Disconnect the shock from the lower A-arm via its 24mm bolt and nut. As the transverse leaf spring is still connected and creating tension on the shock,... | 
...you will need to have a screw jack under the bottom of the lower A-arm to allow you to pull out the bolt. Once you do so, lower the jack slowly and the upper A-arm will pop out of its two mounts in the frame. There won't be much travel to go before the spring will be relaxed (only an inch or so). |
The parking brake cables will need to be disconnected from the brakes on either side, and an upward yank gets them off their mounting brackets. Pull sideways to get the spring clear of the bracket, then push the end of the cable down to get it off of the arm on the caliper. Plastic clips also hold the cables to the subframe, and since they are staying with the car, you'll need to remove them and route the cables out of the subframe. | 
Speaking of brakes, the hydraulic lines will need to be disconnected as well. Convenient junctions exist on the driver side, adjacent to the overaxle exhaust pipe. In this photo, which looks backwards at the area near the driver-side axle, the line running over to the passenger-side brake has been disconnected using a 13mm flare wrench. As to the line running to the driver-side brake, it's best to disconnect it via an 11mm bolt at the caliper. You'll also need to unbolt its bracket from the top of the subframe using a 10mm wrench (you can't see this bracket here, as it's obstructed by a fuel-tank heat shield). |
The entire wiring harness will stay with the car, so unplug all electrical connections at the ABS sensors and about the transmission, and snake the wiring to the area forward of the subframe. There are several plastic clips holding wiring along the way, some of which are difficult to access (most notably, a few above the transverse leaf spring). A small flathead screwdriver will help unlatch them. Also note that we've temporarily bungeed up the overaxle pipes to help get them out of the way and yield extra hand access to the area atop the tranny. Get everything you can reach for now. | 
Before continuing any further on the rear of the car, we pause to lower the car on the lift to give us access under the hood. The clutch slave cylinder needs to be disconnected from the master via a connection beneath the brake booster (near the steering shaft). To do this, a small metal clip must be pried out with a pick-you can just barely see it in a groove all the way on the right end here-and then the line can be pulled apart. |
With the lift raised again, George reaches up and grabs the line running to the master cylinder. He puts in the clip he just removed, so that the slave cylinder line is ready to snap back in later (and so we don't lose the clip in the meantime). | 
We're about set to lower the rear subframe, and while technically the overaxle pipes and mufflers can stay with the car, Benson prefers to get them completely out of the way. This will allow that much more hand room to get the remainder of the wiring harness out of the way as the subframe is coming down. The design of the CORSA mufflers and pipes prevents snaking them out without disconnecting them via a band clamp at the muffler inlet. In lieu of doing this, we just let them "hang" for now. Someone will have to catch them as the subframe begins to drop. |
Time to position the heavy-duty trans jack under the rear subframe. Make sure you have a sturdy unit (good to at least 1,000 pounds), since the C6's transaxle, driveshaft tube, rear subframe, and the majority of the rear suspension are all coming out as one piece, and it's going to be fairly heavy. Proper positioning is critical here; adjust any brackets on the jack so that it can sit flat up under the aluminum crossmember, just ahead of the transverse leaf spring. Make sure you get the safety chain up and over the transmission, and tighten and secure it. | |