Chevy Cobalt Suspension info
A.)
The rear torsion bar of the Cobalt houses the rear spring and a strut (spring tube with 2 holes for bolts).
A typical truck has long thin "leaf springs" (uses 2 much larger bolts), leaf springs have a series of bent metal layered/stacked on each other making it the rear suspension alone and if one metal piece brakes you have to replace the entire assembly.
The Cobalt is also unlike many vehicles that have independent rear suspensions which have no torsion bar running across the back of the car instead there are metal rods attaching the spring housing to the vehicles body. (not sure where the rear strut is at now that I think about it?)
1.) Q: How to remove the rear springs on a Chevrolet Cobalt?
1.) A: Remove the rear tire, remove the top (or bottom) bolt holding in the strut so that the rear torsion bar has freedom of movement, then use a large flat head screw driver and slide it in-between the top of the spring and the cars body and put pressure either up or down to pry the spring free. Hitting the end of the screw driver with a hammer to force it in further works also.
..the spring is essentially stuck in the housing at the bottom and up against the top of the car, so you are manipulating it to become free with the screw driver. Maybe it will just flop free when you lower the torsion bar, if you remove both sets of struts one on each side this may occur, but if you're doing one side at a time, or have a broken spring this method works best and for all scenarios.
..I had in the past tried to get the stock oem spring up and out of the housing and it was rather difficult to accomplish. Used the same screw driver on the lower housing trying to get the spring to raise up by slamming the screw driver in and prying it up and nothing worked it free nor was it easy. Then watched and saw the top screw driver method in a video and tried it the next time I swapped springs and it couldn't have been any easier using the screw driver method.
...aftermarket lowered springs sort of just free themselves when you remove the strut (strut bolt) because they are so much shorter than the stock springs.
B.)
The front suspension of a Chevy Cobalt is a Macpherson strut assembly which has the strut inside of the spring instead of like the rear where the strut and spring are separate. Macpherson strut is very common on all vehicles. High end cars have magnetic ride control. And air ride suspension is another type rare on cars but common on large trucks.
C.)
There is a lot of stuff connected to the front suspension like brakes, tie-rod ends, the drive shaft, etc.. I might explain some of that later on.
I don't know if this is from a chevy cobalt front suspension... but is the same basically if not...
A.)
The rear torsion bar of the Cobalt houses the rear spring and a strut (spring tube with 2 holes for bolts).
A typical truck has long thin "leaf springs" (uses 2 much larger bolts), leaf springs have a series of bent metal layered/stacked on each other making it the rear suspension alone and if one metal piece brakes you have to replace the entire assembly.
The Cobalt is also unlike many vehicles that have independent rear suspensions which have no torsion bar running across the back of the car instead there are metal rods attaching the spring housing to the vehicles body. (not sure where the rear strut is at now that I think about it?)
1.) Q: How to remove the rear springs on a Chevrolet Cobalt?
1.) A: Remove the rear tire, remove the top (or bottom) bolt holding in the strut so that the rear torsion bar has freedom of movement, then use a large flat head screw driver and slide it in-between the top of the spring and the cars body and put pressure either up or down to pry the spring free. Hitting the end of the screw driver with a hammer to force it in further works also.
..the spring is essentially stuck in the housing at the bottom and up against the top of the car, so you are manipulating it to become free with the screw driver. Maybe it will just flop free when you lower the torsion bar, if you remove both sets of struts one on each side this may occur, but if you're doing one side at a time, or have a broken spring this method works best and for all scenarios.
..I had in the past tried to get the stock oem spring up and out of the housing and it was rather difficult to accomplish. Used the same screw driver on the lower housing trying to get the spring to raise up by slamming the screw driver in and prying it up and nothing worked it free nor was it easy. Then watched and saw the top screw driver method in a video and tried it the next time I swapped springs and it couldn't have been any easier using the screw driver method.
...aftermarket lowered springs sort of just free themselves when you remove the strut (strut bolt) because they are so much shorter than the stock springs.
B.)
The front suspension of a Chevy Cobalt is a Macpherson strut assembly which has the strut inside of the spring instead of like the rear where the strut and spring are separate. Macpherson strut is very common on all vehicles. High end cars have magnetic ride control. And air ride suspension is another type rare on cars but common on large trucks.
C.)
There is a lot of stuff connected to the front suspension like brakes, tie-rod ends, the drive shaft, etc.. I might explain some of that later on.
I don't know if this is from a chevy cobalt front suspension... but is the same basically if not...
mounting hardware for new front struts
