77S Suspension Update Check List

[Knockdown]

Not sure if this will be useful to anyone else but this was my check list for a recent suspension update with some notes attached to the steps. Thanks to all those that post on this site for techniques that help get the job done when you run into a snag!

ER - Elephant Racing
QCH - Quick Change

• Make brake line plugs - used brake lines cut with brass rod pressed in
• Disconnect neg battery cable
• Loosen rear Axle nuts - impact wrench
• Raise car - jack stands on chassis points
• Remove wheels
• Disconnect/remove half shafts
• Remove brake calipers, plug lines

Front

• Remove hubs
• Remove torsion bar height adjust and end caps
• Loosen ball joint nuts - heat, air hammer with dull chisel
• Loosen tie rod to strut -bent one at carter pin hole, remove tie rod ends
• Remove strut to ball joint pin - drilled one out to remove
• Remove ball joint from strut - raise a arm with jack, pickle fork
• Remove strut and camber plate
• Remove a arm
• Remove torsion bar
• Remove sway bar
• Remove strut insert
• Clean struts - check new ball joint slips into strut, clean as required
• Install sway bar - Tarett through body 22mm, coat hanger to feed backing plate between chassis and gas tank
• Install sway bar U bracket on A arm - grind off old bushing mount, weld new on, paint
• Refurb A arm, install bushings - ER sphericals, JB weld
• Install shock inserts - Bilstein HD
• Check fit of spherical bearing into cross member, fit as required
• Install spherical bearings on A arm
• Install ball joint on A Arm - ER Camber Offset
• Install torsion bars in A arms - ER QCH 21mm
• Install A arms
• Install camber plate - ER QCH camber, verify clearance of large nut to chassis
• Install strut - with rubber dust cover
• Install strut to ball joint pin
• Install tie rod ends, connect to strut
• Install strut brace - ER basic single
• Index torsion bars
• Install hubs - repack bearings
• Torque check - jack under breaker bar with pipe extension for ball joints
• Perform rough alignment

Rear

• Remove emergency brake
• Remove sway bar
• Remove shock, support spring plate
• Separate spring plate from trailing arm
• Support transmission, remove transmission mount cross member
• Remove front trailing arm support, remove trailing arm
• Remove trailing arm front bushing
• Support spring plate, Remove lower rear spring plate bolt, relax spring plate, measure angle for ref
• Remove spring plate
• Remove torsion bar - easier said than done
• Refurb trailing arms*
• Remove and Install rear wheel bearings*
• Install bushing to trailing arm* - ER monoball
• Install bushing to spring plate - ER Poly Bronze, JB Weld
• Prepare spring plate bearing surface on chassis - remove high spots, paint
• Install & Align PB bearings/spring plate to body - ER QCH spring plate, check end play with dial gauge
• Install trailing arm front support
• Install transmission mount cross member
• Install torsion bar, Calculate plate angle, ER QCH 28mm
• Install shock top mount - Bilstein Sport
• Connect spring plate to trailing arm
• Connect shock to trailing arm
• Connect sway bar - Tarett 22mm
• Connect emergency brake
• Perform rough alignment
• Connect half shafts
• Torque check

• Install brake calipers
• Bleed brakes - speed bleeders
• Install wheels
• Lower car
• Set ride height
• Alignment - String for toe, Digital level for camber, caster, gallon bags with grease inside under tires
• Connect battery

[boyt911sc]

Install adjustable spring plates used in SC’s and Carrera 3.2 with the later rear sway bars. The aluminum trailing arms for ‘83~’89 are different too. I did replace them all for the ‘77S project sitting in the garage. Not sure if this was in your very long list of things to do.

Tony

[chrismorse]

With the front suspension off...
Have PMB do the calipers, check/replace discs,wheel bearings, SS brake lines,new MC.
Pull steering rack for bearings/lube, turbo tie rods.
As long as the mMC is out, how about some love for the pedal cluster??

Have a close look at the rear bar mounts-with a lot of stuff out of the way and since you are probably installing a bigger bars, Wevo bar mounts might make sense.
Good time to freshen the parking brake

Have the car corner weighted

Boy, can I spend other's money or what??
Good luck,
Chris, (74 coupe up on blocks going down the slope).

Tony, somewhere in the laundry list he mentioned Elephant quick change spring plates which have a slick height adjustment - I lucked out and found a set of used sway-away adjustable.

[Knockdown]

Thanks for the input! I did use the ER QCH spring plates that are really nice and already had the Tarett 22mm rear sway bar that attaches to the toe adjust point. Chassis mounting points for the rear sway bar look ok for now, only running 7” wheels in the rear. Did the brakes last year, figured it is more important to stop as opposed to going. Didn’t mess with the steering rack, it’s nice and tight, turbo tie rods were added back in the 90’s.

[fanaudical]

One more for the front:

Check/inspect/consider replacing fuel lines while the rack is out of the way...

[Knockdown]

Yes, definitely check your fuel lines, did my front and back last summer!

I should add that the list up above was fairly focused on the suspension as I try to do projects that fit between AutoX events. The parts selected were chosen to tighten the car up for quick transitions and to make the suspension a bit easier to adjust. The car is not a daily driver, just do some fun AutoX events since we don’t have too many canyons in Florida.