Before removing any of the stock suspension, the engine and trans were pulled, along with all the front sheetmetal, including the radiator and grille. Once the front crossmember is removed, any weight on the framerails will make installing the new clip extremely difficult and could result in unsatisfactory results.
The stock suspension design is innovative, but rather complicated given today's simple IFS designs. The amount of moving parts, bearings, seals, and bushings between the upper and lower control arms, steering knuckle, tie rod, and spindle makes rebuilding the frontend a rather uneconomical choice.
Once the entire front clip is exposed, the front crossmember can be removed by loosening all the mounting bolts.
With the front crossmember removed, any necessary repairs to the 'rails can now be made. The bottom lip may need to be straightened where the crossmember and strut rods will sit, and any protruding rivet heads will have to be removed as well. After welding a stress crack and prepping both 'rails for installation, semigloss black spray paint was used to coat the front 'rails.
The complete component package from Chassis Engineering includes the bolt-in crossmember, coil pods, strut rods and brackets, Heidt's tubular upper and lower control arms, coil springs and shocks, spindles, rotors, calipers and bracket kit, rack-and-pinion (not pictured), and tie-rod ends. Other options include a front sway bar kit, radiator crossmember, engine mounting kit, and braided brake line kit.
The front crossmember must be bolted into place first with the steering mounts facing the front of the car. The outer front and inner rear existing boltholes provide location points for the new crossmember. The framerails may need to be pulled together slightly or spread apart to get everything to line up.
Next, the coil pods are placed over the frame and lined up with the lower crossmember. Clearances between the frame and the coil pods may be tight and can be trimmed by grinding the pods until adequate clearance is achieved. Since the framerails are thin as it is, grinding on the 'rails is not recommended.
By firmly clamping the coil pod in place to the crossmember, the corresponding holes for each can be drilled through the frame. There are also eight holes that secure the coil pod to the crossmember.
The crossmember and coil pods are now attached firmly to the frame.
The strut rod brackets are next. Install a bolt in the center brace to the crossmember tube to locate each bracket and align both sides in relation to the frame. Measure each side and compare.
Once both sides are even in relation to the crossmember and frame, the 10 mounting holes can be drilled.
Five-bolts hold each strut rod bracket firmly in place.
With the crossmember, spring pods, and strut rod brackets installed, it's time to start bolting on the suspension parts.
Here are the upper and lower control arms and the strut rod that supports the lower control arm.