C5 Corvette Front Lowering Bolts Modification

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks everybody for watching. This video was recorded 7 months ago and finally wrapped up the day the video went up, so yes the suspension has settled. Cutting the bushing off the factory bolt saves a lot of time over replacing with an aftermarket bolt. Let me know if you're lowered on factory bolts and have a closer wheel gap.

[@chicalitrece9409]

@@kingofhuecomundo9394 which ligh do you have convertible or fix roof or hatch back

[@YellowJacketGarage]

Mine is already lower than it should be. A quick jack would be and awesome addition to your garage too, Thanks for the content and tip, that's the stuff that helps!

[@YellowVette04]

I've been thinking about quick jacks. I'm assuming you have them, so how do you like it? Thanks for the support 🤘

[@YellowJacketGarage]

@@YellowVette04 I wonder how I've gotten along so many years without them. If you don't have access to a lift, the are worth their weight in gold IMO. I bought mine through Home Depot online because they were the best price I could find and they had free shipping. If you lived close I'd offer to let you borrow mine to see how you liked them but I highly doubt you'd be disappointed. As for the support, us yellow Vette people need to stick together...LOL!

[@petercarey6883]

Nice hack using the PVC cable cutter. Well done Dave.👍👍 Nice intermediary move 'til it's time for Coil-Overs. Save the Wave👋

[@YellowVette04]

I need to get that purchase approved by the boss lol, but hopefully in 2022. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@c5grapeape]

Nice alternative to removing the spring. 😎👍 When I went to lower mine the bolts were so stuck and corroded I had no choice but to remove the spring. Even had to put the bolts in a vise and use the spring as my lever. They wouldn't budge so that didn't work, so I wound up buying a different spring. So while I had it out I cut the bushings off. I have since moved on to coilovers though and really like the car now. It drives so much better.

[@YellowVette04]

I keep hearing great things about coils and that's the end game once I figure out which thing I want to spend money on next lol. Sounds like you had a blast with the stock bolts lol.

[@c5grapeape]

@@YellowVette04 Yeah it was a nightmare. 😄 Good learning experience though.

[@stevesnvegas9040]

I bought front lowering bolts for my car. My wheel gap was right at the top of the tire when I had it as low as it would go. I actually had to raise mine up because it was too low. Same thing in the back. I bought lowering bolts for the rear and had to raise it up because it dropped it to the top of the tire.

[@YellowVette04]

That's a good problem to have. You can dial it in to your liking. Even if I took the bolt out, I probably won't get that low lol. Thanks for your feedback

[@RT-mm8rq]

Wish I could lower my C5 but we have some monster speed bumps around here and you have to angle the car and creep up just to get over the curb to many drive ways and parking lot entrances. Air dam has already seen some abuse.

[@cavemaster]

I had to actually raise the back some back up just because I couldn't get the fronts low enough. My "rake" was off. There's some vms front bolts that have a smaller pad than what u ground urs down too but ya coilovers are where I'm going.

[@YellowVette04]

I totally agree about the rake being off. Weird how some get the front lower than others. Removing the front bolt all together probably still won't get the front where I want it lol. Coils it is. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience.

[@chicalitrece9409]

I hope you’re fine you and your family yellowvette04 we waiting for more videos what happened se you love for you and your family from cali😎

[@YellowVette04]

I appreciate the comment and support as always. Everything is great, just family taking up most of my time and it makes it hard to film a video. I have some things I need to put on this spring, so videos will be coming 🤘

[@chicalitrece9409]

@@YellowVette04 it’s good to hear that everything is fine and Wait for your videos see you soon bye😎

[@nyccorvette]

Another Great video, thanks for the education.

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks for the support 🤘

[@MS-mr4zm]

I really don’t think you should be putting jack directly on the leaf….like REALLY don’t think that’s the right way. Also- you’d be better served taking it apart a bit & making sure rest of suspension is good. Not sure if your mileage but wouldn’t be surprised if you were due for ball joints & the sway bar endlinks look shot. Personally I lowered mine bout 1/2” front & 3/4” rear & you need to be careful of scraping/bottoming out all over the place. It’ll settle some too. If you feel/hear creaking going up inclines @ an angle consider swapping those swaybar end links & bushings + a thicker aluminum tunnel plate, the tunnel plate adds a noticeable amount of rigidity that can be felt throughout the chassis & improves handling/responsiveness as well as reducing heat in the cabin!

