STILLEN Front Camber Adjustable Upper Control Arm Installation

From the factory there is no way to adjust the camber on the front suspension of the Z33 platform.  Because of this, lowering your G35 or 350Z will cause a negative camber situation that will cause the inside of the tire to wear more rapidly than the outside.  This will not only affect your tire wear but also decrease your handling.  By installing STILLEN upper control arms you are able to bring your alignment back into factory spec after lowering your vehicle. Be sure to take a look at all the G35 performance parts we have available to make your driving experience the best it could possibly be.

Step 1: Once you have your car lifted and supported on jack stands you will want to remove the 6 bolts and 2 nuts securing the strut.

Step 2: Next you will want to disconnect the front sway bar.  We recommend disconnecting the sway bar from the lower control arm.  This will allow the suspension to reach its full travel and not be limited by the sway bar.  You will want to leave the end link connected to the sway bar to eliminate any chance of misplacing it.

Step 3: Disconnect the upper control arm from the spindle.  To do this you will need to remove the cotter pin and keep in mind that this will take some muscle to remove this nut.  Do not worry about damaging the cotter pin as it will not be re-used…Just get it out of there.  Some cars will require a little more effort to separate the upper control arm from the spindle.  Also, keep in mind that the upper control is keeping the spindle in its current position.  Once you disconnect the upper control arm the spindle will move…Keep your chin high and head back.  The spindle won’t move far, but you do not want to be right on top of it.

Step 4: With the upper control arm and spindle disconnected you will now need to get the shocks out of the car.  If you followed Step 1 and loosened all of the mounting bolts, this will not be a problem.  To remove the shock we recommend pushing down lightly on the top of the spindle and reaching the lowest point of travel.  It will help to have an extra set of hands at this point to remove the shock.

Step 5: Now that you have gained access to the upper control arm mounting bolts go ahead and unbolt the upper arms.  You will notice that the upper control arm is still in the air even though it has been disconnected from the spindle.  That is because the factory bushings are under tension.  As you loosen those mounting bolts the bushings will free up and the arm will fall down.  Keep this in mind so the control arm does not fall on YOUR arms.

Step 6: With the upper control arms removed from the car grab one of your new STILLEN upper control arms.  You will want to make sure you have the correct arm (passenger side or drivers side.)  To do so, place the factory control arm on top of the new STILLEN arm.  This way you can see the location of the chassis mounts and ball joints.  Make sure you have the correct control arm and prepare it for installation on the car.  To prepare it for installation do your best to set the uni-ball location on the STILLEN control arm to the same location as the ball joint on the factory arm.  This will help you when you go to align your car.

Step 7: Once you have pre-set the STILLEN upper control arm go ahead and install it on the car.  These bolt holes are pre-threaded so you only need to get the bolt started and begin tightening.  Keep in mind that just like the factory bushings, the STILLEN bushings will be under tension as well and the upper control arm will reach a point where it does not want to travel very much.  With this in mind we recommend holding the upper control arm up (parallel to its mounting points on the chassis.)

Step 8: Re-install the shocks back into their mounting locations.  Just like when you took these out of the car, it is helpful to have an extra set of hands to re-install them.

Step 9: Stick the bolt/uni-ball through the top of the spindle and tighten down the supplied nut.  Don’t worry about getting the cone all the way into the corresponding socket on the spindle before tightening.  As you tighten the nut it will draw the spindle and upper control arm together.

Step 10: Return to the engine bay and tighten the 6 bolts and 2 nuts you removed at the beginning of the process.

Remember that many suspension components require special torque settings on the fastening hardware.  We recommend following the instructions and owner’s manual to determine your torque specifications.

Now you have finished the installation of your STILLEN suspension components.  The first thing you will need to do is take the car to an alignment shop.  No matter how good the alignment looks or feels it will need to be adjusted.  We recommend having the alignment done on a 4 wheel laser alignment machine.

STILLEN G35 Camber Adjusters & Toe Arms

One of the most popular modifications to a G35 or 350Z is a lowering kit. With a wide array of options from Eibach, Tein, KW, and others… the fortunate owners of these vehicles can set their cars up at virtually any height/stance they desire. One of the down sides to the suspension on the Z33 platform is the lack of alignment adjustment built into the factory suspension. From the factory these cars come with insufficient adjustment capabilities for the front camber as well as little to no adjustment for the rear camber or toe.

