RobzWorkz #5a: 328 (non-ABS) Suspension Rebuild: Front

Greetings FChat!

My fifth RobzWorkz installment is large and consists of two (actually two and a half) parts, all dealing with front and rear suspension refurbishment: I have rebuilt my front and rear suspension and replaced the rear drive axle boots (the drive axle boots comprise only the "half" mentioned above since I didn't take enough pictures to make a separate posting...Oh well...it will be disclosed in RobzWorkz #5b on the rear suspension). Thus my disclosure here will be in two parts: a) front suspension rebuild, and; b) rear suspension rebuild/axle boot replacement.

Also, I have developed a method to utilize Birdman's method of changing A-arm bushing insides without burning the old rubber out of the old bushing housings with a blow torch! However, I did implement the method of replacing the bushings entirely and tack-welded them into place. I had good success with the welding despite an obvious design issue: the replacement bushings were fabricated with thinner metal and I discovered after slightly burning the inner rubber on my first replacement...it's still fine, but very annoying.

As a note, all replacement parts were provided by Maserati Source (all A-arm bushings, shock bushings and ball joints), save for the sway arm bushings being provided by Superformance. Although the replacement A-arm bushings had thinner material, I am very satisfied with the replacement items. Also, for replacing the axle boots, I utilized the often-recomended Porsche 930 boot replacements, with good success (but not excellent, since the boot shapes were different enough to interefere with proper banding techniques).

I will thus begin with the general precursor steps (simple disclaimer: you are responsible for your efforts and preparation and all tasks are conducted at your own risk...enjoy):
1. disconnect battery (so as not to start the engine).
2. place car on level surface; garage is best.
3. loosen the lug nuts.
4. jack up the car safely on jack stands all around: note, even if only doing the front or rear, I recommend using 4-point jack stand placement; having the car on wheels and getting under it is a no-no...the car must be level in order to get under it (note you can use ramps on the end not worked on, just to even out the car in its lifted position). Be sure to use jacks on frame areas only...not the bumpers (recall Ferris Bueller). Of course, a lift will accommodate all thiese concerns.
5. remove wheels on the end you are working (in this case the front; I did all four in this effort).
6. gather your tools: wrenches, joint separators, gloves, ft-lb torque wrenches, 5lb hammer, pickle fork, axle boot banding tools, etc.
7. remove associated wheel well components...see Easyrider7467's write up in the sticky section: both front and rear wheel well panels are easy to remove, clean and restore...I used undercoating with black engine paint.
8. print out the diagrams shown in the figures below for reference/torque limits (front components only...go to #5b for rear).


Pic 1 and pic 2 are diagrams (all from T Rutland's site with callouts added by me) of the front suspension components, pic 3 is of the steering rack with tie rod ends, and, pic 4 is for the disk brake calipers. Note that torque specs for "bonderized" bolts are present, and have higher values; my car only had the CAD-plated components (I don't know what bonderized fasteners look like).
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(Although you can do this without removing the brake lines) Since I was replacing with Goodrich SS lines, I simply disconnected and let the fluid drain out. You still need to remove the calipers by unbolting the two bolts and placing out of the way (you can hang it out of the way). I actually freshened my calipers with a plethora dremel wire wheels and chemical cleaners. Also, remove the brake rotor...this was easy for the front on my car; however, for the rear rotors, I had to use a 5lb hammer with duct tape applied so as to not cause metal-to-metal contact while hammering.


Pic 1 shows the disk brake system. Pic 2 shows the brake line disconnected (note: I had installed the Goodrich lines earlier). Pic 3 shows the process of removing the rotor mount bolts (these also serve to align the wheels when re-mounting). Pic 4 shows the rotor all by itself. Pic 5 shows the rotor and caliper with fasteners removed (cleaned later). Pic 6 shows the spindle/hub assembly without the rotor.

Additionally, there are electrical connectors for giving indication of brake pad wear: one is attached at the inside of the hub and another to the brake pad (the electrical connection is completed when the brake pad is worn enough to be thin enough to cause the lines to short to the rotor, causing a completed circuit for the dash board warning light). Mine were disabled: one connection (a single plug) was made to the back of the hub while the other was simply tied to the brake bleeder without connecting the circuit; thus was indicated that my brake pads were aftermarket.
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Now is time to gather your separator and wrench to disconnect the tie rod end from the spindle assembly. First remove the nut (pic 1), then install the separator (pic 2) and remove the tie rod (pic 3). If you are replacing the tie rod end, you can use a pickle fork to remove, but be careful: using pickle forks is not good when re-using components.

