Guys, how is your way to know when it is time to replace the struts or suspension system components? In my case I think that I have to replace the struts because my shakes so hard when driving at high speed on the highway...that is why I believe that it needs a struts replacement....what about you guys?

 

Technical way is to measure from the bottom of the bumper to the ground. Then you bounce the car up and down a few times by leaning on the fender (don't crease your fender!!!), and when the car stops bouncing, you take another measurement. If the difference between the two is a certain # or higher, then the struts should be replaced.

The easier way is "every 4 or 5 years".

You could check your struts for leakage too; take the tires off and see if there's any oil streaks on the cartridge bodies; the oil would start leaking from where the piston enters the strut.

Or you could bounce the front of the car up and down and see how easy it bounces. The front of mine barely moves if I lean on the fender... with my old shot/leaking struts, it'd hop up and down easily.

I put new struts on in 1996, and they were well-dead by the time I rebuilt the suspension in 2003. I put on KYB GR-2's from Summit, $60/each. The front strut-to-knuckle bolts are on with 180 ft/lbs torque, so make sure youve got a torque wrench!

 

when you drive fast or corner and it feels like your in a canoe

 

The way I was taught is you push down on the car one corner at a time then let go. The car should just return to normal. If it bouces up and down then that means you have to replace that strut. Usualy the front ones last a lot longer than the rear ones but the rear ones are a lot cheaper and easier to change.

 

I did the boounce thing when I first got the car. IT had more movement than Charo. I tok off the pass side & could collapse & expand the thing w/my hand. FUn part ws jumping up & down on the breaker bar (no air tools then).

 

which tire or where do you feel it shake at high speed.
Can you tell which side of the car.

A warped rotor or a bad tire balance can do that.

I need to get my front tires balanced on my wagon. At 55 it shakes. but at 50 or 60+ it doesn't.

 

It shakes slowly to the right and left car's side when you hit a windy area on the highway; it is like you can lose car control if the road is icy, wet or slippery. I putted new 4 Yokohama tires on it before winter season, balanced them of course. It is like 85berlinetta2.8 says, when you take a curve at high speed it is like you are in a canoe or boat, your car weight goes to the opposite curve direction side. It is better if you change the 4 struts/shocks. Here is New Jersey the highways and roads are destroyed.
Thanks for your help guys!!!!

 

someone should do a writeup with pictures on how do change balljoints shocks struts and springs. i have a collection of these new parts and have a garage and a second car, but am afraid of getting stuck. id love to do it all myself to save me 500 bones, but ive never done anything like this before. also new brake hoses would help as well. in fact i have a full set of drum shoes and a spring kit laying around as well. i never done drums either.

 

I have the service manual for 85 Camaros...I am gonna try to scan that service part so we can figure out how to change those parts.

 

Well high winds will do it. Even with all new parts when I am in a windy area it's a pretty scary ride.

When you going down the road and you a bumpy area does your front end just kinda bounce a long to the point that you can see the hood go up and down? If yes replace the struts.

When mine were blown I would go up Altamont Pass and you could see the hoood bobing up and down. If I was doing the speed limt it would bottom out. There is a spot that the big rigs have to hit brakes pretty hard when there is a lot of traffic and it causes the road to get the wash board effect.

 

Here I have 2 pictures of some of suspension system.

 

The second one...

 

yikes

 

4 major front suspension link parts that will cause the front to shake around

1) strut mounts
2 strut
3)balljoint
4 a-arm bushings

Usually in that order. The strut mount go bad and cause very excessive play and movement of the entire front spindle/strut assembly.

You see what a stock V6 setup looks like from the scanned picture above. This is a custom race setup with Koni Yellows on a V6. Auminum GW hubs, 6 piston calipers, 2pc alum hat 13x1.25 rotors, HMS solid bearing alum strut mounts, Baer bumpsteer tierods, SSS 800lb linear coils, ARP 1/2" studs, Custom welded A-arms and bushings, ..... Al of this is larger, stronger and 4 lbs lighterweight per side than the stock setup.

 

is that a solid brake line? no rubber?

 

Stainless steel flexable braided lines- just like Earls performance braided lines, only custom made to my specs. It would be inpossible to run hardlines due to suspension travel.
Heres a pic that better shows the entire brake assembly. These are the largest brakes ever fitted to a 3rd gen under a 16" rim and are completely one of a kind.

 

Since whe are on the subject of suspensions, I'll show you guys a few things if you are not familiar with me over on the suspension board.

Here's a comparison to somewhat stock size(but not stock componant) factory 10.5" brakes and single piston calipers

 

These are billet aluminum racing strutmounts with a solid (nonflexing) upper strut mount. The only way a STB (strut tower brace) can be fully affective in holding set camber in a corner and perventing change in geometry is by the use of solid strutmounts like these. An STB with stock rubber strutmounts is pointless and defeating the purpose of trying to harness the camber curve.

Also shown are Koni "Yellows" and Baer "bumpsteer" tierods that correct the steering geometry on a lowered car and help prevent the nose of the car wandering all over the road.

 

Rear brake and suspension pics- there is nothing stock at all on the car. Not one little piece anywhere under neath it that hasn't been modified or customised, even inside the rear axle housing. Even the alxes are lightweight Moser drilled axles

 

RTFC,

The bump stops look stock. J/K

Ware did you get the strutmounts?

 

when I did my front end, I had never had to deal w/teh big c-clamp tie rod press thing. I took a while for me to figure it out, but the otherside went more than 2x faster than the first side you do. For the bolts holding on the struts,........get a very powerful impact gun, or a big 1/2" breaker bar & treat it as a trampoline. I had to, but it got the job done. Flexybrake lines are easy, and teh 1 person vacuum bleeder/gun is very useful.

 

Ahhh drilled axles.

Don't mean to stray.


But thought it was so neat the other day on NHRA when the shot pulled back, the camera man was filming the other side of the track, through a funny cars hollow axles. Had to of been a 3/4-1in hole.

But when you only drive 1/4 mile at a time............


Course they make valves lighter by making them hollow but fill them with stuff. sodium sometimes.

 

Just buy a Haynes 82-92 Camaro or 82-92 Firebird manual; it tells you how to replace everything on the front & rear suspension. I guess you guys still haven't gotten manuals yet?

A few more things; if you've never changed the idler arm and/or center link, then it's time to change them. They're wear items, which means they just wear out over time, no matter how much you lube the zerks or how careful you drive.

When your balljoints are shot, the wear indicators pop out. The wear indicators are at the base of the grease fitting. You won't see them if your balljoints are fine, but if they do appear, it looks like a "notch" of missing metal at the base of the balljoint.

I grease my chassis at every oil change; hopefully you guys do that too. I use synthetic grease but regular 'ol grease is fine too.