the frame to access the nut. Turned the bolt from the top side of the mount using a ratcheting wrench. Repeated the process for the other two bolts.

When I went to bolt the new mount in, I held the nut in place on the end of the wrench by putting a piece of duct tape across it and started the bolt by hand. Repeat the process for the rest of the bolts.

It is not a fun job and I don't want to do it again anytime soon, but i don't have a spring compressor and it just seems like a huge hassle to gain a few inches.

Tootie Pang

iTrader: (2)

I borrowed a professional grade spring compressor from Auto Zone to compress the springs and get the control arms dropped and out of the way. I used a jack and a length of 2x4 to lift the engine by the oil pan to get clearance. Not a fun job but do-able. Don't expect to go to fast and you won't get frustrated. The first side took me 2 hours, the other side took me 30 minutes.

I suppose one could take a long box end, like a distributor wrench, and bend it around to hold the bolts and get it around the control arm without taking the arm out. A good idea would be to get nuts that have the captive washer on them, that way they would sit in the box end without falling through.

That all being said, I can see it both ways. I do not like using spring compressors and working so close to them. Those springs are really loaded but the extra access makes it nice and you can change the control arm bushings while they are down. If you are going to use a spring compressor use a good one.

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iTrader: (1)

Good tips guys. And I like the thought of changing the control arm bushings as well.
I work away from home for 2 weeks at a time and leave tomorrow. So ill order the parts and have them ready for next days off.

JA411

Neither the spring or control arm needs to be removed, if doing motor mount only. If your changing springs and or doing bushings then its easier if removed.
Joe