jmgtp

Hi Everyone, sorry I've been off the forum for a bit.

To answer some questions - of all the work I did, only 2 torque specs are not in the FSM. That is the bolts for the replacement upper control arm ball joints and the large nuts that secure the upper control arm to the shaft.

The ball joints came with a torque spec sheet. I don't recall the number off hand, but I do remember it's not much, probably around 20 ft lbs. They are small bolts. I did Loctite them as well.

The large nuts I went with something around 80 ft lbs. I initially went with 100 but the arm felt like it was binding. At 80 it moved through its range of motion without binding. Again, Loctite.

The lower shift boot. The old one plucked right out with ease. I worked the new one in best I could with a dull screwedriver. That said, it's probably not right and I'm certainly not happy with it. It rubs the console and squeaks some. It's made the shifter feel stiff. I'd rather remove it altogether than keep it as is.

I drove the car car again yesterday to shake it down a bit before it goes on the 10 mile trip for its alignment. It drives surprisingly straight and I took it to about 40 mph. I did uncover a miss in the engine when the engine is dead cold if I put it under a load (say 4th gear at 25 mph) after a minute of driving its gone and runs smooth. Have to figure that out. Also the damn clutch hydraulics have me at my wits end. I vacuum bled them with an air powered bleeder. Clutch felts great. A week later when I drove it it felt sponges again and I'm positive wasn't releasing gin full. I pump it up and it's good. I'm sure it will feel like crap again in a few days. The Master and Release cylinders are new. That's for another thread I guess.

dc6902

How did you replace upper front bushing on your car?

jmgtp

Presuming you are referring to the upper control arm bushings, that information is captured in detail with pictures in this thread if you go back and read through the posts.

The short of it is, the use of a hydraulic press large enough to accommodate the control arm, a fabricated brace to protect the aluminum from distorting while pressing out the shaft, and a variety of arbor plates are needed to perform the job.

jmgtp

Today was the day I had been waiting for, to validate all my hard work and money spent.

I dropped the car off a Victor Auto Body Works in Middletown CT for a 4 wheel alignment. Let me say, these guys are pros and can hold a conversation about the car. Other shops I visited got cross eyed when I started talking about shims (they are toe and go shops). Not Victor - they're the real deal and I'm driving the proof. Yes, I paid close to 3x of what a tow and go shop would charge. But having it done right is worth it.

Let me say, I've never driven a new C4 or even a low mile C4. The steering and suspension feel so precise now it's a night/day difference on this car. Two things that impress me most are the stability and levelness in corners and then the dead straight like a bullet straight line performance. I've driven the car all of 15 miles but fortuneatly that included some nice curves, straights and a few miles of interstate.

Bottom line, the car just feels great. This is what a Corvette is supposed to feel like. I'm all smiles and looking forward to the driving season.

A complete suspension overhaul is a whole lot of work and a good bit of money. But if you have a high miler or really any C4 which is an old car now and you plan on keeping it around for a while it's worth rebuilding. The steering and suspension are what really sets the Corvette apart from other cars if the same era and it's wasted on worn out parts.

MatthewMiller

Holy crap: you drove down there with almost 2" of front toe-in! Were your front tires smoking when you got there?!

jmgtp

Ha, no it was fine. Was only 4 mile trip on surface roads. Actually drove straight too!

wikdwizard

Congrats on a job well done. The suspension on these cars when dialed in really is superb to say the least. What diameter sway bars are you running?

jmgtp

Good question and it reminds me that the bushings I got from RockAuto for the sway bar to frame mount were too big. I reused the worn out ones. They need to be replaced. I'd like to stick with rubber for these as I've heard poly in this spot can be particularly squeak prone. Seeing how I bought the wrong ones I guess I don't know what size bar I have. Will have to get a caliper and measure and order up the correct bushings.