After separating, if you will be replacing the tie rod end, mark the steering rack rod with a marker before unscrewing (silver Sharpie is good), so as to give an indicator for the depth to which to screw-in the replacement tie rod end (both sides shown in pic 4).
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To remove the spindle from the A-arms, it is first necessary to remove the cotter pins from both the upper and lower ball joint bolts. Then, remove the nuts. Be sure to collect washers and the upper retainer used for holding the brake line and electrical wires in place (away from the moving wheel and spindle assemblies...see pic 4 for removed piece). If you kept the brake line connected, just place the retainer (still held by the brake line) to the side with the caliper.

After that, use the sepaerator and pickle fork as necessary to remove the spindle and hub assembly.

All the pics show the various method of accomplishing the spindle removal, with the last pic showing the remainder.
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After removing the spindle, I removed the upper and lower ball joints. Note thet the lower ball joint includes the sway bar end link attached to the sway bar. It was easy to remove the bolts and nuts but took some effort at removing the ball joints themselves with their associated shims (for aligning within the A-arms). Removing the sway bar links was "incidental" and relatively straightforward.

Note that the pics show that the spindle was emplaced (although disconnected) when I removed the ball joint bolts; I just found it easier to loosen that way since the spindle provided counter-force (make your own decisions here).

The several pics show the removal process.

The last two pics (10 and 11) show the before and after of the cleaning/replacement of the ball joints and sway bar components. Pic 10 also shows the tools I used for cleaning. Parts replaced were the upper and lower ball joints and all the consumable rubber and plastic of the sway bar components. Also note that I kept all shims in order throughout the disassembly and cleaning processes.

Also, in these pics, the spindle itself has been cleaned.
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When the lower ball joint was removed, the lower spring/shock mount was also disconnected. Thus, to remove the rest of the spring/shock, it was necessary to remove the upper A-arm long bolt. For the upper A-arm, if you remove the short (forward) bolt first, the longer bolt has more room for removal. Then the shock comes right out.

As a note: you can remove the spring/shock without fully-disassembling the front suspension...it would be a little tedious. Also recall that the lower ball joint bolts are not the same size: the inner bolt, which supports the spring shock, is thicker. Even the shims have larger holes to accommodate these larger bolts.

Pic 1 shows the upper A-arm having been removed and pic 2 shows the two spring/shock assemblies, one having been cleaned (can you tell which?...I didn't re-paint my shocks, just cleaned them).

ALSO NOTE: I received replacement shock bushings with my order from Masersti Source. I had to use a press and some large sockets to remove the old bushings and replace with the new ones. I apologize, but I took no pics of this, since I had to go to the shop at work (didn't bring the camera). If you know how to use a press, you should do fine. I used some grease to minimize friction as well. If you do not know how to use a press, have a pro replace your shock bushings (BTW, if someone has a shock and bushings to replace, if you send to me, I will take special time to take pics of the process; just PM me on this).
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You will notice that I didn't go right into the step to remove the lower A-arm. If you can get to the bolts from the wheel well and remove, fine; however, I noticed that, for me to remove the lower A-arms, I had to at least loosen the nuts retaining the lower suspension forks. Also, since I knew it was important to clean and inspect the lower forks, I decided to remove them anyway.

Well, to get to the forks, it is a good idea to get under the car to see the situation. When doing so, I noticed that the area under the steering rack was a mess. This is an important area to check. Thus, I STRONGLY reccommend to remove the access panel and do your due-diligence to clean the area. This I did and spent a lot of time cleaning with solvents and WD-40 to seal it all up.

I also decided to spray paint some orange areas suitable for identifying areas to jack up the front of the car; these would be seen easily for later jacking efforts. Some areas in the front (like under the battery tray) are easily mistaken as good jacking points; thus I painted the proper areas so I could see and avoid damaging anything later.

