Rust-Bucket Rebuild (9G Galant Front Suspension)
My 2004 Galant and I have a love-hate relationship. I started this build with
the highest of hopes, but now it has been roughly a year and a half and I am ready
to just get it done now. I have photo-documented most of the work I've done, and
I will update this thread in chunks when I have spare time so as to not overwhelm
everyone.
The "rust-bucket rebuild" (aka RBR) started after I successfully finished the
rear-end wheel bearings and rear brakes. Previous to that I replaced the entire
exhaust from manifold to muffler. I don't have all the pictures from those projects,
but I will try to post what I can at some point. A little careless mistake I made
back then is what prompted the RBR. When I ordered the rear wheel bearings, I was
too busy comparing prices looking for the best deal, and I accidentally ordered
the wheel bearings for the front. Instead of just getting my money back, I thought
I had gotten such a good deal either way that I might as well save them and do the
front later. I ordered the new wheel bearings for the rear and kept the fronts
on the shelf. I drove around with my brand spanking new rear slotted, drilled, coated,
super-cool brakes for a few months and loved not hearing that gawd-awful noise
created by the bad rear bearings. I also ended up having to rebuild the parking
brakes in order to pass inspection, and they worked great as well. I was taking a
lot of pride in my handy-work and ultimately got bored. I thought I'd take those
front wheel bearings off the shelf and start a new project.
So the original plan, was to replace the front wheel bearings, maybe rebuild the
brakes and give the front the same treatment I gave the rear. This is how it
always starts isn't it? I am becoming all too familiar with DIYs getting out of
hand... lol. The 9G I own was originally driven around the Chicago area, so it had
a lot of rust damage on the undercarriage. When replacing the exhaust and rear
brakes, it was much harder of a task because of the rust problem. I had to do more
painting to protect new parts, and I had to replace pretty much all the hardware
because it would break during removal. Let's just say that the rust problem on
the front suspension was more of a problem than I anticipated. Once I started
removing parts on the front suspension, I quickly expanded the project to include
replacing more parts. Eventually, I was pre-ordering pretty much everything to
rebuild the front suspension. It was a war on rust, and I was going to win this war!
Up until this point, my experience working on cars did not include suspension work.
I previously owned a 4x4 and had done all the research to lift it, but never pulled
the trigger. So, I had a little bit of precursor knowledge, but no real experience.
I welcome any feedback that anyone can provide. I take a lot of pride in being a
self-taught mechanic, but on the other hand I know being self-taught can get your-self
into trouble. I want to eventually break some of this content up into DIYs, or if
anyone else wants to use my photos for threads, you have my permission. I am here
to learn, share, educate, and collaborate.
DISCLAIMER: I have been lurking these forums, the late galantforums.net, and
the 4G eclipse forums for a few years now and have been absorbing as much information
as possible in my spare time. I have taken a recent hiatus on the project, so forgive
me if I do not give credit where it is due for certain part suggestions, steps, or
techniques used as I have forgotten the location where I acquired some of this knowledge.
I will gladly edit posts and give your previous post or diy credit because all I
know about working on this car (minus a few things) were discovered on sites like this.
Removing that Pesky Axle Nut
