1967 CHEVROLET CAMARO wheel torque

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-3

by means of a lower control arm inner pivot cam; on the

Chevelle, Camaro and Corvette by means of upper control

arm inner support shaft shims.

Caster angle is adjusted, on the Chevrolet and Chevy n

by means of a strut rod which runs from the lower con-

trol arm forward to a frame brace; on the Chevelle,
Camaro and Corvette by means of upper control arm

inner support shaft shims.

A stabilizer bar is used on all Chevelle and Corvette

models. Chevrolet Impalas, station wagons and V-8

engine equipped models are fitted with the stabilizer bar.

UPPER CONTROL ARM

STABILIZER

SPRING
LOWER CONTROL ARM

STEERING KNUCKLE

Fig.
3 - Front Suspension - Corvette

MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS

Maintenance intervals recommended for lubrication of

front suspension components have been fully covered in

Section 0 of this manual. Only actual adjustment proce-

dures will be covered here.

NOTE:
Unless otherwise indicated all proce-

dures will apply to all five vehicles covered in

this manual.

FRONT WHEEL BEARING ADJUSTMENT

Proper front wheel bearing adjustment has a definite

bearing on the safe operation of a vehicle. Improperly

adjusted front wheel bearings will result in a lack of

steering stability causing wheel wander, shimmy and ex-

cessive tire wear. Very accurate adjustment is possible

because the spindles are drilled both vertically and hori-

zontally and the adjusting nuts are slotted in all six sides.

NOTE:
Wheel bearings should not
be.
repacked

or adjusted as a part of "New Car Conditioning".
1.
With wheel raised, remove hub cap and dust cap and

then remove the cotter pin from the end of the

spindle.

2.
While rotating wheel, tighten spindle nut to 12 lbs. ft

torque.

3.
Back off adjusting nut one flat and insert cotter pin.

If slot and pin hole do not line up, back off the adjust-

ing nut an additional 1/2 flat or less as required to

insert cotter pin.

4.
Spin the wheel to check that it rolls freely and then

lock the cotter pin by spreading the end and bending

it around.

NOTE:
Bearings should have zero preload and

.001"
to .008" end movement when properly ad-

justed on Chevrolet, Chevelle, Camaro and Cor-

vette; .000" to .004" on Chevy H.

5.
Install dust cap, hub cap or wheel disc and lower

wheel.

6. Perform the same operation on each front wheel.

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-10

CHEVROLET, CHEVELLE, CAMARO AND CORVETTE (TYPICAL)
CHEVY H

Fig.
14- Shock Absorber

NOTE:
If necessary, tighten one more notch to

insert cotter pins.

3.
Place brake backing plate and wheel cylinder in posi*-

tion on steering knuckle and insert anchor pin.

4.
Place steering arm in position on back of steering

knuckle and insert two bolts through backing plate,

steering knuckle and steering arm. Install locknuts

and tighten. (See Specifications.)

5. Torque brake anchor pin (See Specifications).

6. Install brake shoes, except Corvette. (See Section 5.)

7. Install wheel hub, brake drum (or, on Corvette--

brake caliper and disc and hub assembly), wheel and

tire assembly over spindle.

8. Insert outer wheel bearing race and roller assembly,

washer and nut. Adjust front wheel bearing as shown

under Maintenance and Adjustments in this section.

Install new cotter pin, dust cap and hub cap.

9. Lower vehicle, recheck and readjust wheel alignment

where necessary.

SHOCK ABSORBER

Chevrolet, Chevelle, Comoro and Corvette (Fig. 14)

Removal

1.
With an open end wrench hold the shock absorber

upper stem from turning, and then remove the upper

stem retaining nut, retainer and rubber grommet.

2.
Remove the two bolts retaining the lower shock ab-

sorber pivot to the lower control arm and pull the

shock absorber assembly out from the bottom.

Installation

1.
With the retainer and rubber grommet in place over

the upper stem, install the shock abosrber (fully ex-
tended) up through the lower control arm and spring

so that the upper stem passes through the mounting

hole in the upper support arm.

2.
Install the rubber grommet, retainer' and attaching

nut over the shock absorber upper stem.

3.
With an open end wrench, hold the upper stem

from turning and tighten the retaining nut. (See

Specifications.)

4.
Install the two bolts attaching the shock abosrber

lower pivot to the lower control arm and tighten.

(See Specifications.)

Fig.
15 - Upper Control Arm Support Installed - Chevy II

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-11

Chevy II (Fig. 14)

Removal

1.
While vehicle weight is still on front wheels, position

support between upper control arm and frame side

rail (fig. 15).

