C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

[Norm DiChiara]

I recently purchased a 62 and its steering is very difficult to turn. I have little history on the car and am assuming most of the front end components are orginal. The front passenger side was hit previously and the passanger front spring has a rubber spacer between one of the coils to level the car. As my winter project, I am contemplating tearing the entire front end down and rebuilding it to replace springs, shocks, bushings etc. Can anyone give me advice as to:
1. Where the best place is to purchase the parts I will need. I prefer quality parts vs. price.
2. For those who have done this before, what things should avoid or look out for.
3. Any special tools I will need.

Your replies and advice are appreciated.

Norm....White Plains, NY

[Mike Gleason]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm:

I did the front end on my 61 driver last summer. My advice is go slowly, be patient. MAny of the nuts will be rusted on. Replacing the coil springs in a home garage can be challanging, best to find a competant front end or spring shop in westchester that has old american grey hair guys. Most of the vette parts folks can supply what you need. I used paragon. You will need to find an alignment shop that understands solid axle vettes. I used Tony's corvette shop in gaithersburg MD. too long a drive for you, but Tony and Andrew are the very best. You may also need to have the steering box rebuilt. have a pro check it out. Do you have the ST-12 manual?? if not get it from NCRS and read the entire front end section.

Good Luck

Mike Gleason
NCRS 16176

[Mark S. Lovejoy]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

When I did my '58 I bought all the suspension components from Kanter Auto. They have quality parts at a reasonable price, DO NOT buy any front end parts from the big Corvette catalogs unless you WANT to pay 50% to 75% higher costs for the same components. Keep in mind the front end on the C1 is nothing more than '53 Chevy passenger car stuff with the exception of the aluminum wedges.

I have no monetary interest in this outfit......yada yada yada.

Best from Frozen Connecticut.............Mark

[Mark S. Lovejoy]

PS

www.kanter.com

The ST-12 will not provide much on the front end, try to get a early GM shop manual, or a '61 '62 MOTORS Manual. The ST-12 covers the Corvette stuff pretty well but the front end is not unique to Corvettes therefore covered in other manuals. GM did not waste $$ publishing duplicate information.

Hope this helps.

[don izzo]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm
Greatings from Montrose, NY about 20 minutes north of White Plains! There is a front end/auto repair shop located in Buchanan, NY called "little Bear". It is owned and operated by two brothers Joey and Bernie Calibro. Both brothers owned 58 Vettes (and other classic cars), Joey only having sold his 58 this past summer to purchase a 64 Coupe. They are very knowledgeable regarding the straight axel cars and Know all about the Front end. They have worked on my 68 Vette and will do the alignment on my 60 when it hits the street this spring! Give these guys a call 914-737-1282. They will take good care of you. Tell them I gave you the number

Don Izzo

[Dennis A.]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm,

Consider the following for a good front suspension job: A) new coil springs,& shocks. Front wheel roller bearings rather than ball bearings, new Aluminum front shims, Check out your king pin and new tie rod ends. For seals and bushings, check the conditions of your existing. One thing, most A-Arm pivot shaft seal kits are really cheap and split after assembly, so look around for a good kit. A rebuild kit will run about $500 dollars for good parts.

I used Corvette Steering Service to rebuild my steering box and they did a good job.

The rebuild is very easy, but you may need a gorilla bar to break the lower shaft jamb nuts if they are like I think they will be. By the way, the nuts are different sizes right and left so don"t worry.

[Steve Junkersfeld]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm, Rebuilding the entire front end is a straight forward job for an average mechanic. I used the ST-12 for guidance and used a rebuild kit from ZIP - excellent quality. A couple of suggestions 1) Don't replace the upper inner shafts unless yours are loose. 2) Remove the old springs with a cutting torch - cut two coils and they will collapse. 3) Buy a case of liquid wrench and soak every nut and bolt well. For my 56, I made a coil spring compressor out of 1/2 inch threaded rod and a couple of steel plates. With the upper control arm installed to the crossmember and the knuckle and lower control arm attached to each other and the upper control arm, slide the rod down through the top shock mounting hole, through the spring, and out the large hole in the lower control arm. Use a couple of nuts to compress the spring until the lower control arm aligns with the crossmember and bolt up the lower inner shafts. Torque everything correclty and get an alignment. Rebuilding the steering box is also pretty straightforward, but takes some trial and error adjustments to be really right. Good luck, Steve

[Joe Pennington]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Like the others said, rebuilding the front end is not that difficult, but I think you first need to determine why a rubber spacer was needed to level the front of the car. Before you start tearing the front apart I recommend that you have a frame shop check to see if the passenger side front frame horn is bent. Also if the right front has been repaired check to make sure the right side spindle support is correct. The Corvettes used the 49-52 passenger car front end parts, the 53-54 passenger car used a different spindle support which lowered the front of the passenger car approximately 3/4 inch. Measure the distance from the king pin retainer bolt to the lower zerk fitting on each side of the car and compare.

[Joe Pennington]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild(post script)

If the frame and spindle supports check out OK, I would not cut the springs to remove. You need to have them intact after removal to compare to see if one is sagging, etc. Also, If you decide to change the springs, I recommend that you try and find a set of good used ones. Most of the cars I've seen with replacement aftermarket front springs tend to sit too high in the front.

[Dennis A.]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild(post script)

Removing the springs on my 61' was easier using a jack under the lower A-Arm and removing the lower inner shaft. I assemblier the new springs the same way, making sure they were turned in the right direction at the top. I had no problem installing the lower inner shaft with the A-Arm held up in place. I believe the Service Manuel (ST-12) references this method. Good Idea to check those old springs.

[John M.]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm,
I could not agree with Dennis more! The shafts and bushings on these old cars will last almost forever if kept properly lubricated since there is no rubber other than the seals to deteriorate. The original shafts and bushings on my 43 year old car are tighter than the new repros, so I put them back in! New shaft seals, springs and kingpins and you are good for another 3o years or so in most cases!

Regards, John McGraw

[Ray C.]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Hi! Norm

I purchased a 1961 a couple years back and the steering was also very difficult. I changed the tires and what a difference. The tires that were on the car were installed in 1969 and had a wider tread surface. I went with a non-radial tire of the correct size (judging). Many Corvette owners that I have talked with state that radial tires is the way to go, they handle even better.

Just another approach to your problem.
Ray

[Norm DiChiara]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

I'm not sure the difficult steering is a result of the tires. The car currently has new bias ply tires matching the original spec. Thanks for the advise...Norm

[Joe Pennington]

Re: C1 Front Suspension Rebuild

Norm,
Before you start throwing money at it, I would make sure the steering box is full of lube and all 22 grease fittings are lubed on the front end. Second, try and find someone( hopefully close by) with a C1 that you can drive and compare the steering effort. If you're nearby me, you're welcome to drive my 56(with radials).
Joe