Hey guys!

Long time no post, but due to the great advice I have gotten on here, I have been able to do some great stuff to my Vette. Replacing the radio, wiring speakers, installing new seatbelts, fixing the seats, and even small stuff like wiper blade/headlight replacement. I have learned so much, and now I feel like a little bit LESS of a blank slate. So for that, I sincerely say thank you all!!!

My new big project with my 69 vette is suspension. I have known the undercarriage was pretty beat up, but I have a short, neighborhood-street commute so I have put off addressing it. But on the occasions I do take to the LA freeway, I have noticed the ride is increasingly bumpy. Like, La-Z-Boy chair, constant vibration. So now I am going to tackle the suspension and get the car to ride smooth.

I got the car checked out, and the prognosis was a little worse than expected. Shocks are bad (knew that) but also all the tie rods-ends need replacing too. The mechanic said there's a lot of "play" with the parts that there shouldn't be. I don't think the guy knew much about C3s, though, so that's worth noting. He guesstimated a replacement of front end shocks, tie rods, and the wheel dampener would be between $600 - $700.

I have a few questions before I pull the trigger on repairs/replacements.
1. I am totally willing to put money into making the ride smooth, but are there any real dangers to continuing to drive on a bad suspension?

2. What parts are most vital to the smoothness (and safety, if that is an issue) of the ride?

3. Where could I find a simple explanation of how the basics of C3 suspensions work? Just so I can be more familiar with what is being fixed.

Thanks so much guys, happy weekend!

 

There will be "how to" C3 suspension videos on YouTube. By the time you watch all the videos you will know how to do the repairs yourself. I would suggest rebuilding one side of the front suspension/taking pictures of each piece before you remove it from the car/labeling the nuts & bolts in zip lock bags that attach to each piece to make it easier to reassemble once the new parts are ready to be bolted on the car. Do not throw any old parts away until the work is complete. Then you will have the experience to rebuild the other side.

 

Do what Doorgunner suggest regarding video's. It's really not that hard to do but approach the front end springs with "extreme care" there is an "easy" way to remove them but you still need to be cautious, contact me if you wish. Plan your work and work your plan !

 

I'm going through the same as @BlankSlate on my 1978. I actually took it to the next level and replaced everything including Trailing Arms, spindles, etc. and rear (3.55). The biggest hurdle I had was RUST, went through at least 3 cans of PB Blast and in the end I wound up cutting most of the rear suspension out. My project started out to be just shocks and rear leaf, but once I had her up on the lift I saw that every piece of rubber was rotted. I had money set aside for paint, but realized new paint was not as important as safety. I believe "all in" my tally is around $3,500, but I do have some cash in "core charges" coming back.

 

Thanks guys, but I won't be doing any suspension work myself. I have street parking on a hill. Just wanted some familiarity of what I should get the mechanics to do.

 

If that guy is going to replace tie rod ends, ball joints and control arm bushings with high quality (moog) parts for $600. Let him have at it. But, all the parts I mentioned must be replaced to attain a complete rebuild.