Chevelle Restoration and Authenticity Guide 1970-1972. Dale McIntosh
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leave plenty of threads on the castle nut to retain the spindle for the time being and so that it cannot completely separate, allowing the coil spring to fly off and cause bodily injury.
Depending on which method of overall restoration you are taking, you can also use several other tools and equipment to help here. If the body is still on the frame, simply place a floor jack under the ball joint on the lower control arm. Using whichever method works best for you to separate the ball joint from the spindle, do so at this time using extreme caution. Once separated, slowly lower the floor jack and allow the lower control arm to slowly pivot downward, allowing the tension of the coil spring to be gently released.
If you have a two-post hoist available and the body has been removed from the frame, you can ratchet strap the frame to the hoist and secure it from moving and also use it as a tool. Lower the hoist all the way to the floor so that the lower control arms are resting on the floor. Once you have the spindle nuts loose, you can separate the spindle from the ball joints. Once that takes place, very slowly raise the hoist, letting the lower control arm stay resting on the floor. This allows the tension on the coil springs to gently be released. Once again, it is suggested that you use a chain or ratchet strap around the coil spring to hold it from flying out. Once the spindle has been separated from the upper and lower ball joints, remove it and place it aside.
Upper and Lower Control Arms Removal
Now you can remove the upper and lower control arms. Each lower arm is attached by two through bolts and lock nuts. Remove these followed by the arm. Be cautious because these are heavy and may drop out on their own when the bolts are removed.
The upper control arm is attached to the frame using two bolts on each side that run through the control arm cross shaft. Remove the lock nuts and sometimes lock washers and wiggle the control arm toward the center of the frame and off the bolts. Slight tapping with a rubber mallet will help in the removal process. Remove the control arms and place aside.
If you are doing a full concours restoration, you may want to consider removing the upper control arm attaching bolts from the frame and replacing them with new ones that are available from a variety of sources, or if they are in good shape, simply restore the originals. A few light taps with a hammer and pin punch will drive them out of the frame. Caution must be used to not damage the threads.
Note that the head end of the bolt shank has knurling on it. This helps keep the bolt from spinning in the frame when you attach the lock nuts. New through bolts are usually good enough to keep them from spinning as long as the bolt holes in the frame are still good. In rare cases, these holes are wallowed out, and a simple trick is to use a body hammer and dolly to compress the hole slightly. While holding the dolly on one side, hit the other with the body hammer thereby compressing the metal and making the hole smaller. This will compress the metal slightly enough to give the bolt some bite when reinstalling it. In severe cases, it may be required to ever so slightly weld the hole around the perimeter and redrill the hole or simply tack weld the bolt head to the frame. Make sure to cover the threads during the painting or powder coating process. As with any part of a restoration, always wear gloves as well as face and eye protection.
After all the pieces have been removed from the upper control arm, check for any damage, such as a bent arm, damaged bushing holes, damaged rivet holes for the ball joints, etc. There is no point using the control arm if it has severe damage and will require a replacement. If there is only minor damage and you possess a welder, small repairs may be made. It is very common on the upper control arms to have bushings that are so worn that the cross shaft will have actually worn a groove in the bushing bore of the control arm. If not severe, this can be welded and repaired. If these are extremely worn, it will again require replacement of the arm. Also, check the cross shaft for severe damage as they too would need to be replaced.
Check the cross shafts as well to ensure they are not replacement offset shafts. Offset replacement shafts would have been used if there was severe frame or suspension damage and the repair shop chose to replace the shafts in order to get the car in alignment rather than replace the control arm or repair the frame. These are readily apparent by the obvious offset in the shaft from the center line as well as the use of a large lock nut holding the bushing on compared to a fine-threaded bolt normally found on the Chevelle. However, the control arms may also be from another GM A-Body car, such as a Cutlass or Tempest. These cars commonly used a large lock nut as well, whereas the Chevelle never used that method. Assuming you will be repairing those areas during your restoration, it will now make these offset cross shafts no longer necessary, and a set of originals will need to be obtained.
Take note on the frame-mounted motor mounts how the bolts were installed at the factory. Plants varied as to how they installed this with regard to which way the bolts faced, so it is best to replicate what you found, assuming they have not been previously removed.
Going back to the lower control arms, check them over thoroughly for any signs of damage. The most common signs are bent arms due to contact with a curb or other low obstructions. Minor bending of the arm flange can be heated and repaired, but severe bending will require replacement of the arm because it will be difficult to ever get the car aligned again. Severe bushing damage here is not as common but should be checked regardless. Ball joint bore damage is also somewhat common, so look closely at that area as well. Most damage can be repaired using heat and a welder. As with many other parts of the restoration, replace all the bushing found on the suspension, as these are inexpensive replacement items and now is the time to do them.
Make note on both frame mounts as to which mount has the elongated through-bolt hole and which one has the round hole. Also, photograph the way the battery cable holder bracket is mounted to the frame mount. It is different than you would think it would mount. Notice on this original mount that the mount bolts go downward through the frame with no lock washers under the head, unlike what the manual shows.
As with any part of your restoration, examine all of the component parts for damage. Minor damage can be repaired with a welder and grinder, but if the damage is too severe, it may require replacement of the entire control arm. Also check the cross shaft for damage.
Upper Control Arm Bumper Removal
Now that you have all the front suspension out of the way, remove the upper control arm bumpers found underneath where the upper control arm had been mounted. These will need to be replaced. Simply pry them from the frame.
Motor Mounts Removal
Since the lower control arms are no longer in the way, this will give you much better access to the frame-mounted motor mounts. Take note and photograph the orientation of the bolts holding them on, which side has the elongated engine through bolt, and if there is a battery cable bracket mounted on the passenger-side mount and how it is mounted. Remove all eight nut, bolt, and washer combinations from both mounts and remove them from the frame.
Fuel Hard Lines
You now have all of the large and heavy items out of the way. It is now time to remove all of the small brackets, clips, and lines from the frame. Starting with the fuel lines, there may be one or two hard lines, depending on engine size and date of assembly. Here again, you will want to photo document the placement of the lines, line brackets, and straps as well as the bolts. They will vary along with the attachment points and the color of the clips. You will be able to use these photos for later refinishing and reinstallation of them.
Just like on the brake lines, this bracket may be the flat type or the full-round-encased type (shown). There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which was used, so document which your car has as well as the attaching bolt.