[@YellowVette04]

The weight of the suspension weighs everything down, so you need to lift the leaf in order to turn the bolt. Only lifting it slightly in order for the bolt to turn, so doubt it's more than regular weight put on the spring when the car is resting on the ground. I have new sway bars and ends links sitting in a box, just need to find time to change it all out. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@MS-mr4zm]

@@YellowVette04 no worries, tbh I couldn’t remember exactly what I did first time around lowering on stock bolts myself 2nd time I went w/ aftermarket bolts for front b/c I was having a custom shop tear it all down & replace all kinds of suspension stuff. I just know those leaf springs are sensitive, but should also last for quite a long time too. Enjoy the car they’re great to wrench on aside from being so damn low most work is fairly easy/straightforward

[@robertgossas3711]

I was told once that if you want to lower the C5 more than standard rideheight bolts you need to upgrade the rest of the suspension or you will lower the car to the point were you cant obtain optimal symetrics in the suspension. true or false?

[@YellowVette04]

I would think there's truth to that. GM engineered the car to work optimally, so any changes might impact that. I do have C6 Z06 shocks and I'm about to put on C6 Z51 Sway Bars. Ultimately I plan on replacing the springs and shocks with coilovers, but this will do for now. Car seems to handle better, but I don't push it to the limit.

[@SuperSlipDiff]

Great video! I've been watching some of your videos and I really like your content so I subscribed :)

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks for the comment and I appreciate the support 🤘

[@Rico_Suave-bk8le]

Nice vid bro. The car is looking good 👍🏽. Does it need a few days to settle or no since your basically all the way low?

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks buddy. It does need a bit of time to settle. I recorded this video and a few others back in April and just now finally getting around to concluding them lol. The ending was taken just yesterday so it's had time.

[@XDgamer-lk8nf]

Dave drive it a little bit the front should lower lease another inch 😎👍

[@YellowVette04]

Good point and i was expecting that too. Even after driving for 2 years it didn't drop much. Still overall happy with the look. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@yesh3279]

What about the front end alignment ? Just wondering . ....

[@YellowVette04]

If you lower all the way down, you'll definitely need an alignment afterwards.

[@johnbenjamin7785]

Back from the dead

[@YellowVette04]

🤣🤣 You're right. Felt good to break away for a bit and feels good to be back. Hope all is well buddy

[@ctvette1318]

That’s great until you have metal on metal and hear the knocking noise it will make. I’ve tried almost every lowering bolt out there and the rubber or nylon tears or they end up moving on their own. I ditched those junks years ago and did it the right way - coilovers!

[@dannpd1955]

Wisdom. Listen up people. Cutting the bushing off is not a good idea. Just because you see a video on KZbin doesn’t mean the maker of the video knows what they are doing.

[@ctvette1318]

@@dannpd1955 couldn’t agree more sir!! I went that route as well (cutting the bushing), also ended up tearing and good luck finding oem replacements!!

[@dannpd1955]

@@ctvette1318 Could I ask you what brand coil over you went with? I would like to go that route, but Im not a track guy and want something that will produce a good ride on the street and touring.

[@ctvette1318]

@@dannpd1955 of course! I ended going with BC Racing coilovers with upgraded swift springs. I don’t track the car either. There is 30 settings of adjustment from soft to hard and I found the sweet spot to be 17 clicks from soft. I’d prefer it less but the car felt “floaty” on the highway. Without question though you will feel it….it is a lot stiffer but def manageable. Car is planted very well and no more bump steer when cornering when the road shakes up the chassis. It’s all about what you are willing to sacrifice. I wanted the car to sit a certain way and I don’t drive it all that much so I can deal with the stiffness. However, the stock suspension road like a dream. Sorry for the long explanation. Happy to answer any questions you have.

[@dannpd1955]

@@ctvette1318 Thanks for the reply. Ive got a 2011 coupe that I bought for my 69th birthday last August. I live on a ranch and I have to drive a couple of miles to pavement. The car was lowered when I got it so Im in the process of restoring it to stock height. I really like the looks of a lowered vette, but necessity dictates that I get it raised back to stock. Anyway Im thinking coil overs down the road. Thanks again for the info.

[@302vettelife2]

I heard the coil overs make all the difference in the world.

[@YellowVette04]

That's all I hear too. Temporary fix for now and I hope to get them one day. Thanks for all stopping in and commenting👍

[@productionswhatever9]

Hey bro question about back when you guys were doing the BTR stage 2 cam. Im about to order the BTR stage 1 complete kit. Iam trying to understand correctly, did BTR ship you the wrong springs and retainers the first time or are those the ones that come with the kit? If so maybe I should source springs and retainers from a different vendor? Thanks!