NOTE: Bight side control arm support bracket

is illustrated in Figure 15. For left side, angled

support should be welded to reverse side of

plate.

2.
Raise vehicle and remove wheel and tire.

3.
Disconnect lower shock absorber mounting nuts, lock

washers and rubber washers from lower spring seat.

4.
Remove shock absorber upper mounting bracket

bolts.
Lift bracket and shock absorber assembly

from vehicle (fig. 16).

5.
Remove shock absorber from upper mounting bracket

and remove rubber bushings and washers.

Installation

1.
Assemble upper washer and rubber bushing to shock

absorber rod (refer to Figure 14).

2.
Assemble upper mounting bracket, bushing, washer

and nut to rod. Torque according to Specifications at

the end of this book.

3.
Install rubber washers to shock absorber lower seat

studs and insert shock absorber and upper bracket

assembly into shock absorber access hole, and posi-

tion to the lower spring seat. Install washers, nuts

and torque according to Specifications at the end of

this book.

NOTE: Shock absorber seat upper washers

must correctly pilot into spring seat.

4.
Install upper mounting bracket to spring tower and

torque nuts according to Specifications at the end of

this book.

STABILIZER BAR (FIG. 17)

Removal

1.
Raise vehicle and support both front wheels.

2.
Disconnect stabilizer bar from lower control arm.

Remove stabilizer bar brackets from the frame

(Chevrolet, Chevelle, Camaro and Corvette) or from

the front crossmember (Chevy n) and remove

stabilizer.
Fig.
16 - Removing Shock Absorber and Bracket - Chevy II

3.

Disconnect stabilizer link bolts, spacers and rubber

bushings from lower control arms.

4.
Inspect rubber stabilizer link bushings and Stabilizer

insulator bushings for aging. Replace if necessary.

Installation

1.
If new insulators
are necessary, coat stabilizer with

recommended rubber lubricant and slide frame bush-

ings into position.

2.
Insert stabilizer brackets over bushings and connect

to frame. Do not torque at this point. Connect sta-

bilizer ends to link bolts on lower control arms.

Torque bracket bolts and link nuts as shown in the

Specifications.

NOTE: Never get lubricant on outside of frame

stabilizer bar bushings or they may slip out of

brackets.

STRUT ROD (FIG. 18)

Chevrolet and Chevy II

Removal

1.
Raise vehicle to

clearance.
provide sufficient working

TYPICAL OF

CHEVROLET, CHEVELLE AND CAMARO
BRACKET LINK BOLT

CORVETTE
CHEVY H

Fig.
17- Stabilizer Bar

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-12

2.
Remove forward nut, retainer and rubber bushing

from front end of strut rod.

3.
Remove two nuts from strut rod to lower control arm

bolts and remove bolts and washers.

4.
Withdraw strut rod from bracket.

5. Remove remaining rubber bushing, retainer, sleeve

and nut from strut rod.

6. Inspect rubber bushings for aging and replace if

necessary. *•

Installation

1.
Screw rear nu$ on forward end of rod and position it

approximately 3/4" from end of threads. Install

rear retainer, sleeve and bushing on rod so raised

pilot diameter faces forward.

2.
Insert strut rod in bracket so pilot diameter on bush-

ing pilots in hole in bracket. Install forward bushing

on sleeve so raised pilot diameter faces rear to

enter hole in bracket, then install forward retainer

and nut on rod.

3.
Attach strut rod to top of lower control arm with two

bolts,
washers and nuts.

4.
Lower vehicle to floor, check caster and camber

angles and adjust where necessary. Torque nuts as

shown in Specifications.

FRONT SPRING

Chevrolet

Removal

1.
With an open end wrench hold the shock absorber

upper stem from turning, and then remove the upper

stem retaining nut, retainer and rubber grommet.
I IVi" rVi"i

\>. j ii

>
I

5'4

s

WOOD
BLOCK
USED

WITH
CHEVROLET
ONLY

Fig.
19
- Spring Removal Tools - Chevrolet, Chevelle and Comoro

2.
With the car supported by the frame so that the con-

trol arms hang free, remove the wheel and tire as-

sembly (replace one wheel nut to retain the brake

drum),
shock absorber, stabilizer bar to lower con-

trol arm link, strut rod to lower control arm attach-

ing, nuts, bolts and lock washers and tie rod end.

3.
Scribe the position of the inner pivot camber adjust-

ing cam bolt and then remove the nut, lock washer

and outer cam.

4.
Install a steel bar (fabricated as shown in Figure 19)

through the shock abosrber mounting hole in the

lower control arm so that the notch seats over the

bottom spring coil and the bar extends inboard and

under the inner bushing. Fit a 5" wood block (See

Figure 19) between the bar and the bushing as shown

in Figure 20.