Due to the lack of factory adjustment STILLEN has developed new upper control arms with camber adjustment capabilities, as well as rear camber and toe arms. To show just how easy it is to install these parts three members of the STILLEN marketing team decided to tackle the job on a Saturday in one of their driveways. Josh Biggers (vehicle owner), Mike Ullrich (house/garage owner) and Kyle Millen were able to install everything and make adjustments to the sway bar within 4 hours using regular floor jacks and hand tools. Also, stopping regularly to document the process with photography.

We hope that this little article encourages you to try this type of installation for yourself. Working on your own car can be fun and rewarding, as well as save you money. Having G35 performance parts will enhance your driving experience. Also, you will have a better understanding of exactly what your car is doing while your driving. Suspension is a very important part of the car and if the modifications are not performed properly the results can be dangerous. If you feel that any of this is beyond your capabilities we strongly recommend that you leave this up to a professional.

Throughout this article you will see bright red STILLEN adjustable sway bars. Josh had installed the sway bars prior to the components we were adding on this day. We will go into a little more detail on sway bar settings later.

Step-by-Step Installing the STILLEN G35 Coupe Rear Camber Arms & Toe Arms

Step 1: Getting Started

With the rear wheels removed we were able to get a good idea of where to start. It really does not matter if you change the front or rear suspension components first when doing the complete kit. We just started in the rear because we knew that would take the longest. We figured we would knock it out first.

OEM G35 Camber Arm & Toe Arm

Step 2: Loosen Underbody Panels & Sway Bar Mounts

To aid in removal of the rear camber and toe arms you will need to loosen some of the underbody panels as well as the sway bar mounts. This only takes a few minutes and makes the installation MUCH easier.

Loosening the Underbody Panels & Sway Bar Mounts

Loosening the Underbody Panels & Sway Bar Mounts

Loosening the Underbody Panels & Sway Bar Mounts

Step 3: Remove the Rear Links & Mark Your Current Camber Eccentric Cams

Once you have all of the surrounding obstructions out of the way you are ready to begin removing the rear links. We recommend marking your current camber eccentric cams so that you have some type of reference when you install your new camber arms. Keep in mind that the factory hardware will be re-used so you will want to make sure that you keep track of it and make sure it is out of danger.

Marking the Current Camber Eccentric Cam Locations

Step 4: Remove the Factory Camber Arms

At this point you can begin removing the factory camber arms. You will want to keep the factory toe arms on the car to support the rear suspension.

Removing the Factory Camber Arms

Step 5: Remove the Rear Toe Arms

Once you have the rear camber arm removed you can begin removing the rear toe arms. The toe arm bolts go through the chassis and connect to a threaded nut already installed on the backside of the chassis. You will not need to worry about putting a wrench on that nut as the chassis is designed to prevent it from rotating. Simply remove the bolt and pull the toe rod out.

Removing the Rear Toe Arms

Step 6: Align Mounting Holes

One you have the factory components out of the car we recommend lining them up side by side. Try to align the mounting holes on your STILLEN arms in the same position as factory. This way your car will be similar to the way it was before you began the work. This little bit of time spent aligning these holes will make your re-alignment MUCH easier.

Aligning the Mounting Holes

Aligning the Mounting Holes

With the factory and STILLEN camber arms side by side you can clearly see the major improvements in construction as well as alignment capabilities. Utilizing laser cut mounting clevis’ precision welded to CNC machined steel connecting rods and finished off with heim joints and high mis-alignment spacers these camber and toe arms offer incredible strength and a wide range of adjustment. Also, on the toe arms we use a higher quality, poly urethane bushing to replace the O.E. rubber bushings.

Step 7: Install New STILLEN Suspension Components

Now you can begin installing your new STILLEN suspension components. Our recommendation is to start with the chassis mounts first and then move to the spindles. These mounting points will not move and it is much easier to start with them mounted to the fixed locations first. Also, we recommend starting with the toe arms first, then installing the new camber arms second. Because of the location of these parts it is much easier to start with the toe arms then do the camber arms after.

Installing the New STILLEN Suspension Parts

Step 8: Check Your Witness Line

Once you have finished installing your camber arms you will want to make sure that your witness line on the eccentric camber adjusters is in the same location as factory. Again, this is to help with the re-alignment. Now you are ready to re-attach all of your sway bar mounts and factory under trays. Also, we recommend going around and doing a “nut and bolt check” making sure that all of your hardware is secure.

Step 9: Get Your Alignment Done

At this point you are ready to get an alignment done on your car. Let your technician know that you have aftermarket suspension components installed on your car to allow the car to be properly aligned. With these components installed you will be able to achieve any desired suspension settings.

G35 Coupe With STILLEN Rear Camber Arms & Toe Arms