I put my camaro in a ditch about 3 weeks ago. The drivers side front tire is pushed back about 1-2 inches. I haven't been under the car yet because I'm afraid of what I'll see. Anybody got any ideas of what I might have done to it?

 

Bent something.

Either the control arm, or the K-member which is the piece that the control arm attaches to. Maybe the spindle, but more likely one of those other pieces.

 

How hard would it be to change the k member?

 

Rockwell C67

How hard is brain surgery, or rocket science?

This is about the same. Piece of cake for some, insurmountable for others.

 

Nice analogy, I'm gonna borrow that.

 

Well saying that, what would you have to do to change it?

 

The K-member is the piece that the motor mounts and the front control arms bolt to. So in order to change it you need the car up in the air, the motor either absent or supported from above, and the front springs out. To remove the front springs, you have to deal with the steering linkage, ball joints, struts, stabilizer bar bushings, and brake lines.

Once you get to that point, 6 bolts hold it to the rest of the car; takes about 10 minutes to change it out. Changing it is easy. It's the getting to it that's the fun.

If you're a front end guy and/or have access to that sort of eqpt (lift, hoist, floor jack, air tools, big sockets and breaker bars, etc.), or if the car is already stripped down, it's easy. If the car is still competely assembled and you're laying on the ground in an apartment complex that doesn't allow you to work on cars and all you have is a chinesium 3/8" drive socket set from Wal-Mart that was made in Lower Slobovia somewhere and your stock tire changing jack, you're probably better off paying somebody to do it for you.

 

How could you attach a shop crane to the engine to hold it up?