5.
With suitable jack or hoist, lift up slightly on the end

of the bar to remove the tension from the inner pivot

cam bolt, which can then be removed.

Fig.
18-Strut Rod

Pig. 20 - Front Spring Removal - Chevrolet

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-15

4.
Insert Spring Compressor J-
6874-
4-
5 with Adapters

J-6874-8-9 into upp^r spring tower so that lower

MU"
bolt fits into shock absorber mounting holes in

spring seat (fig. 23). Secure the two lower studs to

the spring seat with nuts.

5.
Fit the tool upper pilot to top of spring and compress

spring by tightening upper nut (fig. 24). Compress

spring until screw is bottomed out.

6. Remove lower spring seat retaining nuts, lift spring

and seat assembly from control arm and guide it

down and out through fender skirt (fig. 25).

Spring Seat Replacement (Fig. 26)

1.
Release spring tension and disconnect spring com-

pressor from spring seat.

2.
Install new spring seat to spring compressor.

Installation

1.
If spring is to be replaced, install new spring into

tool and compress spring until screw is bottomed

out.

NOTE: Spring coil ends must be against spring

stops in upper and lower seats.

2.
Lift spring and tool assembly into place and position

so that the upper spring stop is inboard.

NOTE: Locating tab on upper spring seat may

be flattened before reinstalling spring.

3.
Install lower spring seat to control arm and torque

nuts as shown in the Specifications.

4.
Loosen spring compressor until spring is properly

seated in upper spring tower and remove.

5.
Install shock abosrber as outlined under Shock Ab-

sorber—Installation in this section.

Corvette

Removal

1.
With car on suitable hoist or jack, (support vehicle

by frame so control arms may swing free) remove

wheel and tire assembly, stabilizer bar and shock

absorber. Loosen the lower ball joint to steering

knuckle nut, and the' two lower control arm cross

shaft bushing bolts.

2.
Place Tool J-6874-1 across top of sixth coil (ap-

prox.),
then loosely secure Tool J-6874-2 to the up-

per shoe, with attaching capscrews and lock washers.

The upper shoe "V" notch and lower shoe raised land

should contact spring.

3.
Insert Tool J-6874 up through center of spring and

attach to upper and lower shoe assembly.

4.
Position spacers under shock absorber mounting hole

and against bottom of lower control arm. Install

special bearing washer and Tool J-6874-5. Locate

bearing against spacer and large washer against

bearing. Feed screw up through large washer bear-

ing and spacer and thread into Tool J-6874 and

tighten snugly (fig. 22).

5.
Center shoe assembly on spring and tighten screw

until a very slight compression is placed on spring

(fig. '22). Then firmly tighten down the two cap-

screws securing the upper and lower shoes to lock

these shoes to spring.

6. Turn head of screw until spring is compressed just

enough to clear the spring tower, then remove the

lower ball joint to steering knuckle nut (fig. 22).
NOTE: It may be necessary to assist the

spring out of the spring tower with a pry bar or

a similar tool.

7.
Disconnect the lower ball joint from the steering

knuckle and lower the control arm with the com-

pressed spring. Immediately release compression

on spring by backing off long screw. Release spring

and tool and withdraw spring.

CAUTION: The spring force under compres-

sion is very large. Exercise every safety pre-

caution when performing this operation to see

that individuals and materials subject to damage

are removed from the path of the spring when

the control arm is being lowered. Also, the

compressed spring
be relaxed immedi-

ately after lowering the control arm to reduce

the time of exposure to the large compressive

force.

Installation

1.
Position spring with closely coiled end up. Place

Tool J-6874-1 across the top of the sixth coil (ap-

prox.) then loosely secure Tool J-6874-2 to the

upper shoe with attaching capscrews and lock wash-

ers.
The upper shoe MV" notch and lower shoe

raised land should contact spring.

2.
Insert Tool J-6874 up through center of spring and

attach to upper and lower shoe assembly with bolt

and nut.

3.
Set spring in its seat on the lower control arm.

4.
Position spacers centrally under shock absorber

mounting hole and against bottom of lower control

arm. Install bearing, large washer and Tool

J-6874-5.
Locate bearing against spacer and large

washer against bearing. Feed the screw up through

large washer, bearing and spacer and thread into

yoke rod. Tighten snugly, but do not start to draw

down yet

5.
Center the shoe assembly on the spring and tighten

the lag screw until a very slight compression is

placed on spring, then firmly tighten down the two

capscrews securing the upper and lower shoes. This

will lock the shoes to the coil spring.

