72cutlassolds

I just bought a front suspension kit and was wondering if i can install everthing except for the upper and lower ball joints since thats the hardest part save that for the shop question 2 are the coil spring the only thing under pressure just didnt wanna start un bolting stuff and the whole front suspension callaps ?

Lady72nRob71

Please read through my "front end job" post before proceding, to see if this job is too involved for you (link below). If you go unbolting the right things at the wrong time, not only can the suspension collapse, but it can blow up on you, literally. Those springs are under hundreds of pounds of pressure when compressed!

oldcutlass

You can change upper and lower ball joints, and upper "A" frame bushings with the car supported by the lower control arms on jack stands. If you need to do the lower control arm bushings, the best time to do those is when you do the ball joints. All you would need is a spring compressor. The steering components just break apart at the knuckles, these are simple.

Allan R

You can do all this stuff yourself. Heck, last year I took this on for the first time too. Rob, Eric and Brian helped me with my demons too.
The thing that has the most danger is the front spring, so you have to follow proper safety procedures. Is your plan to remove all the parts and then reinstall new? If yes, Rob's build is a good one to review. And just as info? The ball joints were the EASIEST part of the build. The upper control arm bolts and bushings will be the most difficult. Everything else will be just fine. Read your 72 CSM and AM for information and diagrams that will help out too. I kept both of them in the garage with me when I rebuilt my suspension, brakes and steering last year.

Go for it. You can learn about your car while you save big $$ Any problems? One of us will be around to help.

Highwayman

Rob has a very good thread on a rebuild. Probably the worst part of the job IMO is the springs because of the hazard. Rob shows the way I always did it with a floor jack instead of a spring compressor.


Doing it yourself will let you take the time to clean up and paint everything. A shop won't do that unless it's a resto shop and it will be big bucks.


Do your alignment guy a favor and put the shim packs back like you found them. That will put it in the ballpark and save him a lot of hassle.

Allan R

Actually, taking the springs out is not that hard because you'll have the suspension apart. I mean this with utmost sincerity: YOU DON'T USE A SPRING COMPRESSOR TO GET THOSE FRONT SPRINGS OUT. Sorry, not yelling, just making sure you saw it. Once the LCA is fully lowered, the spring will literally pop out when you yank the bottom of it. Reinstalling you just need a 3' pry bar and they'll go back without much effort. Make sure the spring coil is properly seated 1/2 covering the drain hole in bottom of LCA and jack it back up, connect the ball joints to the spindle and torque.

X2 on the convenience of cleanup and $$$ savings doing it yourself. Document everything you do before and after with your camera.

re: shim packs? 100% right. Take pics showing them before they come out. Then tape them as a unit and label / store them for later re-install. But one thing, no matter how well you do the rebuild the alignment isn't going to be close. You'll probably have to do a rough adjustment on the tie rod adjusters to get the wheels parallel enough to get to a shop. Both Rob and I ran into this. Only diff is he decided to do his alignment himself (very successfully) and I'm having mine done by a recommended shop.

Highwayman

I didn't say it was hard, I said it was the worst part IMO. The whole job isn't that bad once you've done one.


I used to do alignments. If you DIY and leave out the shims it makes the job a big PITA. Guess how I know this.


Another thought, ask the alignment guy to replace the shims with new shiny ones. Then you can hit them with a clear coat when you get home to seal them so they stay nice.

Allan R

?? How do you know this??? Just kidding. So out of curiosity, how hard is it to align? I don't know if alignment shops keep specs old enough for my car, so I'll be taking my CSM with me to the shop. I pretty much want new shims to match up all the nice shiny new parts I've rebuilt and installed. Maybe could carry this on through PM so we don't end up jacking this thread?

Lady72nRob71

I found the worst part was pressing the ball joints in and bushings in and out. The springs were a cakewalk compare to the pressing. Of course that is with the engine still in the car...

Makes sense to leave the shims in original places. In fact mine were still spot on!