[@YellowVette04]

I'm not 100% sure what the issue ultimately was. Everything was labeled as the correct parts, but obviously something was wrong. I would stay with BTR, but definitely check to make sure you have correct fitment. You could use someone else's spring kit, so that's up to you.

[@angeldiaz-gv8uk]

Beautiful car love the rims just wanted to know what part of jersey you are from?

[@YellowVette04]

Appreciate the comment. Near Sandy Hook. If you're in or near Jersey, my event is coming up if you want to attend fb.me/e/2f6uiYpVN

[@angeldiaz-gv8uk]

I actually live in Bloomfield nj

[@Gr8erh8er]

Hey Dave. When’s the next corvette takeover??

[@YellowVette04]

April 23rd. Check my community tab, I posted up the info 2 weeks ago. Here's the Facebook link fb.me/e/2f6uiYpVN

[@Mopar14]

Awesome job! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks buddy

[@kashi2000]

unrelated to the video but cool wheels

[@YellowVette04]

Appreciate the comment. They're C7ZR1 replica wheels by MRR

[@eddiesimpson156]

Thanks for the video. Thinking about lowering mine on stock bolts as well. What are your thoughts on putting on a vented front splitter? Really enjoy your videos.

[@YellowVette04]

It seems like there's 2 outcomes with front splitters and it's weird they are so drastically different. There's a lot of people that put vented or unvented splitters on and have 0 issues with cooling. Then there's others that have cooling issues and need to remove it. I love the look of it and will give it a shot eventually

[@leecovette6895]

awesome video great way to do this im gona try it out

[@YellowVette04]

Didn't think you wanted to go any lower lol. Clever trick for sure and saves a lot of time.

[@leecovette6895]

@@YellowVette04 i might go lower once i get wheels

[@kellygrannis8024]

Did you take it for a drive to let the suspension settle?

[@YellowVette04]

Great point and I did. I recorded this back in April and the ending was recorded today. I was hoping it just needed to settle, but it never went as low as I wanted.

[@kellygrannis8024]

Thanks for the follow up. I was going to cut mine but might not waste my time now

[@100AFNF]

Instead of cutting the rubber bushing off do you think torching it off would work? Seems like a faster method

[@YellowVette04]

I'm sure that'll work. I try to save the torch as a last resort. Thanks for watching and if you do that method, just let me know how it goes

[@david029014]

How do I contact you. I want to ask you some questions about a corvette I'm buying. I'm new jersey

[@YellowVette04]

Instagram: yellowvette04 or my email is [e-mail]

[@shauntravis9027]

Hey whatever happened to the guy from team 512

[@YellowVette04]

He decided to take a break from all things KZbin. I still chat with him and we're still doing the Corvette Takeover twice a year.

[@dannpd1955]

The pad on the lowering bolt is there for a reason. In my opinion, what you did and are encouraging other to do is not a prudent decision. I’m amazed at how uncommon common sense really is.

[@YellowVette04]

Thanks for the feedback

[@roguemod5652]

Funny how cheap people actually are.

[@YellowVette04]

Is there a benefit paying and installing aftermarket bolts?

[@roguemod5652]

@@YellowVette04 well pal if you did your research you'd find out. But not to keep it too challenging for you the answer is yes. They do make aftermarket front bolts that allow you to drop the front end even more than just cutting the bushing.

[@YellowVette04]

I appreciate your feedback. There's about 1/8" left, maybe a smidge more but not more than 1/4". How much thinner are aftermarket bolt heads? Is that extra 1/16"-1/8" worth the money and more importantly the extra time? It's not worth it to me, but maybe it is for you and that's fine.

[@billybob-qb3xq]

you sound like fun at parties

[@YellowVette04]

With kids I'm home by 7, but before them it was pretty fun lol.

[@frontxxrunner]

You screwed up Video is 7:34 long. It should have been 7:32 😉

[@YellowVette04]

🤣🤣 I just noticed that and you're definitely right. Now I'll have to go back and see if I ever did or if I'll need to do that one day.

[@gbrown4x4]

I want to lower my 98 so bad but scared !!!!! The streets here in SW La in some areas are so bad !!!!! I drag a little backing out of my driveway but not going in !!! Hmmmmm Are those standard size wheels ?? 17/18's

[@tonytony9142]

Did you drive it afterwards to settle the front suspension?

[@YellowVette04]

Great point. Yes I did, video was done back in April and I finally wrapped it up this weekend, so plenty of time and miles on it.