How to drop front cradle?
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Instructor
Joined: Jan 2016
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How to drop front cradle?
Is it possible to drop the front cradle with the wheels still on? I have the 4 bolts removed but can only get the back to drop maybe 1-2" and the front won't budge at all. Even with a pry bar it just seems to load the front suspension. Anyone drop the sub frame maybe 4 inches without removing the wheels/shocks?
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the shocks, upper control arms, lower motor mount nuts, and brake lines will prevent it from being lowered... the steering shaft will need to be removed from the rack if you want to leave the rack in place and if the ebcm is up front the bracket will need to be removed from that as well... and you need to find a way to hold the motor up while the cradle is lowered
Last edited by StingrayRebel; May 16, 2016 at 10:12 PM.
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Uhg well that's bad news... how about if I pull out the motor mounts will that get me 2 more inches of clearance? I'm trying to get a QT bellhousing in and it's kicking my butt. I can't remove the front tires with out putting the whole rear subframe back on the car and jacking it up in a different way, and I'm really trying to avoid doing that. It's about to the point where I'll just put the stock one back in and leave it be.
If I raise the front I'm worried about the whole car shifting on the jack stands and dropping to the floor.
If I raise the front I'm worried about the whole car shifting on the jack stands and dropping to the floor.
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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
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no I don't think that will work either... if the whole rear and drivetrain is out of the car then you must have it being held up by jackstands at the frame correct?... could you not jack the front up enough to put jackstands under the front part of the frame so you can get the wheels off and lower the cradle?... I have never installed one of those bellhousings but if you need more clearance it might be better to lower the motor down with the cradle... just keep an eye out for any harnesses, fuel lines, etc in the way that might get hung up
Last edited by StingrayRebel; May 16, 2016 at 11:18 PM.
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The wheels are on ramps or something? The cradle mounts the spring which holds the car up so if the wheels are loaded then you would be lifting the car off the cradle except you'd have to take the weight off the spring before the cradle will start to separate from the frame.
You also have to at least remove the shocks. The spring pulls down the lower a-arms and pushed up the cradle. The lower a-arms pull down on shocks which then pull down on the frame. The end result is that the cradle gets held to the frame with the suspension all in place.
You also have to at least remove the shocks. The spring pulls down the lower a-arms and pushed up the cradle. The lower a-arms pull down on shocks which then pull down on the frame. The end result is that the cradle gets held to the frame with the suspension all in place.
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Well after removing the starter I was able to slide it in. I had to use a jack to press the bellhousing past 1 minor hang up? That part of the frame that the brake lines are in. It wasn't much it didn't bend the frame. Unfortunately after getting it in place, I realized I forgot to put in the darn spacer plate... 1 set forward, 3 steps back. At least now I know it's possible without droping the car.
