Front Suspension Change for Dummies

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Place tie rod in a vise with heads facing down. Measure centre to centre and make note.


Using 19mm wrench, loosen locking nut.


Remove tie rod. This is what happens when you don't use anit seize!


For all parts that have threads, I put anti seize on the threads prior to re assembly.

Apply anti seize on new tie rod ends.

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Replace new tie rods and re measure to match, centre to centre original measurement.


Using 19mm wrench, tighten the locking nut.

Follow the same procedure for the passenger side and centre tie rods. Passenger side should be 5mm shorter than the driver side.


Time to re assemble lower wishbone.

I had a local shop press out and press in the lower a arm castor bushings as well as replace the upper wishbone rubber bushing with a lower a arm castor bushing.

The large washer demands some attention. You can see that one side of the washer is chamfered. The end of the dogbone also has a bevel. These two are designed to mate with each other.


Attach large washer mating the two.

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Insert new foam washer.


Push on lower a arm.


Replace 2nd washer.


Replace lock tab washer.

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With most nuts I have seen on Alfa's one side has a built in washer.


Using 24mm socket, tighten nut. 59 - 66.4 ft lbs.


Bend lock tab.


Take the arm and move it around. The new castor has grease inside that needs to be disbursed around. At first it will be stiff, then it will ease up as the grease moves around.

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Add grease, just like we found it.


Insert end cap.


Attach other arm in the same procedure.

You need to pay attention to the arms. Note that only one of the arms has this scallop. It goes on the rear of the assembly.


When assembling, make sure the scalloped arm goes on the same side as the shock long bolt. If you get this wrong, you will be taking them off again as the tie rod ends will hit them. Want to know how I know?

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Place large rubber stopper pad. It will be insterted correctly, when this feature sits comfortably between the two ends of the arms.


Insert lower ball joint. Insert long bolt through stopper pad, ball joint and two arms. Whenever I re used locking nuts, I put some blue loctite as a safe measure.


Using 19mm socket and 19mm wrench, tighten bolt. 59 to 66.4 ft lbs.


Insert front bolt. Using 17mm wrench and 19mm socket tighten bolt. 59 to 66.4 ft lbs.

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Measure the end of the control arm. I measured from the surface that contacts the body to the locking nut. Make note of the measurement.


Control arm has a placement in the middle for a wrench to hold. Using a 19mm wrench in the middle and a 27mm wrench (I didnt have it at the time), loosen the lock nut.


Using a 19mm wrench, remove the control arm ball joint.


Apply anti seize to new ball joint.

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Install new ball joint and adjust to noted measurement.


Using 27mm wrench, tighten lock nut.


I replaced the rubber bushing in the upper wishbone with a lower a arm castor bushing. To disburse the grease, I inserted the bolt, placed it in a vise and moved the wishbone all around until the grease was dispersed.


Insert upper wishbone into body. I placed the foam washer on the same side of the bushing as in the lower a arms. The side that has that green ring.

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Using 24mm wrench and 22mm socket tighten big bolt. 79.7 to 98.9 ft lbs.


Replace hard line to steering box.


Using 19mm socket tighten banjo bolt.


Replace resevoir and re fill power steering fluid.

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Apply anti seize to control arm nuts


Using 6mm hex, attach nuts to body. 16.2 to 19.9 ft lbs.


Using 17mm wrench and 17mm socket, tighten bolt attaching control arm to upper wishbone. 27.3 to 33.9 ft lbs.


Using 19mm socket, attach upper ball joint to steering knuckle. 54.6 to 61.2 ft lbs.

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Insert new cotter pin and bend.


Insert 4 bolts for the lower wishbone, dogbone.


To attach the bolts, it was difficult to get a good hold on the nuts with a wrench, so I had help. They held the nuts from above using a looooong extension and a 17mm socket.

Using another 17mm socket, tighten bolts from underneath. 40.6 to 42.8 ft lbs.


Using 19mm socket, attach nut to lower ball joint after inserted into steering knuckle.

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Insert new cotter pin and bend.


Now for the springs. Insert the 10mm spacer into the spring pan.


Insert the rubber pad and metal protector. Note that they have a bend in them that mate them up.


You will install the spring so that the tail of the spring mates up with those bends.

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Install metal protector and rubber pad on the top of the spring, again, so that the tail rests against those bends.


Install the 2 threaded rods kitty corner like before. Do not use the sway bar end link corner as one of those corners.


Install the spring in the spring pan.


Using 2, 9/16" ratcheting wrench's install the spring pan. Remember slowly and evenly, tighten the shoulder bolts.

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Tighten threaded rods all the way.


Using 19mm wrench, loosen old sway bar end link from attaching pin.


Apply anti seize to new sway bar end link.


Using 19mm wrench to tighten to the pin, insert through the spring pan corner and using 17mm wrench, tighten bolt. 35.4 to 39.1 ft lbs.

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You will see that kitty corner to the sway bar end link, the pan didnt rise enough to insert the bolt. I used some wood and floor jack to raise that corner. Install nut and tighten. 35.4 to 39.1 ft lbs.


Remove the 2 threaded rods and replace the bolts and nuts. 35.4 to 39.1 ft lbs.


I put some lithium grease on the inside of the sway bar rubber bushings to help slide it on. In hindsight, and after good recommendation, I should have used dish soap as some greases are not kind to rubber. Thanks to 86AlfaRossa.


Again, use dish soap, not grease. It wasn't enough, so I ended up greasing the sway bar where the bushing would travel to its place were you marked it earlier. Some people have put a slit in the rubber bushing to make it easier to install, but I decided not too. That was a lot of pushing!