Had some unexpected time last couple of days so I got my cross beam adapter fitted to my Sears jack (thank you Professor M.) Then I dug out that box of Bilsteins UPS delivered a month or so ago. Got the fronts on this afternoon and will do the rears tomorrow.

Had a couple of questions for you guys better at this than I am.
1. How do you get a torque wrench on the top shock nut if you have to hold the center shaft (with a hex key socket) from turning? Where would I find a torque wrench with an open end? Cannot find at Sears. Maybe I need to flag down a Snap On truck?? Or how important is getting this top nut torqued perfectly right?
2. I did tighten the nut down pretty tight trying to get it about as tight as the take off nut was. On the passenger side the top rubber bushing/spacer beside the fuse box flared out nice and evenly and looks like it should. But on the driver's side, under the coolant tank, that one flared out unevenly. It squished out on one side way more than on the other side. I re-did it and made sure everything was straight but it just did the same thing. Does that hurt anything?

Everything else went smoothly and I got everything but that pesky top nut torqued to spec. I did have to take the upper control arms off to get the shocks out. But it went back together easily. I noticed that each of the upper control arm bolt holes had a single washer behind it..... except for the 2 front bolt holes on the passenger side, and they had 2 washers behind them. Put it all back together like it came apart.

Last question is...... Does all of this screw up your front end alignment?

Thanks!

 

I haven't seen a torque open wrench either, I just tightened by feel but a little less than what the take off's felt like, the recommended torque for the front top nut is only 19lbs. I didn't take out any control arm bolts and was able to slide the shocks in and out for the install (after compressing them and zip tieing per DIY post) , not sure whether you have to align the vehicle since the control arms were moved otherwise, I have read that shocks alone do not require an alignment.

I also found that the bilstein rubber bushings do not align as perfectly as the factory bushings do and you could easlily tell why by looking at each design, but this hasn't affected my install.

The rear shocks are a breaze and you do not have to remove any control arm bolts. Take a look at this comlete DIY post for a C5 (almost identical install for the C6) that I used which was really helpful http://fuzzydiceracing.com/test.htm

Enjoy, I'm sure you will love this mod, great suspension upgrade turns this car up one notch!

 

Don't forget the Coronas.

 

Just use a crow's foot on the torque wrench. You have to compensate torque slightly for the short "arm" that the crow's foot represents, and it's a minor PITA to keep it in a workable position but it gets the job done.

Like this:

 

I have a full set of crow's foot wrenches but never thought about using them with a torque wrench. Not being a whiz at geometry/physics/whatever, I wonder if you should slightly increase or decrease the torque based on the center axis of the torque wrench being offset to the center axis of the bolt by a half to three quarters of an inch? Or.... if the crows foot extended from the torque wrench at a 90 degree right angle, would the values be the same since distance and required leverage would neither increase or decrease at a right angle? Any smart guys out there?

 

I substituted Bud Lights as that was all I had on hand!

 

http://www.engineersedge.com/manufac...e_wrench_1.htm

 

I was thinking about Koni's after reading some threads. Shock and spring are in a kit, Do Bilstiens come the same way ? about $750 for 4 Koni's . Wher can I find out about the cross beam ?

 

If you buy all 4 (Yellow) Koni Sport (which are adjustable),directly from Koni it will set you back $1,140. (Yes, the Koni 2100 FSD kit is $705). But the point of Koni's are you would want the adjustable.

http://www.koni-na.com/cat_search.cf...olet/corvette?

That's their on-line discount price. Maybe someone on the Forum knows where to get them for less?
In the next few weeks, I am going to decide between the Koni's and Bilsteins.

 

You can Google Northern Tool Cross Beam Adapter to find to order. You can also check in the FAQ section under lifting, jacking, etc.

 

Thanks Lowlead. The link you gave has a formula to calculate torque when the adapter extends on a straight axis from the handle. I am wondering if the adapter extends at a 90degree angle from the handle if the torque wrench would then read correctly since leverage is neither increased or decreased by changing length. I am sure this is picking nits, but it is kind of interesting stuff to know. I should have studied harder in school! Funny, that stuff did not seem too interesting then.

 

Finished the job today. Went for a drive on a twisty road. I like.

I started with a base suspension 07. Added the Z51 sways and the Pfadt urethane sway bushings. And now added the Bilstein HD's. I find the ride to be just a little firmer but very controled and not at all uncomfortable or jittery on bumps. The car sets down nice and flat in fast corners. Made the car do just what I wanted.

Still curious to know if an allignment is needed after changing sways and shocks??

Thanks.

 

probably not needed.

 

Ah Ha! I think I found the answer to my own question regarding the torque wrench set up by doing some Googling. Nobody may be interested, but if you are, here is the link. Scroll down and it talks about the 90 degree relationship between a torque wrench and an adapter producing common torque values. Now that's handy!

http://home.jtan.com/~joe/KIAT/kiat_3.htm

 

I've never replaced shocks on a late model vette but have done plenty on "mortal" cars like a '79 Camaro, or '76 Monte. A good rule of thumb when tightening the upper bolt is to tighten until the washer "mushrooms" until it is the same diameter as the big washer on top of it.

Also, I've never heard of having to remove the upper control arms to replace a shock. If I removed and re-installed the upper control arms, I would get an alignment.

 

Well, I am by no means an expert shock installer! So please forgive me if I broke protocol. I just wanted to do this myself. So I read here how other guys did it and tried to do the same thing. Some of the write ups suggested unbolting the control arm to make it much easier. I think they were right because I would have never gotten the darn thing out unless I had.

Thanks for your advise on the alignment. I will do that.

 

Thanks for the link. Good info... After looking at the graphs, I no longer trust my torque wrench! I'm gonna try the calibration setup described.

 

No need for forgiveness. As I said, I have not done this work on a C6, so that might be the easiest way to do it on that car. If it is, shame on GM.