I disconnected the steering knuckles to drop the lower control arms and release the springs. I removed the control arms and pounded out the old bushings.
Based on the advice on the web like:
G-body suspension mods
and
Spring Chart
I chose new Moog springs #5660 because they would reported to give a stiffer ride and lowered height by 1 inch. I also got KYB Gas-A-Just shocks which were relatively cheap and had good reviews. I also bought some graphite impregnated polyurethane control arm bushings made by Energy Suspension.
I had a repair shop install the new bushings. They also pressed in the lower ball joints. I had to touch up my new paint job on the control arms from where the used the torch to enlarge the holes for the bushings. I also added new bumpers on the upper arms. The old, brittle ones torn apart on removal.
Someone Else's Arms Look A Lot Like Mine
Someone Else's Naked G-BodyThe new springs were a lot stiffer than the worn out stock ones. The stock replacement springs were rated at 345 lbs/in2. Moog #5660, intended for S-10 trucks, were 639 lbs/in2. The new springs are almost twice as stiff.
I've driven the car since the install and the front end is very stiff indeed. Any bump hits the front end hard. The handling is very tight. I also added a beefy sway bar which surely helped, but the stiff springs killed a lot of the body roll around corners. It also sits pretty tall now. I plan to cut a little off the spring to lower the front end 1 inch. I would have done this already but I dread having to compress these springs again. Here's a quote from the above MalibuRacing.com link: "If you only want to lower by one inch, trimming a quarter or half coil off of the 5660 would probably sufficient to give the ride height you desire and not bottom."
If I were to replace the springs again, I'd go softer.
Ray's Chevy Asylum site was a great help for step by step instructions with pictures for this operation. Thanks to him.
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