Isabel's West Coast Sister by relentless

3 minute(s) of a 187 minute read

Thanks Robert for your measurement on the rear spoiler, and sorry about the postage cost. I probably should have just welded an extension on the one I had, since this isn't a concourse restoration. I hear you on shipping - I just returned the chrome alternator and brackets that don't fit and the shipping was $27.55 USPS!  

Today I called Total Control Products in Sacramento and spoke with C-Ray about my front springs being 17 1/4" long. He told me that the 1" lowering springs they offer are 13" free length, so I ordered them and the 1/4" spring isolators. The installation instructions say that the springs can be cut and each 1/2" off the spring lowers the car 1". This has me a little puzzled because if that is the case and these new springs are 4 1/4" shorter than what was on the car, the lowering amount would be 8 1/2" which is a lot more than the 5-6" I am looking for.
Well I will know more once they arrive, and for anyone needing to know the P/N for the 1" lowering springs is TCPSLM2-60 and the isolator TCPSVM1-01.

I finished painting the front grille and let the paint cure before I will assemble it.  

I then turned my attention to the suspension and brake components that have weathered. I started by removing the control arm that the spring rocker attaches to. Two bolts on the underside, which I couldn't get to with the overly-long spring on, mount the arm and pivot. The nuts are accessible in the engine compartment.





I was expecting the pivot shaft to be riding on needle bearings or a bushing, but this was not the case. The inner shaft was a worm gear of sorts and the end cap/nuts with the fine threads on the outside are being bypassed because the threads on the control arm are stripped. So it appears I need new control arms. There were zerk fittings on the end cap/nuts but the pivot was not greased. Good grief.

In case I can still use the pivot and end cap/nuts I painted them.



The rest of the day I spent cleaning the lower control linkage and disc brake mount getting them ready to be repainted.