Rear Suspension Mounting to Chassis

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Major System Category: Brakes & Suspension
Task: Attach Corvette rear suspension to mount points on chassis.
Parts:

• Rear suspension
• Small jack
• Jack stands or blocks
• The Hulk (if available)

Prerequisite Tasks: Rear Splash Panels
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 90 minutes (less if you have a big buddy)
Date Started: July 10, 2012
Date Completed: July 10, 2012
Last fall I purchased the Z06 big brake upgrade kit from West Coast Corvettes. I was really excited, because these were the first pieces of the car I could actually put together. These brakes are massive and heavy. The suspension is massive and heavy. I put these parts together and created a heavier assembly. I think it is easier to assemble the brakes on a bench than on the car, but that's my opinion.

The LH rear suspension resting on the lift next to the yellow floor jack. This is another case where the lift  makes a task easier for a one man shop. I lowered the chassis to a comfortable working height.

 Up to the point of purchasing the brakes, all I had to show for my project was a crate of used Corvette parts taking up space in the basement. Last October I added the assembled brake kit, then the wheels. This is now why I now have an off site storage locker. This is all to say, the suspension assembly I worked with can be made lighter.

Rear suspension mounted on the left hand side of the chassis and supported by a jack stand. The Z06 brakes  look very nice. A point of interest: the LS7 powered GTM reviewed by Car & Driver was equipped with this brake package.

I started with the left hand assembly. This side required some persuasion as the mount points were a tad tight. A couple of judicious taps from a 10 lbs sledge and they opened enough to slide the control arm ends into the place. I also employed a small floor jack. This I got under the knuckle. This was helpful as I could move the assembly around. You need to get it dead on so it matches up with the geometry on the chassis. The right hand side went easier. The last thing I did was lower the assembly on a jack stand (blocks work too). The alternative is to just let rest on the floor. I didn't want to do this.

Wheels!

One of the things I set up was an Ebay alert for 2 phrases: Factory Five and GTM. I receive an email anytime something new is listed for sale on Ebay. Many of these are listings for some really great cars people have built. The car listings are great for build ideas. There are usually enough pics so you can see if you like or dislike how something looks. Occasionally, something else comes up.

Wheel caps included.

I have already purchased the Big Brake Kit. These huge six piston brakes come with larger rotors and it is clearly explained that you need 18 inch or larger wheels to accommodate this upgrade. Factory Five sells a larger set of wheels in a bright silver finish. These wheels are Forgestar F14 and they are available in 9 different finishes. These wheels cost a little bit more than the Factory Five listing, but they came with free shipping, so there was a net savings of $100.

This is the rear wheel 18 x 12 in high gloss black (Forgestar calls this a Piano Black). This is a very big rim that is surprising lightweight (only 22 lbs). I left the protective plastic wrapping on the wheel. These will not be mounted until sometime next summer.

I conducted an informal poll on Facebook, text messages and people at the karate studio I where I work out. I explained the car was going to be red (Corsa red - Ferrari Racing Red) and the calipers are red. So did they like silver wheels or high gloss black wheels. There was an interesting split here. All the guys said high gloss black. All the women said silver. Although, the love of my life said I should do what I wanted. Once it was explained that I was planning a bright red car and not a cranberry red, the other women said black would be okay.

This is our Yorkie-in-charge checking out the Forgestar wheel.

The rear wheels are truly astounding. One of the things I discovered about the GTM is that I can go with different rear tire sizes for the larger wheels:

• 335/30 - 18
• 295/35 - 18
• 275/40 - 18

This is attractive, because it opens up the tire selection. Except once I saw the rear wheel, I knew I could only go with 335/30 -18 size tires. If I had decided to go with the donor car brakes, rotors and wheels, then I would be looking at the standard Corvette C5 of 245/45 - 17 (front) and 275/40 -18 (rear) configuration. Factory Five recommends Toyo tires. I prefer something other than a street legal racing slick, so I am probably going to put Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on the car.