Labor Day Projects - A Week Later...

[clm2112]

Day one of a bunch of projects I need to get done this weekend. Round one is doing the suspension of the Bonnie. Over the course of the week, various boxes and bits have been showing up.

Started this morning on the rear suspension. New struts, Air-Lift bags, and springs.

Before:



After:



Only got one corner done before the thunderstorms started. Doing laundry till it blows over and I can start on the other side.

[00Beast]

Looks Good Curt!!! She's going to ride and handle better than new!

[myfirstbonnie]

Do those bags fit in between the coils? How do you get them in there. I am interested in some for mine and would like more info on where you got them and how easy it was to do.

I'll bet that tightens the rear up a lot. I know when I did just the struts on mine it felt a lot better, but still not tight enough.

[chemicall]

Air-lift air bags!!!!! Rock on!! I have heard lots of good things about these bags.

Some guys over on oldsmobileforums claimed a full car of people did not sag the rear suspension with the air-lift air bags. That was at 25psi, they go up to 35 I do believe? let me know what you think of them, as it is a near future investment for me.

Other guys with the full on rear air-ride suspension, claimed the compressor bearly ever has to work anymore with the air-lift air bags(even while towing a boat!!!).

myfirstbonnie; To get them in, I have heard; jack the car to let the suspension hang. Folding them up and a zip tie around them helps I hear to slide it all between the coils at once. Some dishsoap on the bag will help it slide through also. I havn't done them.....yet.....just tricks I heard from other guys.

[Jrs3800]

You'll like the ride curt.. Those Monroe struts look good in there.. You'll like that as well..

[clm2112]

Do those bags fit in between the coils? How do you get them in there. I am interested in some for mine and would like more info on where you got them and how easy it was to do.

The instructions say you can flatten the bags out, roll them lengthwise, and get them in between the coils. I was changing the springs anyways, so I loaded them into the springs before putting them in.




Once the bags were inside the springs, I used a pair of spring compressors to make the whole assembly 11" long. That was what it takes to get the rear springs in the pockets. Then a jack under the control arm to keep everything in place while attaching the new strut.

First hard part: Getting that stinking 24mm distorted-thread nut off the top of the old strut cartridge so I could re-use the top mount. Sucker would not budge. I ended up using a grinding wheel to make two flats on the piston rod so I could hang on to it while taking the nut off. Next time, I'll just spring for new upper bushings.

Second Hard Part: Setting the camber angle on the rear suspension. The rear end works just like a front end, complete with ball joint and steering tab with a tie rod. The strut to spindle joint allows the wheel to tip in or out a few degrees. I just kept adjusting it while tightening the bolt, using a bubble level across the face of the wheel hub. I just want to get it close. I'll need to have the car aligned later (knew that going in.)

Good news is the bushings, ball joints, and tie rod ends look to be in good shape. Some new grease and move on to the next task. Today's mission is to finish the rear end so the air bags can be filled from the trunk. Then move on to the front of the car. (Got new struts for the fronts too.) Just looking at the front brakes while swapping tires, looks like it's time for new pads and rotors. They are getting pretty thin up front.

[clm2112]

Those Monroe struts look good in there.. You'll like that as well..

Hope so...I went cheap: The Monroe Sensi-Track cartridges were close-out specials at Rock-Auto

The car has been suffering from "Saggy Butt Syndrome" for years. The stock springs are shorter than the replacements, with thicker wire, but are suffering from 20 years and 100K miles of use. Any kind of weight in the trunk or on the trailer hitch dropped the rear end a good 5-6". The air bags should solve that problem going forward.

I thought about doing the F41 swap, but decided that the soft ride was kinda nice. Maybe I'm just getting old.

[Jrs3800]

Getting Old Curt..LOL

If you would have driven my old 95 you wouldn't have hesitated..

The springs you used... Are they the stock 90 replacement... I think if its a 661 spring it will have an 860 Lb rating... as well I see you have a extra coil on the new springs, this should add some stiffness and the Bags will make it well worth the effort

[clm2112]

The springs you used... Are they the stock 90 replacement... I think if its a 661 spring it will have an 860 Lb rating... as well I see you have a extra coil on the new springs, this should add some stiffness and the Bags will make it well worth the effort

This was the spring I ended up using: RAYBESTOS Part # 5891069 Inside Diameter=4.25" Wire Diameter=.578" Free Height=14.69" Load height=10" Straight Rate.

They also had a variable rate spring that was an inch shorter shorter in free height, but with a wire diameter of .64"..probably closer match to the original springs. But the straight rate is doing the job so far. With nothing in the air bags, the ride height is about a half inch higher in the rear compared to the front. That beats the old springs that were riding an inch lower in the back compared to the front. (just measured from the top of the wheel-well to the pavement.)

