I'm in the middle of a Z06 suspension swap that's slowly turning into a nightmare. I've followed the LS1Tech instructions and got to the point where I need to adjust the ride height bolts to relieve tension...well, they won't budge, and I've managed to strip the driver's side adjuster bolt. I removed the lock washers, used PB Blaster, jacked up the spring toward the end to relieve pressure, used a breaker bar and nothing.

No I'm backing out of the procedure and am putting the top A-Arms back on the frame and the two outside bolts won't go in any further than halfway. They've become impossible to tighten. I have a jack under the ball joint, what's going on?

I guess my main question is, if I use the alternative technique to remove the spring which involves removing the lower ball joint nut and dropping the lower A-arm, will I still be able to get that spring out even though the bolts are adjusted out, only showing 4 threads on top?

I had a feeling this wasn't going to go well.

 

I was able to jack up one side and use a little persuasion to slide it past the a-arm. Good luck.

 

I'm not sure why you can't get those upper control arm bolts back in. Maybe you have them cross threaded?? With the spring out, put the jack under the suspension and move it up and down as you try those bolts again. They should have basically hand threaded right into the holes.

Here's the 7 line instruction on getting the spring out the easy way.

Jack up the spring in the Y of the lower control arm.
Mark the position of the 2 lower control arm bolts and pull them out.
Pull the lower control arm out enough to clear the end of the spring.
Lower the jack and take the spring out.
Reverse the above to install the new one.
Try and re-install the lower control arm bolts in the exact same position.
It's best to get an alignment after this, especially since you are likely going to change the ride height a bit.

If you have done more than remove the 2 lower control arm bolts and the 4 bolts holding the spring in then you have done way way too much work. You don't even have to touch the one side at all, you can even leave the wheel on. You might have to bump the control arm around a bit to get the bolts out and then pry the arm out but it's not too hard to remove. Should take about 20 minutes once the car is on jack stands.

The base spring has so much curve in it that if your drop the lower control arm at the ball joint the spring will likely still be hung up in the Y of the arm and not want to come out.

Peter

 

Thank you for the detailed response. I was able to succeed in getting the spring out using your advice.

Now I'm up against the adjuster bolts in the new spring not wanting to turn either, just like the old ones. I'm wondering if I should just take the spring to a chevy dealer and say "adjust these" I really don't want to strip the new ones. I don't see why its so difficult-THEY'RE MEANT TO BE ADJUSTABLE.

 

Have you removed the load from the adjusters by supporting the spring? The adjusters should turn easily -- but only if you have removed the force being applied by the spring (there's too much friction on the adjuster threads when the spring load is being applied).

 

Yes, I had jacked up the old spring toward the end, so there was no pressure on the adjuster bolts. Still wouldn't budge. I did get the new spring bolts to move to where I need them, using a lot of force initially. I'm not a bodybuilder, but these things should be a little easier to work with. I'm guessing the ride height had never been adjusted on my '97 causing them to freeze up.

 

Sometimes the adjusters rust and seize. I had a used Z06 Spring set that had a rusted adjuster. I just adjusted the other side to be the same as the stuck one.

Not sure what I would have done if the stocker was stuck.

Heat with torch to loosen maybe?

 

Glad that helped. I did it to change the adjuster bolts. I wish I had taken pictures. The recommended R&R procedure has you taking the front suspension at least 1/2 apart and it's not necessary.

It was a used spring? Did you make sure the adjusters were free before installing it. It's easy to grab the stock C5 front adjusters on the rubber bushing side with a pair of channel locks to free them up if the spring is not installed. It's a lot harder to move that bolt with the spring in place.

Peter