As can be seen in the pics, I did a lot of cleaning around the steering rack and the brake line proportionating system...it was a mess. I also cleaned and coated the underside of the plate. Note that the tube sticking out is the AC evaporator condensate drain. Upon inspection, the steering rack looked acceptable; I may work on it later, but the steering was fine and the rack can be easily removed later, even with the suspension installed.
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To remove the lower A-arm, I found it best to remove the entire A-arm with its two forks as a whole. There are two large nuts inside the frame accessible from under the car. I found that one of the nuts was removable with a ratchet (the front one); however the other was in a tight area and required using a box wrench (the rear one). The first three pics below show the nuts from different viewpoints and for each side, and the tools required. Pic 4 shows a removed lower A-arm.

It is essential to keep track of the shims in the system, as can be seen in Pic 4. When re-assembling, you will place these shims in their same position. Thus it is also important to keep track of which fork was in front and rear.

It is now important to remove the forks from the lower A-arm and clean and inspect them. The last pic shows a cleaned and checked lower suspension fork and bolt with nut, ready for installation. If you see any cracks or broken welds, replace the forks.

NOTE: THERE WAS AN IMPORTANT RECALL FOR 328'S THAT REQUIRED US VERSIONS TO UPGRADE THE LOWER SUSPENSION FORKS. TO CHECK FOR THE UPDATED ONES, MEASURE THE METAL THICKNESS WHERE THE BOLTS PASS THROUGH WITH A CALIPER: THE REQUIRED THICKNESS IS 5mm!!! IF YOU HAVE THE 4mm FORKS, CHANGE THEM!!!


(done posting for today; will do more later...I'll keep you posted).
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Now is the time to recondition the A-arms. As I said before, I chose to use the Maserati Source replacement A-arm bushings which need to be tack-welded into place. After removing all A-arm hardware (nuts/bolts/forks, etc), now is the time to remove the old bushings. TO DEMONSTRATE THIS, I WILL BE SHOWING PICS OF MY EFFORTS WITH THE REAR SUSPENSION A-arms (this is where I took the pics; you should see the different parts in the pics: the bushing removal process is identical for both front and rear A-arms).

The method I chose to remove the old bushings was to cut the tack welds with a Dremel cut off wheel deep enough to see the line between the A-arm hole and the bushing. See pic 1 and pic 2 for this. After cutting the tack welds, I used the cutting wheel to dress the metal of the old bushing so as to be free to press out (remove any bumpy weld metal). See pic 3 for this.

After removing the welds and dressing the bushing metal, I pressed out the bushings with a vise. I was able to do this easily by placing the A-arm in the vise at an angle and using the lip on the A-arm to get the necessary counter-force. See pic 4, pic 5 and pic 6 for this. In some cases, I found it useful to use a hammer to LIGHTLY finish the the process (pic 7 and pic 8). BTW, you can use PB Blaster to help; I just didn't need it.
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Time now to press in the new bushings and weld them up.

I pressed in the new bushings with a vise quite easily; I applied some grease to aid the process. This can be seen in pic 1, pic 2, pic 3 and pic 4. Pic 2 shows a steel sleeve (actually removed from an old Koni shock bushing...pressed out the guts) that was just right for pressing in the bushings. Pic 5 shows the REAR A-arms with the bushings pressed-in.

After pressing in the bushings, it is time to tack-weld them into place.

For me, I found it necessary to practice the method I chose for welding. I used a 120VAC arc welder with a "stich-welder" attachment. I used a "cheapie" from Harbor Freight shown in pic 6 (later, I will invest in a TIG/MIG welding system...too expensive for this application; also, I chose not to use gas welding so as to reduce the melting of rubber). The stitch-welder I used is shown if pic 7; the stich-welding attachment is designed to vibrate a little while arcing so as to keep a good arc distance to the project (minimizes what I call "stick stick"). Pic 8 shows me in my welding attire; obviously, I don't do this all the time, or I would be covered in leather...just be carefull and know your boundaries and technical methods. WELDING INVOLVES HOT METAL AND SPARKS (enough said). Also, WEAR A FREAKING WELDING
HELMET!!!

