Chevrolet makes their cars easy to repair for the at-home mechanic. Replacing the struts on Chevrolet's Impala models yourself is much cheaper than taking it to a repair shop. It's something most anyone can do with the proper tools. This process works for most Impala models made after the year 2000 and only covers the struts because Chevrolet doesn't equip their later model Impalas with shocks.
Raise the front end of the Impala with a floor jack, and support the frame with jack stands. Use a tire iron to loosen and remove the nuts holding the wheels on the front end of the car.
Outline the orientation of the strut assembly, where it connects to the steering knuckle, with a permanent marker. The strut looks like a coiled spring with hardware on either side connecting it to the frame on the top and the steering knuckle on the bottom.
Use a wrench to remove the three nuts on the top of the strut assembly connecting the strut to the frame of the car. Use a ratchet to remove the lower bolt connecting the strut assembly to the steering knuckle, and pull out the strut assembly. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 on the other side of the car.
Position the new strut in your suspension system with the bottom aligned with your outline on the steering knuckle. Connect the upper side of the strut assembly to the frame with the three nuts, and turn the dial of your torque wrench to 24 ft-lb. Tighten the nuts until you feel the torque wrench give slightly.
Slide in the lower strut bolt, and torque it to 90 ft-lb. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 on the other side of the car.
Mount the wheels back on the front of the Impala. Lower it, and have the front end aligned by a professional.
Lift the car with a floor jack, and support it by the frame with jack stands. Locate the strut assemblies and the place where they meet the steering control system at the knuckle. The struts are spring coils, and the assemblies are the surrounding hardware that connect them to the frame and the steering knuckle. Mark the orientation of the struts on the steering knuckle with a permanent marker so you know how to align them when you install the new ones.
Detach the negative cable from the battery terminal with a wrench, as well as the three nuts connecting the struts to the body of the car. Lift the car with a floor jack, and support the frame with jack stands. Use the tire iron to pull the bolts off and remove the rear wheels. Set them aside.
Remove the wheels from the rear of the Impala using a tire iron to loosen and remove the mounting nuts. Set the wheels aside. Ratchet off the upper mounting nuts from the struts as well as the lower bolt. Pull out the strut assemblies.
Disconnect the nut from the link holding the stabilizer shaft to the strut, and push the shaft away. Use a permanent marker to mark the orientation of the struts on the knuckle and support the knuckle with another jack stand. Remove the bolts holding the struts to the knuckle. Pull out the struts.
Align the new strut assembly with the marks on the steering knuckle. Set the dial on your torque wrench to 30 ft-lb, and tighten the three upper mounting nuts until you feel the wrench give slightly. Insert the bottom bolt between the strut assembly and the steering knuckle, and torque it to 90 ft-lb.
Put the wheels back on the rear of the car, and lower the car to the shop floor. Reconnect the negative battery cable to the terminal on the battery. Have the rear end of your Impala aligned by a professional.
