a/c man

I just replaced my leaf springs to z06 on my 2004 c5 and all the upper control arm shims flew everywhere I don't know how many normally go behind each dog bone on the front upper control arm please give me a starting idea

travisnd

It depends... On my car some spots had none and others had as many as two. They're there to set camber and caster and account fror frame variation.

I'd start with none to get as much engative camber as possible, then to to the allignment shop and start playing with it.

geerookie

Less is better.
Best thing is use the minimum required to get both sides close to equal without taking out any of your camber.
Losing a few degrees of caster on a track car is no big deal. It basically only affects the self centering of the steering on the straight-aways

a/c man

thanks so far guys im running it on the street what do you think about 1 shim under all 4 on both sides? I dont want to wear out my tires

froggy47

If a main concern is tire wear, you are really going to have to get an alignment. Start with one washer everywhere & bring the extras with you. Each car may be different. Mine had ONE in each spot.

sperkins

Just for future reference, there's no need to unbolt the upper CA to swap the spring.

Definitely check your front toe since changing camber will affect it.

froggy47

If you have a step by step diy on spring change I would love to see it. Both ends. I don't have the GM tool (spring compressor). I have been taking off the uca myself.

a/c man

EXplain please

travisnd

Leaving the washers all out will increase your negative camber which will in turn change your toe angle. So basically you need an alignment

a/c man

thanks will my shocks rub on the control arm they really look close

travisnd

At full droop with the car in the air they will be close. Once you get the car back on the ground it'll be fine.

a/c man

ok good! can i set my toe with a tape measure like we did in the 80s I'm just tired of the shops working on my car they always screw it up! another ? when installing the z springs it was hard to get them seated in the groves i got them as close as i can but they don't seem to be as good as factory installed ones will that affect anything? my steering wheel is off 1'' and I'm not sure why? I never took the rack loose?? thanks guys I'm a drag racer but I now you guys are awesome at this stuff that's why I'm over here I hope I'm ok here thank you sir

travisnd

Yes lots of people do DIY alignments, but you'll have to overcome the C5s tendency to have stiction between the spring adjusters and the LCAs. Also, when you first drop the car on the ground the control arms are hanging and thus inboard. When the tire hits the ground first it makes the car sit high up in the air. It's best to roll the car back and forth to get the control arms to move out and the car to settle. Easiest way for a DIY alignment is using a 4-post lift.

sperkins

Easiest thing to do is to pop out the upper ball joint.

Because the camber changed when the washers went bye-bye. That resulted in a toe change.
Adjusting toe will not affect camber to a noticeable degree, but changing camber will drastically affect the toe.

a/c man

ok thanks guys im going to go with 1 washer on all seems to be what most cars came with anyone see more on their car from factory?

sperkins

You're fighting a losing battle. Each car was different from the factory. I've had some in my shop with a total of 2 shims all the way up to 12.

There's no way to really do what you're trying to do. You need to get to an alignment shop before you kill an expensive set of tires.

travisnd

OP... now that you've let them all drop and can't remember where they went you really need to go to an allignment shop.

I would get the Hardbar UCA stud kit, put no washers in, then go to the allignment shop and work from there putting washers back in to get the camber and caster where you want it.

Jason

DIY alignment is a real can of worms when you lose your baseline.

Pfadt Racing

This!

It's absolutely time for a proper alignment. Sperkins is spot on, without the proper tools to measure camber it's going to be extremely difficult to get the car properly setup again. Take the shims back with you to either a dealer or an alignment shop and tell them to get the car properly setup.

Here is a copy of our alignment recommendations. If you're not going to be racing the car much, tell the alignment shop to set the car up to our Performance Street setting and you will be just fine. Be sure to have them give you a print out after the alignment to make sure they actually set the car up properly.

You can definitely set the toe like you did in the 80's, but a shop with proper laser alignment tools will end up with a much more accurate figure with much fewer headaches on your part... especially if you haven't done the procedure in 20 years, and given the amount of trial and error that may go into getting your cars camber setup properly again.

Here is our alignment guide which may help you have a baseline to shoot for. Click the picture for a larger image:

davidfarmer

Guys, he is just trying to get the thing back together the way it came apart. If you have 4 washers that fell out, then I'd put one back on each bolt. The cars I've worked on have been symmetric from the factory, although I often move them around (or remove) to adjust castor as recommended above.

I've always just disconnected one of the lower CA's to change the front spring. Without the GM tool, you'll need to load both ends of the spring to get it "flat" enough for the mounting bushings to fit properly into their perches.


my DIY alignment guide

http://davidfarmerstuff.com/align.pdf