The actual welds I used comprised what I call the "bridge method" which reduces the total heat of the weld so as to reduce the burning of the bushing rubber. Basically, this method involved placing a tack weld on the A-arm, then on the bushing, then bridging the two together; thus it is a three-stage method; I allowed for cooling between the steps as well, again, to minimize melting the bushing rubber. Pic 9 shows the tacks placed on a test steel bar and a test (read old) bushing; pic 10 shows the bridged tack-weld in place. After tack-welding (with cooling in between steps), I tested the strength by slamming (hammering) onto a tree. This method showed that the welds were strong (note, the purpose of the tack-welds in the A-arms is to prevent the bushings from rotating, which would cause premature wear).

After the testing, I welded the actual bushings and, of course, dressed them with the Dremel wheel. Pic 11 shows a completed weld. Pic 12 shows the welded FRONT A-arms, ready to clean and paint.
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Even though I used the tack-welding method to replace the A-arm bushings, I still found it beneficial to verify the capability for removing the bushing insides without removing the bushing bodies welded into the A-arms. This is a popular procedure developed by Birdman.

When reviewing Birdman's method for replacing A-arm bushings, it is essential to realize that he derived the method so as to not include welding. He uses available bushing materials (as an example, from Energy Suspension 'ES bushings) that can be fitted into the bushing housings which are retained in the A-arms. The FChat thread is below:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49955

Basically, the process involves removing the bushing "guts" while keeping the bushing bodies in place (having been tack-welded prior and kept in place). His method incorporates using a Sawzall to remove an end of the bushing while "doing what it takes" to remove the guts. Birdman does an excellent job showing the removal of the guts with a Harbor Freight press. Many others, however, resort to burning out the rubber with a blow torch, which is not recommended.

The process described herein will allow one to remove the inner bushing without using a Sawzall and using a common vise to remove the guts. When the guts are removed, it is essential to clean out the housing. Afterwards, one would install a bushing designed to be inserted into the old housings.

In this case, I will be showing the effort using the FRONT A-arms. Basically, in lieu of a Sawzall, one of the ends of the bushing can be removed with an air-operated cut-off wheel or Dremel (which will take longer). Pic 1 shows the tools I used (note the safety glasses...don't scrimp on these). Pic 2 and pic 3 show the cutting removal of one side of the bushing metal. Pic 4 and pic 5 show me using the socket extension with a large socket (wrapped in duct tape to minimize scoring on metal parts) to press out the middle metal tube from the bushing. Pic 6 shows me using the vise to pull out the metal tube and pic 7 and pic 8 show me using an XACTO knife to cut out the rubber insides. Pic 9 shows the removed guts while the bushing body is still welded intact.

NOTE: AN INTERESTING EVENT OCCURRED WHILE WELDING IN THE NEW BUSHINGS !!!(why is this presented in the Birdman section?...figure it out): when I tack-welded in the first NEW bushing (after all that successful practice), I actually melted some rubber...this was unexpected. Upon review, I noticed that THE NEW BUSHINGS HAD BODIES CONSTRUCTED WITH THINNER METAL!!! This can be seen in pic 10 where the new bushing is on the left and the old one (with test welds on it) on the right: it is very obvious that the earlier bodies were made of thicker metal. Thus, I make two declarations:

1) since both the thick and thin bushing bodies fit into the A-arm, any replacement bushing inserts designed to be placed into the welded-in bodies may be loose (BAD IDEA); and,

2) it is worthwhile to keep the old bushing bodies and be able to weld them into the A-arms if it is desired to use available bushing inserts.

Thus I kept my old bushing bodies and will weld them into the A-arms if I decide to install bushing inserts in the future.
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As noted, I already cleaned and made ready all the other parts (sway bar components, disk brake calipers and rotors, and wheel spindles/hubs). I even painted some areas inside the wheel wells (including wheel well panels). The last things to refinish are the A-arms. Clean deeply (I used laquer thinner; it removed all the old under coating (Dinol?); note I did not apply new undercoating on the A-arms since I was garaging my 328) and sand with 400 grit sand paper. I used Duplicolor Engine Enamel Low Gloss Black and primer. Acetone is used to clean and dry prior to painting. These can be seen in pic 1. Pic 2 and pic 3 show priming stages, while pic 4 shows final coating.
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After all is made ready, now is the time to reassemble everything. One of the first things I did was to bolt the lower forks onto the lower A-arms (pic 1); install without torquing so as to allow for easier installation into the frame. Pic 2 shows the forks bolted in and ready to insert into the frame. Insert into the frame WITH SHIMS INSTALLED (I used masking tape to keep them in place); then screw on the fork nuts. Don't fully-tighten yet.

