The Classic Opel Forums - Group 3 - Suspension and Steering http://www.opelgt.com/forums/ Front Suspension, Steering Linkage, Rear Suspension, Wheels and Tires en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:24:40 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.opelgt.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg The Classic Opel Forums - Group 3 - Suspension and Steering http://www.opelgt.com/forums/ Rebuilding front end http://www.opelgt.com/forums/group-3-suspension-steering/22763-rebuilding-front-end.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:21:38 GMT Ok, so I in the process of tearing down my front end completely. I installed poly bushings a year ago but feel the need to do a more thorough rebuild to make the car feel OK. As it is, the car feels very "light" in the front at speed. It´s not a very pleasant feeling when you feel detached from the ground when you steer... :ugh: The car also veers to the sides when driving over uneven roads and when crossing ruts in the tarmac (steering rack?)

This leads me to believe I have some play in the front end components, calling for a rebuild.

So, I´ve unbolted all control arms (one of which needed an angle grinder to cut the bolt, since the "bolt from hell" held it in an impossibly strong grip...) and the leaf spring.

What I now have to do is unbolt the front crossmember itself, including the steering rack. So on to my question... Is there somethin VITAL I have to think about when doing this? I can see that the crossmember is fastened with four bolts, and a few smaller ones that hold the radiator.
I figure I´ll just loosen the bolt holding the steering column at the rack, and then everything should just come down, correct?

After that, I´ll have to weld in new tubes holding the upper control arm bolts due to wear. The left is the worst, but I could feel a small amount of play in the right today, so I´ll do that one as well. Time to find a metal shop that does quality welding...

I´m trying to figure out if I have to replace my ball joints. They all feel rock steady without any play when I yank them around by hand. I should be able to feel any wear that calls for replacing, right?

How does the adjustment on the rack work? Perhaps a major culprit in the equation...

I hope these repairs, together with a few new poly bushings for the leaf spring and finally a wheel alignment will do the trick.

Any tips ont he subject?

/Stefan ]]> Group 3 - Suspension and Steering StefanLee http://www.opelgt.com/forums/group-3-suspension-steering/22763-rebuilding-front-end.html