Hello,

After refinsihing and rebuilding my front suspension I am putting everything back on. I installed new PST bushing in my A-Arms and I am putting in new Eibach springs. However, I have 4 questions.

1) Can you put spring insulators on the bottom of the spring? It seems like it would make the ride quiter to to no metal on metal contact.

2) My passenger side a-arms fits significantly tighter than the driver side. I can still easily move both, but the passenger side is so tight that it can hold the weight of the spindle by itself. Will that cause any problems? I suspect that I may have slightly bent the k-member when removing the a-arms.

3) Are the internal coil spring compressors that GM reccomends in its manual to install coil springs the easiest way to install the springs? The engine is not in the car so I cannot use the weight of the engine.

4) I would like to make future suspension mods/repairs easier. Is there any harm in using all 304 Stainless Steel fasteners on the suspension to prevent rust?

Any help you can provide would be very much appreciated!!!

 

1 - I don't know that I'd add an actual spring isolator there, just because of the added height. Instead, I'd suggest a piece of hose/rubber tubing like some of the people here have added to the tops of their rear springs.

2 - Personally, I'd try to find out why it's doing that, as it's definitely not normal. Not only does it lower your driveline efficiency, I'd also suspect that it could well lead to you needing to replace bushings (or other pieces) on that side sooner than you'd otherwise have to.

3 - I remember reading about a hydraulic- or air-powered compressor that was supposedly MUCH easier to use, but I don't have any other info on it. Might try a search, see what shows up.

4 - I don't know that it would cause any problems, but others here would likely be able to give you a better answer.

Hope this helps.

 

#1 - I wouldn't bother. GM didn't even do that and I've never noticed noise before.

#2 - I wouldn't worry too much. Are your bolts in while it's holding? Maybe they're too tight on that side.

#3 - I had no problems installing springs with engine out of the car once I got a decent internal spring compressor.

#4 - as long as it's grade 8 or better. 10.9 being the best. I found out that there is a grade 5 ss that you DON'T want.

 

Stainless steel bolts will break VERY easily. They are for use in non critical low stress areas for looks such as intake manifolds, or just bolting accessories to the inner fender wells. You can NOT even safely use them to hold on alternators and other pulley drive units as they will shear off. Using SS bolts in your a-arms would be a death warrant.


As long as you greased up the bushings in the a-arms before you slipped them into the chassis ears then they are fine. You said they both move up and down by hand so one being a tad stiffer in movement resistance than the other will not have any future problems. WHat causes this is the inner metal sleeve on one of the bushings is a tad shorter than the bushing material and when bolting the a-arm into the ears you are squeezing the ears onto the bushing side walls until the inner sleeve make contact with the ears. DO NOT LOOSEN IT BACK UP AT ALL- it needs to stay snug again the inner sleeve. You should always ONLY tighten the bolt and snug the sleeve against the ear tabs AFTER the car is on the ground and sitting at static ride height. This keeps bind at a minimum since the bushing is final torqued closest to mid articulation of suspension travel.


As for isolators? I do not even run an upper one. I have absoutely no Isolators in the front of my Camaro and have not now for about 15 years- They have been out and back in twice in that time and I just merely wrap a little eletrical tape around the top coil in two places (about 5 loops of electrical tape) and then coat the inner can with moly grease as well as the top of the spring. I also grease the pocket index area of the a-arm where the bottom goes into. I HAVE NEVER HAD NOISE PROBLEMS, NOR HAVE I EVEN HAAD ANY KIND OF WERE PROBLEMS EITHER- for the record! I also run very heavy rate springs compared 99% here.