Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Chevy Camaro 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 Camaro Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Chevy Camaro 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 50 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 Camaro Outer Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 42 ft-lbs
Chevy Camaro Inner Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 50 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the Chevy Camaro uses a wheel bearing assembly that does not have a center axle nut.
To install a new wheel bearing on the Camaro you will want to start with jacking up your vehicle and removing the tire on the side you
wish to replace. From here we can remove the brake caliper so that the rotor can then be taken off of the vehicle.
With the braking system out of the way we can then begin to remove the 3 bolts which hold the wheel bearing hub assembly onto the steering
knuckle. Once all bolts have been taken out the hub should be removable from the vehicle although
you may need to use a prybar and a hammer to achieve this. Once the old hub is out the new hub goes into its place and the 3 bolts
can be hand tightened. Once all 3 have been tightened you can begin to torque them down to 79 ft-lbs. From here the brake rotor and
caliper can be reinstalled. On this vehicle the brake caliper bracket bolts are TTY and should only be used once. They tighten up to 44 ft-lbs and
then a 90 degree turn.
The Chevy Camaro has two sets of front lower ball joints being as it uses 2 independent lower control arms that connect to the
steering knuckle separately. In order to replace the lower ball joints you will need to replace the entire arm along with the ball joint.
The old arms can be removed by jacking up the vehicle on the appropriate side and then removing the nut which holds the ball joint to the
steering knuckle and then the bolt which hold the control arms to the vehicle frame. To install the new lower ball joints simply place the
new part into the location of the old one and hand tighten down both the ball joint nut and the frame bolt. Once hand tightened
torque down the ball joint nuts to 30 ft-lbs and then a 90 degree turn. The lower control arm frame bolts can then be torqued down to 37 ft-lbs
and then a 120 degree turn. Be sure to tighten the frame bolts down when the vehicle is at ride height for the best results.
Chevy Camaro Lower Control Arms to Frame Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs + 120°
Front Control arms Installation
Lower Control Arm
The Chevy Camaro has two sets of front lower control arms being as it uses 2 independent lower ball joints that connect to the
steering knuckle separately. In order to replace the lower control arms you will need to replace the entire arm along with the ball joint.
The old arms can be removed by jacking up the vehicle on the appropriate side and then removing the nut which holds the ball joint to the
steering knuckle and then the bolt which hold the control arms to the vehicle frame. To install the new lower ball joints simply place the
new part into the location of the old one and hand tighten down both the ball joint nut and the frame bolt. Once hand tightened
torque down the ball joint nuts to 30 ft-lbs and then a 90 degree turn. The lower control arm frame bolts can then be torqued down to 37 ft-lbs
and then a 120 degree turn. Be sure to tighten the frame bolts down when the vehicle is at ride height for the best results.
Chevy Camaro Lower Control Arms to Frame Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs + 120°
Front Strut Installation
To replace the front struts on the Chevy Camaro you will need to lift the vehicle up into the air and start by removing the tire on the side you want to replace.
With that removed we can now remove the bolts and nut
that hold the strut to the vehicle frame and steering knuckle. Starting with the lower bolts we simply remove the nut from one side and then
lightly guide the bolts through the holes in the steering knuckle. Be sure not to ruin any of the bolts threads if you end up using a hammer to
tap it out. With the bottom bolts removed we can move to the upper attachment which hold the strut to the frame. The upper nut can be accessed from
under the hood of the vehicle by removing the rubber cover. Behind the cover is a single nut which needs to be removed. I find it easier to use an impact
on this nut as it will tend to spin the entire strut assembly. If you do not have an impact you can also hold it with a large sized allen wrench by inserting
it into the hex hole. Once you have the single nut removed the entire strut assembly can be removed from the vehicle. To install the new strut simply
place it into the location of the old one and then begin to hand tighten down the upper nut and the lower bolts. Once all fasteners have been hand tightened
you can torque down the upper nut to 52 ft-lbs and then the 2 lower bolts to 59 ft-lbs.
The front swaybar on the Chevy Camaro 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 17 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 41 ft-lbs as well.
Chevy Camaro Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 41 ft-lbs
Chevy Camaro Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 17 ft-lbs
