ThrillSHO
New Member
I have gotten several emails with questions about this upgrade so I thought I'd post my tips. Feel free to add your own.
I have done it several times and have a shop complete with lift, air tools, gear pullers, ect. I have gotten the time down to about 3hrs. Here are some tips:
1. Jack the front of the car and place on Jack stands with both wheels hanging. This relieves the torsion on the front sway bar and makes the job easier. Don't try to do one side with the other setting on the ground.
2. Order of disassembly of knuckle: caliper, rotor, tie rod end, lower ball joint, CV shaft, strut tube, ABS sensor. Reverse for assembly.
3. When you unbolt the caliper, wire it up to the coil spring with the brake hose still attached. Don’t disconnect the hose until the new knuckles, ect are installed. Then quickly swap the hose from the old caliper to the new one. This will minimize the fluid loss and reduce the air entering the system.
4. Be careful removing the lower ball joint so you don’t tear the boot. A long pry bar hooked under the frame, pressing down on the control arm works well. You’ll also have to jack up the knuckle a bit to get it out.
5. You’ll need a special 30mm hub socket available at NAPA. You’ll also need a gear puller to pull the hub off the CV shaft.
6. I recommend installing new wheel bearings also. I have a 20ton press, so I did it myself, but a machine shop will do it for about $20 a side.
7. Be very careful with the ABS sensor! It is quite fragile. The housing is plastic and the sensor that points at the ABS ring is thin aluminum. After removing the retaining bolt, GENTLY twist the housing with pliers. If the aluminum sensor doesn’t turn with it, stop. You will have to press it out. About half that I have done had to be pressed. I used a small gear puller and a flat piece of steel between the sensor and the center bolt of the puller.
8. Be sure to clean all the holes in the new knuckles for the strut tube, ABS sensor, ball joint and tie rod end with sand paper (I used various size cylinder hones). It will make reassembly much easier.
9. You’ll need to bleed the brakes and get a front-end alignment when you’re done. The camber won’t be affected but the toe will be slightly off.
Good Luck
I have done it several times and have a shop complete with lift, air tools, gear pullers, ect. I have gotten the time down to about 3hrs. Here are some tips:
1. Jack the front of the car and place on Jack stands with both wheels hanging. This relieves the torsion on the front sway bar and makes the job easier. Don't try to do one side with the other setting on the ground.
2. Order of disassembly of knuckle: caliper, rotor, tie rod end, lower ball joint, CV shaft, strut tube, ABS sensor. Reverse for assembly.
3. When you unbolt the caliper, wire it up to the coil spring with the brake hose still attached. Don’t disconnect the hose until the new knuckles, ect are installed. Then quickly swap the hose from the old caliper to the new one. This will minimize the fluid loss and reduce the air entering the system.
4. Be careful removing the lower ball joint so you don’t tear the boot. A long pry bar hooked under the frame, pressing down on the control arm works well. You’ll also have to jack up the knuckle a bit to get it out.
5. You’ll need a special 30mm hub socket available at NAPA. You’ll also need a gear puller to pull the hub off the CV shaft.
6. I recommend installing new wheel bearings also. I have a 20ton press, so I did it myself, but a machine shop will do it for about $20 a side.
7. Be very careful with the ABS sensor! It is quite fragile. The housing is plastic and the sensor that points at the ABS ring is thin aluminum. After removing the retaining bolt, GENTLY twist the housing with pliers. If the aluminum sensor doesn’t turn with it, stop. You will have to press it out. About half that I have done had to be pressed. I used a small gear puller and a flat piece of steel between the sensor and the center bolt of the puller.
8. Be sure to clean all the holes in the new knuckles for the strut tube, ABS sensor, ball joint and tie rod end with sand paper (I used various size cylinder hones). It will make reassembly much easier.
9. You’ll need to bleed the brakes and get a front-end alignment when you’re done. The camber won’t be affected but the toe will be slightly off.
Good Luck