To answer a prior question, the air bag kit is from Air-Lift, PN:60798. Bought it months ago from Summit Racing. No problems with the install. Just had to drill two holes in the trunk floor corners for the inflation valves. I've got another kit to install on Kim's Pontiac Torrent....but that will be another weekend. I still have the front brakes, Engine Oil, and transmission fluid to do. I'm wiped-out, it will wait for tomorrow. It's brutally hot out there.

[Jrs3800]

Ok in that case what you bought was a stock replacement spring more or less... It may be a tad stiffer as its new and has that added coil.. I am certain it has improved quite a bit...

Last year we installed my original ( same as the 661 ) springs on Mairks Buick... Made a good difference as my stock springs were stiffer than his buick springs... His were also suffering sag..

I look forward to seeing the rest of the project..

[clm2112]

Here's how I routed the hoses for the air-bags:

[Jrs3800]

Initial impressions Curt? Or have you been able to drive it yet?

[clm2112]

Initial impressions Curt? Or have you been able to drive it yet?

Put 15psi in the bags and drove it around yesterday (went to get more parts, brunch, and take Carolyn to bowling.)

Feels pretty stiff. No issues or odd clunk noises. Still have a ways to go, the rear tires (were the fronts) are getting thin and are out of balance...that's the source of the thrumming noises that I thought was a bad CV or wheel bearing months ago. I have another set of cross-lace rims (bought from another Pontiac Bonneville Club member) but I need to clean them up this week so I can get tires on them. I swore I would never strip and repaint another set of ghetto-gold rims...I guess I lied 'cause I get to do it again.

I do have an issue with the front struts. I started working on one, realized something was up, and put it back on. Remind me what the differences are between front struts with the "L" sheetmetal bracket vs. struts that don't have them. The car has struts with the "L", the replacement struts don't have the bracket. To use the replacement brackets, do I need different springs? I'm debating on using the replacement struts in hand, or just order another set of new struts that have the "L". They were close-outs, so I can't return them.

[Jrs3800]

90 Models had some mid year changes...

Snap a Pic of the the new strut that you have..

[clm2112]

90 Models had some mid year changes...

That's it. I looked up 1989 and all they list are front suspensions like what is on the car:




Then I looked up 1991 and all they list are parts that look like this:




Only in the listings for 1990 do they have both types listed.

Looking at the complete strut assembly, GM switched the orientation of the spring in 1990 from the pigtail on the end of the spring being on the bottom (with the L bracket.) The later design has the pigtail on the top of the strut. Looks like GM stuck with the later design...the part number for the front strut shows up in the listings for 1992 and 1993 Bonnies as well. Oh well, maybe I'll just hang on to them till another member needs them. At $24 each, it isn't such a big deal.

So, in order to use the strut, I need to flip the spring over and use new upper mounts and isolators. It's cheaper to take the loss and order a different pair of strut cartridges.

I also need to get new ball joints for the front. While I had the brake rotors off, I got a good look at the ball joints. The rubber boot on the driver's side is cut and the grease just sperts out of it. The joint is still tight and the grease was clean, but that's not going to last much longer. I'll just get the ball joints and change them in the next couple of months.

Edit: Ok, problem solved. Another order in to Rock Auto for the proper struts plus the bellows, lower ball joints, rubber brake lines, and odds & ends parts the car needs. Kinda screws up my plans to have the car get new tires and alighnment this Friday, but I'll just call the tire dealer and reschedule for next week.

[Jrs3800]

Those are Monroe Matic Plus struts are they not? Keep them.. Heck I may want those..

[swampthing]

I'm curious about these airbags any way these would fit in a 2k's rear springs also how much did they cost?

[clm2112]

I'm curious about these airbags any way these would fit in a 2k's rear springs also how much did they cost?

They do make a kit for the 2000 Bonneville, pn 60776

Here's the instruction sheet:

http://airlift.iwebcat.com/imgVD/AIL/MN-130_607XX.pdf

Available for $79 from Summit Racing

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AIR-60776/

Anywho, a week later and it still is a work in progress. It didn't help that I had to go into work, had the blower motor in the house A/C unit fail, plus a bunch of non-automotive tasks to do this week. So, after doing work after the job I get paid for, I've gotten this much done:

Car washed, rear springs, rear struts, air bags, front brakes, oil change, new alternator & serpentine belt. Tomorrow during lunch, a new pair of tires go on the back rims and the car gets an alignment.

Still left to do: Transmission fluid, front struts, front ball joints, and two new tires for the front.

At least I got past the half-way point and the weather this week has been pretty good. I just gotta keep plugging away at it.

[spidey3479]

Can't wait to see her in October. Does she still have the little extra in the trunk?

[clm2112]

Can't wait to see her in October. Does she still have the little extra in the trunk?

Yep. Probably should drop the bottle off at Action Performance and get it emptied and re-filled. I haven't used it in a while.