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I was under my car for the first time since I bought it yesterday.
I finally decided to do my own oil change, and I installed my CAGS elim while I was under there.
I noticed some damage to my monospring and I'm wondering if it's safe to keep driving. There's a small crack along one side about 2.5" long. As far as I can tell that's the only damage. I don't know how long it's been there. If it's been since I bought the car over a year ago then I guess it's okay. If it's new from some road debris or something then I need to know if I need to take care of it.
Yeah, the part isn't that expensive. But I can't replace that on my own. And I have no idea if there's a competent place nearby that can do it for less than and arm AND a leg.
I'm thinking duct tape and a few worm clamps temporarily.
Yeah, the part isn't that expensive. But I can't replace that on my own. And I have no idea if there's a competent place nearby that can do it for less than and arm AND a leg.
I'm thinking duct tape and a few worm clamps temporarily.
Worm clamps will simply put more stress on the spring by affecting it's movement. That furthers the risk of it splintering more. Duct tape is pointless.
The spring is easy to change. Search for a local Corvette/Specialty Car shop or post in the regional section of the forum to see if someone will help you do it.
Worm clamps will simply put more stress on the spring by affecting it's movement. That furthers the risk of it splintering more. Duct tape is pointless.
Well the duct tape was just to keep the metal clamp from making direct contact with the spring. And I was hoping the clamp would just keep the part that's cracked from splintering more. But I'm an electronics guy, so what do I know.
The spring is easy to change. Search for a local Corvette/Specialty Car shop or post in the regional section of the forum to see if someone will help you do it.
And iPhones are easy to fix too, if you've done 100s of them like I have. I have neither the tools or experience to do that kind of repair. I didn't know there was a regional section to the forum though. Thanks, I'll look into that. Corvette specialty shops in this area tend to fall into 2 categories. 1. They believe they're worth their weight in gold and charge accordingly. 2. They do crap work.
It happened to me with my C4, it started that way and ended up breaking almost completely, leaving the car practically resting on the shock absorbers.
It happened on a road with uneven ground. The front of the car was bouncing in a way that even seemed funny, like those low rider cars...
I changed the spring at an alignment shop I trust, it was not complicated at all, at least in that car and I don't see why in a C7 it should be more complicated.
I think that any reliable workshop that works with suspensions can do the job perfectly.
If it's the front spring, figure something around $750. 2 hours of labor there, versus 6 hours for the rear.
As above, get that replaced. As the car is driven, it will continue to fracture, splinter, and delaminate until it breaks completely. You don't want that to happen.
The front you just unbolt the ends and then the center of the spring and it kinda just falls out. The rear you have to remove one of the lower control arms, which is a whole ordeal in and of itself -- that procedure alone is listed at just over 5 hours and includes alignment.
It's not a terribly difficult thing, requiring only one special tool to compress the spring. It's just fiddly with a lot of crap to remove, reinstall, and align.
With book time they have to account for unexpected challenges that show up (ie **** happens), "average" or "below average" mechanics, etc
Here's my thread when I updated from the FE6 to the FE7 (Z07) suspension The GS Z07 setup only requires the rear spring to be changed: LINK
The spring compressor tool is one that GM over thought the problem in my opinion. The swap is easily done without it. The lower control arm doesn't need to be removed (just popped free from the spindle) and if everything is marked correctly an alignment isn't an immediate/critical need for the street.
Several years and thousands of track miles later, all is good.
Issue with monospring
