Having read the title, you’re probably thinking, a whole suspension rebuild & upgrade on the cheap? Well, yeah, and here’s how it works out. This is actually a fairly straightforward operation if you’re persistent in spending the time… I also did a few extra things like cleaning and repainting to make it look prettier, but you can skip that if you’re feeling the pinch of cost and/or time. The cost of new bushings was about $100, lightly used shocks were about $20 on eBay (score!), GTV6 rear springs were about $60, and I think I paid my mechanic about $100 to replace the big bushing at the front of the deDion triangle. So counting that up, it’s about $300 including bits & pieces (I chose to replace all the bolts holding on the half shafts since I needed to disconnect them to drop the deDion). You could, of course, drop it to $200ish by replacing the bushing yourself.
As I mentioned, the procedure is pretty simple. Be ready to sacrifice some blood or at least some skin, but it’s basically a matter of unbolting everything to get your suspension bits out, replacing the bushings and then putting them back in. Oversimplify? Me? While I was in there, I also replaced my transaxle mounts, which cured a driveshaft vibration and some clunking. One of the mounts had completely fallen apart! Finally, I replaced my clutch and brake lines – it’s amazing how something so cracked up after 30 years can still work.
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Archive for May, 2009
Alfetta GT rear suspension
May 12, 2009Rusty But Trusty!
May 8, 2009Welcome to Rusty But Trusty! My goal is to show how I keep up my car hobby, even in times like this when our economy is uncertain. Before I was laid off from my job in the online office of a certain infamous S&L that recently failed, I’d built a mini-fleet of wacky cars on which I’ve been learning a lot, and while not always in the prettiest cosmetic shape, are fun to drive. When I was laid off, I was faced with the question of how to keep the hobby going, keep my cars running, and still save most of my money for the critical stuff… because the people that want your money aren’t going away anytime soon.
With that in mind, I’m going to describe repairs I do to my cars that can be done at a reasonable cost. These might also be small, cheap things that you’d ordinarily put off because they’re not as sexy as, say, a set of big brakes. I’d also like to feature cars that I think would make great budget toys, and possibly even reliable drivers, while not being as appliance-like as, erm, my best beloved’s Corolla. Lastly, I believe in using my old cars on rallies, road trips, and for anything else that’s more fun in an old car, so I’ll document some of those trips.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
Rusty But Trusty 