I am fixing to install Moroso big block front drag springs on my car. Does anyone knwo how hard it is? Would it be easier to do springs and shocks at the same time?

How exactly do I do this?

 

You don't have front shocks. They're struts and can be changed at any time. If this is a drag only car, invest in some Koni SPA1 struts.

Installing front springs can be very difficult. The best thing to do is buy or rent a spring compressor. You're also going to need a jack and jackstands.

 

spring compresser takes it from an impossiable job to one the fairly easy to do

 

When I read "fixin to" I knew you were a fellow Texan.

I did not like using the spring compressor at all. It was a pain to slide up into the spring and a bigger pain to get it to compress the srping correctly without getting hung up on the a-arm and having to lossen it and start all over again.

I found this way much easier. But maybe a little longer to do. Jack the front end up. Jack stands. Take off tire. Place the hydraulic jack under the a-arm near the pivot bolts. Raise it a couple of inches until you can get those pivot bolts out. (actually loosen the pivot bolt nuts before you use the haydraulic jack BUT DO NOT PULL the pivot bolts until you have supported the a-arm with the jack).


Next...pull the pivot bolts and oh-so gently lower the hydraulic jack all the way until no compression is left in the spring. Then just yank it out.

Good time to replace your ball joints and a-arm bushings at this point: You are going to have to get an alignment after the springs installed ($120 for aftermarket suspension usu.), so get all that work done while the front end is apart.

Ok...so now your springs are out and a-arm is down and hanging by its other pivot at the front strut. Now....follow haynes/chilton for strut and caliper removal. Now...your a-arm is lying on the ground completely detached. Now..you can replace your strut. IF YOU DO NOT have air tools, I strongly recommend that BEFORE you start any of this work, see if you can loosen the top strut bolt at the strut tower by yourself. If you can't...its best to run it up to a mufler shop/ pepboys and have them whip it loose.

Also..if you haven't, replace your sway bar endlinks and upper bushings now too.

You see the a-arm has two pivot points: at the crossmember and at the strut. I highly recommend that you attach the a-arm to the crossmember first, then seat the spring, raise it, and attach the strut. It was a total PITA to do this without a spring compressor, but I managed somehow. It would prob work much better but I didn't know if the compressor you can rent would fit the size springs I got anyway.

Also: Make sure the top of the spring is correctly fit at the top and also at the bottom. There is a spring index that noonw tells you about except EBMILLER . There are two holes in the a-arm where the spring sits on the side close to the pivot bolts. Make sure the end of the bottom coil sits right between these two holes.

EBMILLER posted so many helpful pics walking you thru his suspension removal installation. HIGHLY recommended source. I prob would not have completed mine w/o his help.

 

Thanks for the kudos Matthew.

AFast:

Look here:

http://photos.yahoo.com/taramiller72

Click on the Camaro links. Let me know if you have any questions.

Ed

 

Hey...you bet. Credit is due where credit is deserved. BTW, have you made any progress on the 4th gen rear installation?

 

another way to get the strut bolts off is to use a good size rachet on the back and have it rest up against the strut body or a arm as to not move when the opposite side is twisted and then use a t-bar tire iron to twist it off. i was able to do it by my self with out air tools and pretty easily.

 

Nah, I decided not to go with the 4th gen rear...yet. I may be crazy but I'm gonna build a 3.27 9 bolt. I've got all the pieces, just go to get the gears installed somehow.

Ed

 

That'sa good idea....I have the Saginaw 10 bolt now, and the seals are all shot. I've thought about rebuilding a 9 bolt too. What size gears did you get?

But as much as I want too, it would prob be alot cheaper right now to just yank mine out and take it up to the shop and have someone do the seals for me.

 

3.27s. I still want some kind of mileage. My current 2.77 9 bolt will then go under my RS.

Ed

 

well this doesn't sound that bad. I am ordering the springs tomorrow or the day after. Big block Moroso front trick springs. I am a fellow texan it doesn't sound too hard. i am going to look at the pictures cuz i am still clueless. i think if i can get it apart then i can put it back together...did you say the ALIGNMENT cost 120?

 

hey the link isn't working..did you copy it down right...fi you can't get it towrk and have htem saved on the compute ryou can send them to AFast83z28@aol.com

 

The link copied wrong. Try this one:

http://photos.yahoo.com/taramiller72

Ed

PS- I fixed the other one too.

 

its 530 Am right now. i just woke up for some reason so ia m going to bed cuz i dont have to be up til 7 but i will look at them later.

 

Confirming $120 for the alignment. Firestone would not even touch it because its aftermarket. The only thing I did was Eibach ProKit, new shocks, struts, bushing.

The excuse is that "you lowered the ride height, so we can't use factory settings." I guess they're trying to tell me its a bigger pain in the butt and they want a little more $$.

Ed....Is it wise to shave maybe an inch or so off the air dam after lowering the car? I scrape everything and was wondering if ther was something I could do.

 

$120 for an alignment?? WOW!! I paid $49 at the Pontiac dealer after I did mine and they did a great job.

I don't see why you couldn't shave a bit of it off. I just do my best to approach speed bumps, driveways, etc, at an angle. I really don't scrape mine enough to worry about it. Plus, the air dams are only $15 each or so from GM (call Dal) so I don't think I'll mind having to replace it every 3 years or so. I keep a spare around in the event I really mess it up.

Ed

 

I know how it feels for the alignment. There's a shop called Lee Usher Tires where I live right now. They charged me $110 for an alignment. I did change the ENTIRE suspension, but they were the only people in town at the time who would do alignments. The SOB's didn't even center the wheel and on top of that they gave the tires too much positive camber. After a year my brand new Yokohamas were bald on the outer edge!

 

what all stuff did you say should be replaced>? like polyurethane wise? body mounts or something like that?

 

Check out www.p-s-t.com

Everything they have for your year car in the front you should buy new.

Some people also get their stuff from energy suspension, but I hear that they also make pst stuff. It's up to you!

 

what do you buy? bump stops? I need some help on this one.

 

Here's what I bought, bushing wise:

All ES by the way.

Bump stops for the A-arms
motor mounts
tranny mount
torque arm bushing
tie rod and ball joint dust boots
Front control arm bushings
front and rear sway bar bushings and end link kits

That's it.

I got new coil spring isolators from GM, ES didn't have those.

Ed

 

I believe ES now makes urethane coil spring isolators for our cars.

 

Front yes, rear no.

I ordered them (front) and they kept putting off the shipping date and I had to get the car back together, so I went with the GM ones.

 

so i need front coil spring isolators too?