1.1 Front Suspension

Fig. 1-1 shows the components of the front suspension system. The lower control arms, sometimes called wishbones or A-arms, connect to mounting points on the subframe.

Each front suspension strut is a hydraulic shock absorber inside a tubular strut housing and a concentrically-mounted coil spring. The front wheel bearing housing with its integral steering arm is a separate component that is bolted to the lower end of the strut and mounted to the control arm with a ball joint. Suspension travel is limited by rubber bump stops which are integral to the strut assemblies.

The two Y-shaped control arms control the position of the lower ends of the suspension struts. The ball joints are riveted to the control arms during manufacture-replacements are installed with bolts. There are no adjustments for front wheel alignment on the control arms. Toe is adjusted by altering the length of the right-hand steering tie rod. Camber is not normally adjusted. Caster is non-adjustable. A stablilizer bar mounted in rubber bushings is connected to both control arms and reduces body roll during cornering.

Fig. 1-1.

Front suspension assembly showing subframe and control arm bushing detail.