Front Suspension rebuild??

O

oc192

Member
Joined
May 18, 2010
Ok, so I bought some front springs for the car from Kirbans and debating If I want to tackle that myself or not. I called a local shop and asked what the cost would be for them to put them in, they came back with $250. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. Then I was discussing this with a buddy and said that I should do a rebuild on the front end while they are already in there. He said there were like 6 more bolts to remove and most of the parts are out. So I looked up a rebuild kit from PST and the super rebuild kit with rubber bushings is $339. I called the shop back and asked about installing the parts from this kit in addition to the springs. They came back with 9hrs labor plus an alignment with a grand total of $1070. Does that sound like a reasonable amount of time and money for a shop to install everything?

Thanks.
 
For that labor price and parts you can get upper and lower aftermarket arms with bushings and do it yourself . Its not a hard job to do. The springs scare a lot of people but with the right tool to compress its not bad at all. where do you live?
There is always someone on here looking for a case of beer and a few bucks.
 
$1000 for labor does stick in your craw when you think of all the nice parts that would buy hahaha. Ya, my main concerns are getting the springs back in and stripping out some old rusty bolts. I live in the Phoenix area....
 
I wrapped a chain around the spring and frame to keep it in if something bad happened. I used a floor jack to raise and lower the lower arm and you will need a pickle fork(ball joint separator). If you aren't comfortable with this type of work a grand is cheap compared to an emergency room visit.

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oc192 said:
Ok, so I bought some front springs for the car from Kirbans and debating If I want to tackle that myself or not. I called a local shop and asked what the cost would be for them to put them in, they came back with $250. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. Then I was discussing this with a buddy and said that I should do a rebuild on the front end while they are already in there. He said there were like 6 more bolts to remove and most of the parts are out. So I looked up a rebuild kit from PST and the super rebuild kit with rubber bushings is $339. I called the shop back and asked about installing the parts from this kit in addition to the springs. They came back with 9hrs labor plus an alignment with a grand total of $1070. Does that sound like a reasonable amount of time and money for a shop to install everything?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

OMG, $1070. Damn. Like Chopped 39 said, not hard to do.
 
Go to the how to section and you'll find a thread that shows how to do it, and it was a novice doing it.;)
 
If it is an original Arizona car that stuff should come right apart. Get some P,blaster and soak all the nuts on the lower control arms. Spohn sells tubular upper and lower control arms. With hardware and upper ball joints the price looks to be just under $900. A nice set of shocks and a week end and you will be driving on rails,Lol . The first time you do this job It will take a while but its a learning experience and then you can say you did it. For someone that does this every day It takes about 4 hours with an alignment . But Its time to learn,So have at it. Make sure you have everything you need before you start. The spring compressor is the main tool you will need and zone rents those. The control arms I believe come with ball joints already installed . Make sure you get new hardware and if you take upper control arms off mark and tag location of shims between frame and upper control arm shaft. Don't be afraid to do it.Once you get into it you will see how easy it is. If you have any questions pm me and I will give you a call.
 
charlief1 said:
Go to the how to section and you'll find a thread that shows how to do it, and it was a novice doing it.;)
Click to expand...


Hi Charlie,

Call me stupid or what, but I can't seem to find the how to section or thread referenced above. ..... (how to remove A arms)
Could you help point me in the right direction as I am going to be embarking on this project soon.

thanks,
dave
 
Thanks Charlie and Chopped, I looked over that thread in the how to section, doesn't look too bad. I have PTO coming up soon and I may take a stab at this.
 
Check out speedway for some budget arms. You have to order two of the same side as they are staggered for the roundy-round crowd.

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oc192 said:
Ok guys, I'm getting my parts list together. What is your opinion on the following upper/lower control arms? Will these be good for street performance and sturdy enough to handle pot holes etc?

http://www.gbodyparts.com/product_info.php?cPath=46_21_52&products_id=715
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This is the set up I'm running, except for the lower tubular arms. Mine have delrin bushings instead of the polyurethane. Do yourself a favour & be sure to get the delrin bushings. No squeaks and great ride. I also installed 1/2" taller upper ball joints. The set up is miles ahead of the stock set up and seems durable enough for my street use.
 
oc192 said:
Thanks Charlie and Chopped, I looked over that thread in the how to section, doesn't look too bad. I have PTO coming up soon and I may take a stab at this.
Click to expand...

I live in Phoenix area too. A buddy of mine has a shop downtown. He is doing my whole suspension this Friday. I can do it myself, but between work & my girl allowing me to work on my car - LOL! - it's tough to break away. So I'm just gonna have him do it for me. He does excellent work. Awesome body guy & fabricator. Let me know if u ever want work done & I will send u his way. Also, if u ever go for a cruise on the weekends contact me - it'd be cool to meet up. I've only been here a year & still getting to know people in he car & Turbo Regal scene.
 
Antbankstwo3 said:
I live in Phoenix area too. A buddy of mine has a shop downtown. He is doing my whole suspension this Friday. I can do it myself, but between work & my girl allowing me to work on my car - LOL! - it's tough to break away. So I'm just gonna have him do it for me. He does excellent work. Awesome body guy & fabricator. Let me know if u ever want work done & I will send u his way. Also, if u ever go for a cruise on the weekends contact me - it'd be cool to meet up. I've only been here a year & still getting to know people in he car & Turbo Regal scene.
Click to expand...

Thanks, always good to know some local people. I have a buddy with a GN and another buddy with a typhoon. We try to roll out to the pavillions (101/indian bend) twice a month during the cool season. Once I get my suspension done and this oil leak taken care of I'll send you a PM.
 
oc192 said:
Thanks, always good to know some local people. I have a buddy with a GN and another buddy with a typhoon. We try to roll out to the pavillions (101/indian bend) twice a month during the cool season. Once I get my suspension done and this oil leak taken care of I'll send you a PM.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I've never been there! Yes, Let me know!
 
FYI, I just rebuilt my front end with UMI upper and lowers and was significantly delayed by the upper control arm shaft bolt holes being too small. They were drilled to 11.5mm whereas they needed to by 12mm in order for them to be true bolt on. I contacted UMI and they said I must have gotten a set that were on the lower side of tolerance. Ummmm, no...these were holes simply drilled to the wrong size. I hate pulling out the Dremel on brand new, $1000+ parts. Also, the coil springs ARE a pain in the ass to get back in with those lower arms due to their design. Make sure you compress the spring as much as possible before trying to install it...and that the components of the spring compressor tool will not interfere with the lower control arm once your start trying to get it into position. It's hard to explain but if you attempt this yourself, you'll see what I'm talking about.
 
Ok everyone, quick update with a couple of questions. I have been working on this for the last 4 days, 2-3 hours each morning. I have all of the old junk torn out and I started putting the new stuff in today. I have the center link, idler arm, inner/outer tie rods etc installed, the sway bar back in, and the upper control arms connected with all of the shims.

1) It appears all of the new parts have grease in them already, do I still need to grease everything up? If so, what type of grease do I use?
Most of the moog parts have a vaseline color grease in them
the idler arm has a blue grease in it
the upper control arm ball joints from gbody has a white grease in it.
IS there a one grease fits all?

2) I am going to try and put the springs in tomorrow. I used a chain wrapped around the spring and the frame when I removed them, is it necessary to do the same on the install?
 
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