Hi all. I recently finished a front-end rebuild (bushings, springs, struts, balljoints, etc) on my `89 GTA. I replaced the front springs with MOOG #5562s. I used this technique to install the springs.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...y-install.html

They went in pretty easy. I didn't compress the springs too much to ensure that they stayed in the pocket.

Once I lowered the car to the ground, the left side looked really bad. WAY too much positive camber. I moved the strut mount all the way in (More than I would have wanted to). That helped, but even eyeballing, the wheel looked plain crooked. I removed the wheel and loosened the lower strut bolts. The knuckle pulled in noticeably (by itself). Camber looks much better and it drove very well. I haven't put it on the alignment rack at school, but will after I do the rear suspension.

The research here suggests that the front springs aren't seated right in the upper or lower pocket. Getting under the car and looking up through the bottom of the control arm, I can see the entire post that the spring sits around. So it looks ok to me. The spring looks correctly seated in the lower pocket, with one drain hole open. I do not believe the springs were installed upside down as they probably would not have gone that easily. I only compressed them enough to get them in place. I used a jack to join the knuckle to the ball joint. They didn't move while jacking the control arms up. I also torqued the control arm bushing bolts with the suspension loaded. Overall, the car is sitting a little higher, but nothing resembling a 4x4.

Also, nothing looks crooked or bent.
I will likely get another set of eyes to look at the springs.


My questions: Am I missing something here? Should I give it more time? Is there some other reason the wheel looked so crooked? If the spring is indeed seated correctly, would offset strut bolts be the next step?

 

Cant help you, but I'll say this, I replaced my rear springs with moogs on my last thirdgen and the rear sat way too high and the right sat higher than the left. I never figured out the problem.

 

How long has the car sat on the springs, and have you drove the car some to help set the springs?

 

Just a few days and I've only driven about 5 miles. Will drive more tomorrow and seek out speed bumps. I've read that the spring can pop into place. That side is definitely sitting a little higher.

 

I'll be doing the rears soon. I'll keep that in mind.

 

the trick with the rear is to put the spring isolators on the spring so that the notch is lined up with the end of the spring and then wrap electrical tape around it and the top coil of the spring to hold it in place while installing.

 

I used electrical tape at 3 or 4 points on top to keep the insulators in place. I'll keep that in mind for the rear. Thanks.

 

One end of the spring is flat cut so the spring can sit uniform on a flat surface. The other end is normal wound coil. The coil end goes in the ramped pocket on the A-arm, and the flat cut end goes up top.

Same idea for the rear but the spring is reversed. Flat cut end goes on the axle, and the coil wire end goes up top in the pocket of the spring isolator. Can't screw it up in the rear because the axle side tapers down to a smaller diameter.

 

Yes. We're good there. Thank you.