78cutlass suspension

[jbcutlass]

New member in need of advice.Im right in the middle of a frame on restoration for my 1978 cutlass and once again ive hit a brick wall.Im having a helluva time guessing what shocks and springs to shove under this thing.Ive got a sbc w/ iron heads and an aluminum intake.The Stock weights are as follows;gvwr:4560 gawr F:2270 gawr R:2290 iI just bought a set of 245/35R20 iroc wheels.The wheels add an extra 248#'s of unsprung weight to the car(62#/wheel--124#/side).Ive upgraded to the big sway bars front and rear, bushings front and rear and bolted all of the braces i could find to it to help stiffen the car up a little.My intensions are to maintain the stock ride height within 3/4" + or - .I read a moog spring chart that pointed me in the right direction and Ive got an idea of what front springs look good on paper but i was really hoping that maybe someone had some good advice or has been in my shoes and came up with somthing similar that works for them.As for rear springs and front and rear shocks,I dont have a clue.But I do know im going to try my best to use moog springs because you just cant beat the price.And since money is an object, i was thinking about using monroe sensa-trac load adjusting shocks.Im looking to stiffen up the ride but I dont want to over do it.Besides ALOT of "spirited driving" I want a fairly comfortable daily driver.Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

I guess I'll take a stab at it since nobody else has replied.

Since the car isn't being lowered, I would just stick with the stock springs if you want to retain a somewhat "factory ride".
If your car came with a V8, be sure to use V8 springs. If it came with a V6, use V8 springs. Shocks are along the same lines. If you're not doing anything crazy, why take the plunge and buy exotic shocks? My only suggestion if your car didn't have them, is to get the jounce bars and other F41 associated bars to stiffen it up a little bit.

The Sensa-trac shocks are probably better than OE too. I'm also a big advocate of poly-bushings if you're replacing the stock rubber ones. The options are endless, it just really depends how far you want to go and what you want in return

 

[jbcutlass]

Thanks for the reply.I have considered replacing the springs with stock replacements,and still may,but the springs coming out of the car now are a little sketchy on any curve going faster than 40.I currently upgraded the sway bars, steering box, and added as many of the f41 bars I could find hoping this will help correct the problem but Im afraid the 20" iroc wheels are only gonna make it worse.Another concern of mine is that if the old set up was a little on the soft side will i have problems bottoming out with the heavier wheels.Im sure that the old shocks and springs were not up to par and mabey if I stick some new stock ones in there it will solve the problem.But Im not gonna know until I order somthing and put em on. My intensions for the car is to have a nice touring car that I can drive on a regular basis and is not a chore to controll.

 

[RockSS]

New member in need of advice.Im right in the middle of a frame on restoration for my 1978 cutlass and once again ive hit a brick wall.Im having a helluva time guessing what shocks and springs to shove under this thing.Ive got a sbc w/ iron heads and an aluminum intake.The Stock weights are as follows;gvwr:4560 gawr F:2270 gawr R:2290 iI just bought a set of 245/35R20 iroc wheels.The wheels add an extra 248#'s of unsprung weight to the car(62#/wheel--124#/side).Ive upgraded to the big sway bars front and rear, bushings front and rear and bolted all of the braces i could find to it to help stiffen the car up a little.My intensions are to maintain the stock ride height within 3/4" + or - .I read a moog spring chart that pointed me in the right direction and Ive got an idea of what front springs look good on paper.

Ok first thats your gross weight not what the car accually weighs it should weigh around 3400-3500 lbs. I did poly bushings and eibach 1"front and 3/4" rear springs with just some inexpencive KYB shocks and the car handles great ride is a little stiffer than stock but with very good feed back and feel, I havent even put the rear sway bar back in yet and you wouldn't even know to drive it. Choice on spring brand is up to your preference but there is nothing wrong with moog springs thats prolly a good decicion. good luck hope I made a little sence and maybe even helped without confusion 8)

 

[jbcutlass]

Thanks for the replys. This is a good site with alot of good info. Its hard to find people that know anything about these cars besides the normal day to day stuff. I was hoping to hear from someone with a similar setup:20"iroc wheels moog springs. I am considering using the 5664 front springs but I have no clue which rear springs to use. I would appreciate any and all feed back I can get about these springs(ride height,stiffness,which ones to use front and rear). I am also interested in hearing your shock preferences. For shocks I am considering using the Monroe Sensa-Tracs.

 

[shotgun]

I would offer advice but went in a different direction with my Cutty ^.

 

[jbcutlass]

thanks anyways