6. Turn head of screw until spring is compressed just

enough to clear the spring tower.

NOTE: It may be necessary to assist the

spring into the spring tower with a pry bar or

similar tool.

7.
Immediately install the lower ball joint into steering

knuckle and secure in place with attaching nut.

8. Release compression on spring and at the same time

use a drift to guide the coil spring into its proper

seat. End of coils must be 3/8" from coil stops in

spring seat.

9. Tighten the lower ball joint to steering knuckle nut

and lock with cotter key.

10.
Install shock absorber and stabilizer bar.

11.
Install wheel, tire and drum assembly.

12.
Remove car from hoist or jack stands.

13.
Tighten the two lower control cross shaft bushing

bolts to 45-55 lbs. ft. torque.

NOTE: If a suitable adjustable jack-stand is

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-16

available the following procedure may also be

used (fig. 22-Alternate Method).

1.
Support car on suitable hoist or jack (so control

arms may swing free) and remove the wheel and

tire assembly, shock absorber, and stabilizer link

at control arm.

2.
Place suitable jack stand under the lower control

arm cross shaft.

3.
Follow Steps 2-5 as outlined on previous page.

4.
Turn head of tool screw to partially compress

spring.

5. Remove the three control arm cross shaft attaching

bolts,
washers and nuts.

6. Carefully lower jack stand and if necessary increase

compression on spring and when coil spring is out of

its upper seat, relax tension on spring (fig. 22).

7. By using a pry bar to assist, if necessary, remove

the coil spring from the lower control arm.

8. Installation is the reverse of the above procedure.

Carefully follow instructions for installing spring

tool.

LOWER CONTROL ARM SPHERICAL JOINT

Chevrolet, Chevelle, Comoro and Corvette

Inspection

The lower control arm spherical joint should be re-

placed whenever wear is indicated in the upper joint

inspection.

NOTE: The lower control arm spherical joint

is a loose fit in the assembly when not connected

to the steering knuckle.

Only if inspection of each upper joint indicates them

both to be within limits, inspect each lower joint for ex-

cessive wear as follows:

1.
After reconnecting upper joints to steering knuckles,

support vehicle weight on wheels or wheel hubs.

2.
With outside micrometer or caliper, measure dis-

tance from top of lubrication fitting to bottom of ball

stud, and record the dimensions for each side.

3.
Then support vehicle weight at outer end of each

lower control arm, so that wheels or wheel hubs are

free,
then repeat Step 2.

4.
If the difference in dimensions on either side is

greater than 1/16" (.0625"), the joint is excessively

worn and both lower joints should be replaced.

If inspection of lower spherical joints does not indicate

excessive wear, inspect further as follows:

5.
On Chevrolet Only--Examine lubrication hole in each

joint assembly after cleaning out hole. Look for evi-

dence of the liner partially or fully blocking lubrica-

tion opening. Such evidence indicates that liner is

disintegrating and that both lower spherical joints

should be replaced.

Another indication of lower spherical joint excessive

wear is indicated when difficulty is experienced when

lubricating the joint. If the liner has worn to the point

where the lubrication grooves in the liner have worn

away, then abnormal pressure is required to force lubri-

cant through the joint. This is another reason to recom-

mend replacement of both lower joints.

If the above inspections do not indicate any reason for

spherical joint replacements, test the torque tightness of
Fig. 27 - Removing Lower Ball Joint - Chevelle
&
Camaro

the lower ball stud in the knuckle on each side as follows:

1.
Wire-brush off nut and cotter pin attaching spherical

joint ball stud to steering knuckle and examine for

evidence of looseness of stud in knuckle.

2.
If no evidence of looseness, remove cotter pin and

with prick punch or equivalent, mark nut stud and

knuckle to identify relative location.

3.
Tighten nut as installed and observe torque reading.

If less than 45 lbs. ft., stud may have been loose in

steering knuckle and replacement of both lower

spherical joints may be recommended.

4.
Check to see if torque of 60-94 lbs. ft. can be ob-

tained without bottoming stud or ball joint against

knuckle. If bottoming occurs, replace ball joint or

steering knuckle.

Chevrolet and Corvette

Removal

1.
Support lower control arm at outer end on floor jack,

with hoist or jack pad clear of lower ball stud nut.

2.
Remove upper and lower ball stud nuts, free ball

studs from steering knuckle and wire knuckle and

brake drum assembly up to fender skirt to preclude

interference while performing next step.

3.
Being careful not to enlarge the holes in control arm,

cut off rivets.

