Ridetech Coilover Suspension

Rear Installation

As with the front, begin by disassembly. At first, I tried remove and installing one part at a time, however I had a tough time getting the new parts to line up correctly. I recommend installing one side at a time, and completely disassemble the side you are working on prior to reassembly. This makes assembly easier.

The Kit

Before Pics

You can see the painting and axle writeup here:

Cutlass undercarriage and fuel-tank restoration

Cutlass rear axle restoration

Disassembly:

Jack up the car by the frame rails in front of the rear wheels. Place a jack under the center of the rear axle to support it. Start by disassembling one side completely.

Your stock exhaust may hit the new coilover, so you might be better off removing the exhaust up front. However, if it doesn’t this will be needless work. You can test fit the assembled coilover once you get the stock spring and shock out.

Remove the upper and lower control arms first. Then the rear shock. Then lower the the axle completely and remove the rear spring. It will require some effort but should come out. Remove the axle’s lower shock stud if equipped. The upper shock mount has nuts on top of the frame that you need to hold to keep from turning.

The front of the lower control arm has a bolt that goes through the frame that is difficult to get to. You’ll need a socket extension. When the bolt and socket fall inside of the frame a magnet on a stick will help immensely. Remove the bolt completely from the rear of the lower control arm first to eliminate any binding from the front bolt. This will make extracting it through the frame easier.

Assembly:

Install the upper control arm. Spacers are required at the top/front end. Drivers/passenger can be interchanged. I installed mine with the stickers/text facing the outside of the car. Install the front mount loosely first, then the rear loosely. The front mount can be torqued, however the rear mount must be at ride height for final torque, since it’s the original pressed rubber bushing.

CAUTION: The upper control arms have an adjustable length. The instructions specifically said the length should be 12.75″ pre-adjusted from the factory, which was INCORRECT on my car. They came out of the box at 12 inches center to center. Because of the discrepancy I checked against my stock arms, and the stock arms were also 12 inches. My recommendation is to ignore the instructions and match the length with your stock arms if available. Also make sure the locking nut is tight for the adjustment.

Moving on to the lowers, Install the lower control arm front bolt first. Use a socket and extension with the bolt inserted in the end to push the bolt through the frame. Loosely assemble. Next mount the lower mount loosely. Use the longer bolt supplied for the rear lower coilover bracket for the rear position of the lower control arm. The sides of the lower control arm poly bushings should be greased with lithium grease prior to assembly. The instructions say they are pre-greased from the factory, however they were NOT.

Mount the upper coilover mount plate next.

Mounting the lower coilover mount requires drilling a 1/2″ hole per side of the car. Test fit the mount with the 2 bolt holes that are already drilled, then use a centering punch to mark the center of the new hole that requires drilling. If you don’t have a punch, get a 1/8″ drill bit and center it exactly as required in the mount hole, and lightly tap it with a hammer. The edge of the lower coilover mount should be parallel to the outside edge of the axle’s shock mount surface. Measure twice, because if you’re off then re-centering is difficult. Drill the 1/8″ hole in the mount, then upsize it and drill the 1/2″ hole. After the 1/2″ hole is drilled wallow it out some to give you slight adjustment. Once drilled, install the lower coilover mount and torque to spec (use washers on the aluminum side).

A note on assembly, the instructions don’t specify where washers go. I recommend using a washer anywhere you are turning against an aluminum surface. With this being said, my kit was missing one washer for each side for the 1/2″ bolt at the upper coilover mount.

Assemble and install the rear coilover assembly. The coilover over could be mounted upside down. Honestly I don’t know which is correct or if it matters, so I matched the front since it’s directional. This is the step where the rear exhaust may interfere with the new coilover position. If it does, you’re out of luck and you’ll have to remove the exhaust.

Final torque everything (except the rubber bushing on the upper control arm). Repeat for the other side of the vehicle. Lower the vehicle slowly to test for binding (including the driveshaft), and final torque the 2 rubber axle bushings.

Grease the lower control arms with a grease gun.

Reinstall rear sway bar if equipped. NOTE alignment shims may be required to ensure you don’t suck the new rear control arms inward and cause uneven loading on the inner bushing surface. The sway bar + shims should be flush or even slightly pressing against the rear control arm surface.

Done.

Completed Assembly: