[cranberryredchevelle454]

redid my suspension this weekend, new tie rods, idler arm, shocks, and sway bar links, i also have big block springs and tubular control arms i need to put on but down trust compressing a spring so i decided to let a shop do it. what’s a good price range? i live in michigan.

a shop that’s 20 minutes away from me wants $420 at a minimum

a guy at a shop less than a mile said $200 on the phone but he was talking fast like he had to do something so i don’t know if this will be the same price if i was to actually go in

and another shop near me that my mom got her car worked on said “they’ll take care of me” and i believe they will and their really nice people

 

[oldcutlass]

I can see $4-500 to do it.

 

[Dean]

My guess - probably around $500.00 but depends on where.
I would have the shop that worked on your mom's car do it.

 

[Jim Mac]

if you go to autozone and rent a spring compressor it's really a pretty easy swap as a do it yourself. with a big block and headers you probably won't be able to slip the uppers off the bolts without taking the pressed bolts off.
Did you get made in the USA tubular arms? there's a sticky about some of the ball joints in the offshore ball joints failing. jim

 

[Road Roamer]

A friend and I just installed all 4 control arms last Tuesday. It was a lot harder than I expected. Took us about 6 hours. I used stock Goodmark control arms fully dressed. Had I been solo I don't think I would have succeeded. It's probably worth $500-$600 paid to a shop.

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

I can see $4-500 to do it.

thx

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

My guess - probably around $500.00 but depends on where.
I would have the shop that worked on your mom's car do it.

i’m stopping by there tomorrow with the car for a more accurate price but yes i feel like i can trust them

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

if you go to autozone and rent a spring compressor it's really a pretty easy swap as a do it yourself. with a big block and headers you probably won't be able to slip the uppers off the bolts without taking the pressed bolts off.
Did you get made in the USA tubular arms? there's a sticky about some of the ball joints in the offshore ball joints failing. jim

tbh i don’t trust springs at all and 500 isn’t worth my life so i won’t take the chance... i fitbit where i ordered the arms from but i know their chinese, the springs came from american racing, tbh i did my entire suspension for $500 for i can’t complain. i’m only going to be driving the car until the end of the summer and by then i’ll be done with highschool, have a job, and hopefully another car

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

A friend and I just installed all 4 control arms last Tuesday. It was a lot harder than I expected. Took us about 6 hours. I used stock Goodmark control arms fully dressed. Had I been solo I don't think I would have succeeded. It's probably worth $500-$600 paid to a shop.

View attachment 709637

thanks and yea it was a pain, i’ll just let the shop do it, i feel like if i do it, im going to fail somehow, either a stripped bolt, compressed spring or wrong tools

 

[Aml383]

redid my suspension this weekend, new tie rods, idler arm, shocks, and sway bar links, i also have big block springs and tubular control arms i need to put on but down trust compressing a spring so i decided to let a shop do it. what’s a good price range? i live in michigan.

a shop that’s 20 minutes away from me wants $420 at a minimum

a guy at a shop less than a mile said $200 on the phone but he was talking fast like he had to do something so i don’t know if this will be the same price if i was to actually go in

and another shop near me that my mom got her car worked on said “they’ll take care of me” and i believe they will and their really nice people

80 an hour. Under 400

 

[hydro462]

I would take it to a frame shop. Have them install the control arms then do a four wheel alignment. Try to find a shop that uses a Hunter Hawk Eye rack for alignment and the Road Force balancer for the wheels. These two things steps are very important to getting your car where you want it.

I like the following specs for a GM A body,
Caster, positive passenger side wheel +6.5 / drivers side wheel +6..
Camber both wheels 1/4"...
Toe in, both sides 1/16"...

 

[cheveslakr]

If you have someone due this, make sure they know to clock the spring tail into the a-arm pocket.

 

[Nothingbut69]

What did the shop quote you a couple weeks ago when you had the car in the shop

 

[shovelrick]

Don't use the Ball Joints that came in the China CA's, find either US made AC Delco, Moog or what I used was Proforged but they aren't US but very good quality, I also used a Proforged steering upgrade kit, it sounded like you're selling your car and buying something else? or getting something else for a daily driver?

 

[zeke67]

At post fifteen, far be it from me to shift from the advice you are given or what you want to do. But I honestly can say that if you can handle tie rod ends, sway bar links and shocks -- and you have -- you can handle the springs and control arms. You want the through-shock-hole compressor, not the sort of compressor for a strut. You will remove the shocks, easy now that the hardware is new. The compressor goes inside the spring the through the shock hole. There is no way it can get away from you. The arms are a swap out, be thankful you aren't pressing ball joints.

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

I would take it to a frame shop. Have them install the control arms then do a four wheel alignment. Try to find a shop that uses a Hunter Hawk Eye rack for alignment and the Road Force balancer for the wheels. These two things steps are very important to getting your car where you want it.

I like the following specs for a GM A body,
Caster, positive passenger side wheel +6.5 / drivers side wheel +6..
Camber both wheels 1/4"...
Toe in, both sides 1/16"...

ive called every shop around even the colision shops and they said they dont work on old cars. only 3 near me will do it, one wants 700 firm, one said 200 but their supper backed up and wont get to me till maybe friday and one has to call me back with a price

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

What did the shop quote you a couple weeks ago when you had the car in the shop

i havent had my car in the shop? unless you mean when i asked for the inspection and carb adjustment, in that case i wasnt thinking about suspension and didnt ask them at the time. i called and asked for a quote and they said theyd give me a call back.

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

Don't use the Ball Joints that came in the China CA's, find either US made AC Delco, Moog or what I used was Proforged but they aren't US but very good quality, I also used a Proforged steering upgrade kit, it sounded like you're selling your car and buying something else? or getting something else for a daily driver?

im just going to go with whats already pressed in the arms. they were Chinese and cheap but they seem like a good quality and their all over youtube. plus ill only be driving this car until the summer ends and then its going into storage for maybe a few years..... and ill buy a beater work truck. the chevelle will probaly sit in storage untill i get a house and a good job since im graduating highschool and going to trade school.

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

At post fifteen, far be it from me to shift from the advice you are given or what you want to do. But I honestly can say that if you can handle tie rod ends, sway bar links and shocks -- and you have -- you can handle the springs and control arms. You want the through-shock-hole compressor, not the sort of compressor for a strut. You will remove the shocks, easy now that the hardware is new. The compressor goes inside the spring the through the shock hole. There is no way it can get away from you. The arms are a swap out, be thankful you aren't pressing ball joints.

ive really been thinking about doing so for the past few days but im really concerened about the springs and how old they look, plus it has a FEW spacers in them, and i think their small block spring sitting on a big block. other things im worried about is doing all that to find out i dont have the right tools to take the control arms out or have them out and the new parts somehow not fit or have a rusty bolt. If i didnt have a shared driveway and my car could sit in that spot for weeks while i wait for parts then id be quick to jump on it. but its just so many factors.....

 

[DUTCH MAX HEADWORK]

Chinese ball joints. A real attention-getter when they break doing 70 on the freeway. I would rather have stock A-arms than some Chinese junk between me and my life.