1970judge

I know the HHR and Cobalt are built on the same chassis, but does that mean they are geometrically the same?

I have a killer deal on hold for some SS front end parts froma donor car that was totaled i.e. (lower control arms, springs, struts, and wheel bearings because one of mine is out, and steering knuckles, and CV axles.)

Just need to know if all of that is a direct swap over...

1Panel2NV

It depends on what HHR you have and what version SS the cobalt is. The struts I know will swap no problem and most likely the control arms as well. The wheel bearings, axles, and knuckles are all model specific I believe.

prod

Yeah what he said. I have been trying to find out about the control arms so I can get some from Powell, but even he cant tell me if they are the same, but they look very close. I think I read somewhere the bearing/hub assembly was different, but that doesnt mean it wont work. For stuff like the axles, it probably makes more of a difference if you are auto or manual trans.
Unfortunately I think its one of those occasions when you will have to be the guinea pig. I doubt anyone has tried swapping all that stuff.

1970judge

According to Tom@ crate engine, the control arms and spindles should work.

prod

Thanks for the info.

1970judge

No problem. Just be mindful that the keyword there is ..should..

HHHHHHHH

RJ_RS_SS_350

Hi HHHHHHHH, to the forums!!

Thanks for confirming this information. I'm not sure what you're calling a 'spindle'. The only HHR part that GM calls(indirectly) a spindle is the steering knuckle. The LT/LS HHR has the same part number as Cobalt. You said an 06 HHR, so it's obviously LT or LS. The HHR SS has a unique steering knuckle.

Was this car in a collision? I can't think of another reason to replace the knuckle. If you had to move the wheel hub over, things may still be bent.

There is no part number crossover between Cobalt and HHR for front axles. The Cobalt axle may fit in there, but there is something different about them. Probably slightly different length.

Were these cars auto trans or manual?

HHHHHHHH

Sorry to take so long replying
Yes, it was the front steering knuckle, I call everything that bolts to the strut the spindle bc I tend to work with rear wheel drive cars lol. the upper section of the knuckle with the bolt holes for the strut snapped off between the bolt holes and was rocking against the lower section. Vehicle was in a collision at some point in the past, the fenders are all new. He was driving it for about a year without problems, I think he bought it after it was wrecked and repaired, but the knuckle broke while he was driving it
The hub unit felt ok, wasn't rough turning or loose at all, so I let him run it without changing it. He needs shocks for sure, theyre both leaking, and the front end bounces like crazy. otherwise, everything came apart and bolted back together without problem. I'm assuming it was a front end bumper smash and not any sort of frame crushing.
The axle looked about the same length, and it has the same amount of splines on the outer side as the hub unit, and the nut matched thread pitch etc IIRC. I replaced it because in the whole event it pulled the inner boot off the inner cup and the axle shaft popped out, and in hindsight, i probably couldve reassembled the original axle and regreased it, but who wants to do that dirty work lol
Both vehicles were automatic transmissions

One thing I did notice was that out of 4 HHRs i found at pick and pull, NONE had any of the front steering knuckles, so I'm assuming this is a pretty common problem, theyre aluminum IIRC

donbrew

I've never heard of one breaking on an HHR. Pretty sure they are cast iron.

I have heard of them breaking at the ball joint clamp when trying to put a LS/LT ball joint on an SS knuckle.