Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Chevy Colorado front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front strut installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Chevy Colorado Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Chevy Colorado you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement. On this vehicle the
tie rod is apart of an entire rod system which controls the steering of the vehicle. If any of the steering rods are loose
be sure to replace them appropiately. The outer tie rod itself connects with another inner portion of the rod through the use
of an inner tie rod. This inner tie rod screws into the power steering rack and can be torqued down to 74 ft-lbs.
Be sure to inspect and measure your old tie rods so that the new ones can be installed
correctly. Whenever steering components are changed I recommend having an alignment done after the job to ensure the vehicle is in good
functional condition. When putting the tie rod onto the vehicle the tie rod end nuts get tightened down to 42 ft-lbs. Be sure to install new
cotter pins to ensure that vehicle safety is maintained.
Chevy Colorado Outer Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 42 ft-lbs
Chevy Colorado Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 74 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the Chevy Colorado is different from most other assemblies used on similiar vehicles. On the Colorado
the front brake rotor bolts directly down to the wheel hub and the wheel hub bolts directly to the steering knuckle. In order to
change out the old wheel hub you must first jack up the vehicle and remove the tire from the side you are working on. From here we can
remove the brake caliper and caliper bracket from the steering knuckle. Going to the back side of the steering knuckle we can remove the
4 bolts which hold the wheel hub onto the knuckle. Once all 4 have been removed the entire wheel hub and brake rotor assembly will come
off of the vehicle. From here we can remove the 6 bolts which hold the rotor to the wheel hub and separate the 2 parts. Swap out the part
you are replacing and then reassemble the 6 bolts and hand tighten them. Now we can reassemble the wheel hub and rotor assembly to the steering
knuckle. Hand tighten the 4 bolts which screw into the wheel hub. Once all have been tightened torque them down to 92 ft-lbs. From here we
can reassemble the braking system being the caliper and its bracket. Be sure to check out the brake section link on the top of this page for
those torque specs. Once the brake system has been installed torque down the 6 rotor bolts to 81 ft-lbs. Tighten these in a cross pattern for
even torqueing.
Chevy Colorado Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 191 ft-lbs
The Chevy Colorado has two sets of front ball joints being the upper and lower ball joints. The most common one
for replacement is the lower ball joint which on this vehicle is attached to the lower control arm. To install a new lower ball joint
you will need to remove the 4 bolts which hold the lower ball joint to the lower control arm. Alongside the 4 bolts there is also a
lower ball joint nut which holds the ball joint to the steering knuckle. Once you have all 5 fasteners removed the old ball joint can be
removed from the vehicle and the new one can be put in place. be sure to tighten up the 4 bolts which hold the ball joint to the lower arm to
44 ft-lbs and then torque down the lower ball joint nut to 107 ft-lbs.
The upper ball joint on this vehicle is held in by 4 bolts which hold it to the upper control arm. Alongside the 4 bolts the ball joint
has a nut which holds it to the steering knuckle. To remove the old ball joint simply remove the 4 bolts and the nut and remove the old
part from the vehicles suspension. The new ball joint can be placed into the position of the old one and you can tighten up the 4 bolts to
12 ft-lbs or 35 ft-lbs if you vehicle is 4WD and then torque down the upper ball joint nut to 74 ft-lbs. Once completed you can reinstall the braking system if removed and
the wheel and be finished with the job.
Chevy Colorado Lower Ball Joint to Arm Torque Spec : 44 ft-lbs
On the Chevy Colorado there are two control arms being the upper and lower control arms. The most common for replacement is the
lower control arm mainly because it contains the lower ball joint and that wears out with driving usage. To start removing the lower
control arm you will need to remove the 2 frame bolts which hold the control arm to the vehicle. With those removed you can then remove the
shock bolt along with the stabilizer link. Lastly we will need to remove the lower ball joint from the steering knuckle by removing the single
nut which hold them together. Once all fasteners have been removed we should be able to remove the lower control arm from the vehicle and replace
it with a new one. With the new arm in place we can tighten down the frame bolts to about 122 ft-lbs, the lower shock bolt gets tightened down to
81 ft-lbs if 2WD and 52 ft-lbs if 4WD. Lastly the lower control arm ball joint gets torqued down to 107 ft-lbs. For the upper control arm
you must remove the 2 frame bolts and then the upper ball joint nut which holds it to the steering knuckle. When installing the new part be
sure to torque the frame bolts down to 114 ft-lbs and then the upper ball joint nut to 74 ft-lbs.
To replace the front shocks on the Chevy Colorado you must first remove the tire from the side you will be working on. Once the tire is out of the
way you can begin by removing the lower shock bolt from the lower control arm. After this we can remove the upper nuts which can
be accessed from under the hood or from high up on the side. Once out we can remove the old shock absorber from the vehicle and then
place in the new one. To install the new shock simply reattach the 2 fastener locations and hand tighten them. Once ready you can torque down
the upper nuts to 20 ft-lbs and then torque down the lower bolt to 52 ft-lbs if you have a 4WD or 81 ft-lbs if you have a 2WD.
The front swaybar on the Chevy Colorado consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 32 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 37 ft-lbs as well.
Chevy Colorado Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs
Chevy Colorado Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 32 ft-lbs
Chevy Colorado Front Torsion Bar to Arm Torque Spec : 59 ft-lbs
Front Steering Torque Specs
Outer Tie Rod Endlink Torque Spec
42 ft-lbs
Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec
74 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub / Knuckle
Brake Caliper Bolts Torque Spec
81 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Axle Nut Torque Spec
191 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub to Knuckle Torque Specs
92 ft-lbs
Front Brake Rotor to Hub Bolts Torque Specs
81 ft-lbs
Control Arms Torque Specs
Front Lower Ball Joint Nut Torque Spec
107 ft-lbs
Front Lower Ball Joint to Arm Bolts Torque Spec
44 ft-lbs
Front Lower Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec
122 ft-lbs
Front Upper Ball Joint Nut Torque Spec
74 ft-lbs
Front Upper Ball Joint to Arm Bolts Torque Spec (2WD)
12 ft-lbs
Front Upper Ball Joint to Arm Bolts Torque Spec (4WD)