The next thing I did was loosely install the lower ball joint (ACCOUNT FOR SHIM POSITION NOTING THAT THERE ARE TWO HOLE SIZES) with lower shock/spring assembly (see pic 3 and pic 4); included here is the installation of the front sway bar end link...keep loose since you will need to install the sway bar (seen in pic 4) and will need the relief room to move things around. For this effort, I had to use a hammer/screw driver to put everything together...it was a small PITA.

After installing both left and right A-arms and lower ball joints, loosely install the sway bar (including bushings and frame retainers...don't tighten yet). This can be deferred until both sides are installed (i.e., with loose or uninstalled--red--mount bushings); you will need to play around to get all the sway bar components attached.

Afterwards, install the upper A-arm with top of shock/spring assembly (pic 5, pic 6, pic 7 and pic 8). Recall that the long bolt will fit better when installed before the short one.

Also install the upper ball, joint noting that both holes are the same size. Keep track of the shims as well (pic 9 and pic 10). I found this a PITA, but got good results by loosely bolting the outer bolt first and then lightly hammering the ball joint into place while using a screw driver to align the holes until I could insert the bolt.
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Now is the time to reinstall the front spindle/hub assemblies. Note that I did not replace the front wheel bearings since they were working well. However, this would be a good time to replace if necessary on the bench. To install, place lightly on both the upper and lower ball joints. Then insert the retainer for the brake line/electrical line for the brake wear indicator into the top ball joint and screw in the nuts/washers as applicable. WAIT UNTIL AFTER TORQUING THESE (LATER) TO INSERT THE COTTER PINS (you can see the cotter pin in one of the pics...was done later). Now is also the time to loosely install the tie rods (nuts were provided with the new tie rods). See pic 1, pic 2 and pic 3, below.
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Now is the time to torque everything on both the left and right sides and including the sway bar system. Be sure to use your diagrams with the torque specs and mark each torque event. Include all suspension/steering components manipulated.

Pic 1 shows me torquing the nuts for the sway bar frame clamps.

Pic 2 and pic 3 show me marking torque events. TORQUE EVERYTHING TWICE (2X) TO BE SURE!

Also, when I torqued the lower A-arm fork nuts, I could only get a torque wrench onto the front nut. Thus, to torque the rear nut, place a box wrench on the front nut and apply arm pressure to slightly move the nut, then use the same (arm) pressure to torque the rear nut. This I call self-calibrated torquing, by using your arm strength. If you are uncomfortable doing this, then you will need to use a crow's foot wrench head with the torque wrench.
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To finish off this effort, reinstall the rotors and disk brake calipers. If you removed the brake lines, reinstall them. If you still have a brake pad wear indicator circuit, reinstall that. If you lost any brake fluid, bleed the brakes. Pic 1 shows the reinstalled brake system.


Finally, get the car ready to drive:

1. check torques again
2. check brake operation
3. check that steering works as well as it did before
4. replace lower panel (under steering rack, if not already done)
5. (if all is ready) reinstall wheel well panels
6. reinstall wheels (lug nuts torqued around 76 ft-lb)
7. lower vehicle, removing jack stands (BE SAFE)
8. reconnect battery
9. test drive vehicle (DON'T GO FAST UNTIL CONFIDENT THAT ALL IS WELL)

NOTE: if any rearrangement of the suspension shims occurred and/or any uncertainty of replacing the tie rods exists, TAKE THE CAR TO AN ALIGNMENT SHOP PRIOR TO DRIVING FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE! Also, if any doubt pertaining to the alignment of the front end, take the car to the alignment shop. Since I had no rearrangement of front end parts and my test drive was good with good "floating" steering, I can defer my front end alignment until later (after doing more work). If I were driving for any distance, I would have the car aligned and checked-over by a mechanic (having a mechanic check your work is always good practice).

ALL DONE!
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