Installation

1.
Install new joint against underside of control arm and

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-17

4.
Replace the wheel and tire.

5.
Lower the vehicle.

Chevy II

inspection

Fig.
28 - Installing Lower Ball Joint - Chevelle & Camaro

retain in place with special bolts and nuts supplied

with new joint.

CAUTION: Use only alloy bolts supplied for

this operation. The special thick headed bolt

must be installed in the forward side of the

control arm.

2.
Tighten bolts and nut on ball stud to Specification

shown at the end of this book.

3.
Lubricate the joint.

Chevelle and Camaro

Removal

1.
Support lower control arm at outer end of floor jack,

with hoist or jack pad clear of lower ball stud and

remove the wheel.

2.
Remove the upper and lower ball stud nuts, free the

ball studs from the steering knuckle and wire the

knuckle and brake drum assembly out of the way to

preclude interference while completing the lower ball

stud removal procedure.

3.
Use a screw driver to pry off the seal and retainer.

Install Tools J-9519-10, J-9519-17 and J-9519-7 as

shown in Figure 27 and turn down on the hex head

screw until the ball stud is pushed out.

Installation

1.
Start the replacement ball stud into the control arm

and install Tools J-9519-10, J^9519-16 and J-9519-17

as shown in Figure 28.

2.
Turn down on the hex head screw until the ball stud

is seated properly in the control arm.

3.
Install the stud into the steering knuckle, secure in

place with the attacking nut and install the cotter pin.
1.
With upper control arm support in position as in

Figure 15, disconnect the lower ball stud from steer-

ing knuckle.

2.
Assemble nut to lower ball stud and check rotating

torque with torque wrench. Specifications for new

joints are 9 lbs. ft. If torque readings are exces-

sively high or low, replace ball joint.

Removal

1.
While vehicle weight is still on front wheels, position

support between upper control arm and frame side

rail (fig. 15).

2.
Raise vehicle and remove cotter pin and nut from

lower ball joint stud (fig. 29).

3.
Disconnect stabilizer at upper link. Break loose the

lower ball stud. Drop lower control arm until lower

ball joint is easily accessible.

, 4. Using a large chisel, cut off the three ball joint re-

taining plate rivet heads. It may be necessary to

drill out rivet heads before chiseling.

NOTE: Additional support to lower control

arm will be necessary to perform this operation.

5.
Remove ball joint from arm and clean arm.

6. Inspect ball joint seat and rivet holes for evidence of

fatigue such as cracking or bending. If defects are

evident, replace lower control arm as outlined later

in this section.

Installation

1.
Install ball joint in arm using special bolts furnished

with replacement kit.

NOTE: Use only special hardened bolts fur-

nished with this replacement kit. Do not attempt

to use other non-hardened bolts and do not at-

tempt to rivet replacement ball joint to arm.

Fig.
29- Disassembling Lower Ball Stud - Chevy

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL

FRONT SUSPENSION 3-18

CHEVROLET
CHEVELLE

CAMARO (TYPICAL)

CHEVY U
LOWER CONTROL ARM

CORVETTE

Fig.
30 - Lower Control Arm Attachment

2.
Raise lower control arm and insert ball stud into

steering knuckle lower boss. Install nut and insert

new cotter pin. Install stabilizer linkage.

Lube Fittings

Special self threading type lube fittings are used in the

spherical joint assemblies. If it is necessary to replace

a fitting a standard threaded type may be used. However,

replacement spherical joint assemblies are supplied less

the lube fitting. Therefore it will be necessary to install

a self threading type fitting into the untapped hole pro-

vided when replacing the entire assembly.

LOWER CONTROL ARM

Chevrolet (Fig. 30)

Removal

1.
Remove the coil spring as outlined previously.

2.
Remove lower control arm ball stud cotter pin and

loosen nut. Loosen the ball stud, then remove nut

and lower control arm.

CAUTION: Use extreme care not to damage

the seal during this operation.
Installation

1.
Insert lower control arm ball stud into the steering

boss,
install the nut and insert new cotter pin.

2.
Install the coil spring as outlined previously.

3.
Tighten nuts to torque shown in Specifications.

Chevelle and Camaro (Fig. 30)

Removal

1.
Remove the front coil spring as outlined previously.

2;
Remove the two control arm to frame and cross-

member bracket attaching bolts and lock washers.

3.
Remove the lower control arm assembly.

Installation

1.
With the control arm in place in frame and cross-

member brackets, install the front and rear attaching

bolts,
nuts and lock washers.

2.
Install the coil spring as outlined under "Front Coil

Spring - Installation".

3.
Tighten the nuts to torque shown in Specifications.

Chevy II (Fig. 30)

Removal

1.
With vehicle weight still on front wheels, install

CHEVROLET CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL