Suspended Reanimation

Rebuilding your front suspension...        read full caption Rebuilding your front suspension isn’t as difficult as it might seem. The idea is to replace everything that wears out after 100,000 miles of street abuse—this includes ball joints, tie rod ends, and control arm bushings. What isn’t in the picture (but should be) for Chevelles is replacing the drag link. All the pieces for a complete rebuild can be purchased from Performance Suspension Components, and you can do a thorough job for $325.

The best plan of attack is...        read full caption The best plan of attack is to first place two jackstands under the frame behind the front end, ensuring the car is safe to work under. Next, remove the front tires and wheels, the sway bar, and the tie rod ends. Then, remove the cotter pin from the lower ball joint and loosen the ball joint nut a couple of threads so there’s about a 1/8-inch space between the ball joint nut and the spindle. Caution: Do not remove the nut. Now, hit the spindle (not the nut or ball joint) where the ball joint comes through; this should loosen it from the spindle. Use this same technique to loosen the upper ball joint as well. This technique uses spring pressure to dislodge the tapered ball joint. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to resort to a pickle fork or an air hammer to force the ball joint apart from the spindle. For safety, place the floor jack directly underneath the lower control arm to prevent it from dropping down. This will keep the coil spring from jumping out of the spring pocket and causing an injury. The front spring has hundreds of pounds of stored energy behind it that must be treated with a healthy respect.

With the spindle removed,...        read full caption With the spindle removed, slowly drop the lower control arm down with the floor jack to release the spring pressure. You may need to pry the coil spring out of the lower control arm pocket with a pry bar. An alternative is to use a coil spring compressor to shorten the spring. This allows you to easily remove and replace it. Coil spring compressors can be rented from most large auto parts stores.

Now remove the upper and lower...        read full caption Now remove the upper and lower control arm mounting bolts and pull the control arms from the vehicle. This is a good time to permanently mark the arms as “left” and “right”—especially the upper arms, which are easily confused during reassembly. Keep track of the alignment shims so they can be reinstalled to get the alignment close.

The best way to remove the...        read full caption The best way to remove the old bushings is to press them out using a hydraulic press and a support to prevent the thin sheetmetal stamping from collapsing under the pressure. If you’d rather do it yourself, you can hammer the bushings out with a punch and hammer like Keith did. It’s tough work, but it can be done. Note that Keith has whacked his hand with the hammer before, so he’s using a Vise-Grip on the chisel. Be careful not to damage the control arms.

The new bushings can be installed...        read full caption The new bushings can be installed with a hammer as well. The best way is to support the control arm to prevent it from collapsing as you hammer the new bushing in place. You can use something as simple as a length of 1-inch steel square tubing. You can also expedite the process by freezing the bushings and lubing them with chassis grease before installation.

A shop press is required for...        read full caption A shop press is required for removing and replacing the ball joints. This is a relatively simple process and should only cost a couple of dollars at a local shop.

The upper ball joints for...        read full caption The upper ball joints for Chevelles are pop-riveted from the factory. Chisel off the rivet heads as shown in order to remove the ball joint.

Installing the new upper ball...        read full caption Installing the new upper ball joint is an easy bolt-in. Use a thread-locking compound on the bolts to prevent them from loosening.

This is the upper control...        read full caption This is the upper control arm jounce limiter that is pressed into the Chevelle’s frame section just below the upper control arm. The hardest part about changing this is prying the old one off of the frame. This can only be accomplished with the upper control arm removed.

One additional advantage to...        read full caption One additional advantage to performing this rebuild is the opportunity to lower the car. With the front springs out, it’s a simple process to trim a coil or two off the spring. A rough rule of thumb for Chevelle/Camaro front suspensions is a 2.0:1 ratio. This means that cutting 1 inch off the spring lowers the ride height roughly 2 inches. Be conservative here. The best way to trim a spring is with a cut-off wheel. You should be able to find a sheetmetal shop that will cut your springs for you. It’s a quick, 10-second process that does not put heat into the spring. Of course, you can also buy new springs that will lower the car. Eaton Spring is a great contact for custom ride height applications.

If you cut the coil springs,...        read full caption If you cut the coil springs, it may be possible to squeeze them back into the upper spring pocket and the lower control arm without using a spring compressor. If the springs are stock length, you’ll need a compressor. Be sure to accurately locate the upper spring into the notch in the frame.

This would also be a great...        read full caption This would also be a great time to upgrade the front sway bar. Most Chevelles came with small 7/8-inch front bars that do a marginal job. A great upgrade would be a 1- or 1-1/8-inch front sway bar and new polyurethane bushings and end links. This is a way to improve handling, eliminate the Chevelle’s tendency to wallow through a corner, and complement a slight reduction in ride height.

With everything reassembled,...        read full caption With everything reassembled, you can eyeball the front suspension alignment and toe-in, which will be close enough to drive the short distance to an alignment shop. If new tires and wheels are also part of the agenda, make sure they are on the car when it’s aligned. While you can use stock factory alignment specs, we’ve included a set of specs that will also slightly improve handling without sacrificing tire wear. Once the alignment is set, you’re all ready to enjoy your new ride. Be prepared for a Chevelle that rides and drives like a new car! CHP

Frankenstein is literature’s most famous reanimation project. While that was spooky, we’re talking about breathing new life into an inanimate object that’s been dead for way too long—your Chevelle’s front suspension. While the subject has fascinated science-fiction writers for decades, reanimation is practically an everyday way of life for hot rodders. And you don’t have to skulk around graveyards at midnight to do it...

If Chevelles get you animated, then it’s a fair bet that the car you’re driving has seen its share of too many road miles. This means the front suspension probably has seen better days. If so, we’re here to show you how to restore its factory-new handling and ride.

It’s always nice to have someone help you with a project like this, especially if you’ve never tried it before. So, to help you out, we accompanied owner/hero Keith Davis as he converted his dilapidated ’69 Chevelle’s front suspension into something better than new with a few parts from Performance Suspension Components and some weekend muscle. Except for assistance from a hydraulic press to install the new lower ball joints, Keith performed the work himself with just a few hand tools. So, let’s look at what it takes to perform a front suspension reanimation.