Best course for suspension upgrades?

[pokertramp]

I really don't want to spend big dollars to redo everything,,,,,If I just buy all new bushings and put them on the stock parts, would that help with the handling and ride or would I have to go with something like a Hotchkis kit and drop over $2,000?

To me the Hotchkis stuff is more for track racing and stuff, right? I do plan on drag racing so that should be put into consideration. Any help would be appreciated as to what to do.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I am not a huge fan of the Hotchkis stuff, and you don't have to spend that much to improve the car. I would add the F41 sway bars if you don't have them, a fast ratio steering box, a good set of springs, and replace all the bushings with polyurethane. Of course, you also want to replace all of the ball joints and tie rods while you are at it, and at least rebuild the steering coupler too. From there, you will need a wider set of wheels and tires to make the most of it. On my car, I am going a bit further than all of this, but as what I described is what I have done so far, I will say it made a huge difference in the way the car drives. It no longer drives like you are on Novocain. The disconnect from the driving experience is gone and it no longer feels like something my grandma would drive.

 

[patmckinneyracing]

All the tips that 85 cutlass posted are the best improvements to make to your car. I put all of those on my malibu because it didn't have a rear sway bar or anything performance to it. With a fast ratio steering box, the rear sway bar, some stiffer springs (recommend moog 5660), and some ball joints, tie rods, etc. I guarantee you will notice a HUGE difference in handling.

Ever since I've done these upgrades, ricers get pissed off cause I can make my 400hp turn corners like they wouldn't believe and the malibu would make'em look like they were trying to turn a bus. But even on the road, the car rides as smooth as glass and isn't harsh at all with the S10 5660's.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I will add that my much more involved mods to come involve changing the front suspension geometry with tall spindles (negative camber gain), offset upper cross shafts (more caster) and relocated tie rods (bump steer). I also plan on using spherical bearing and Delrin/ aluminum bushed rear lower arms and maybe tubular lower fronts to finish my setup. I have also been planing frontal weight loss to help with the weight distribution of the car. All that is the advanced stuff to get that last bit of handling out of the car, and it is quite expensive to get in to. Just do the basics and you probably will be very happy. As for me, I want to go BMW M3 hunting.

 

[pokertramp]

Cool, good to know. I just didn't want to have to get new upper and lower control arms, trailing arms and that stuff.

If I boxed my front control arms, would that help?

Also what do you recommend for shocks?

 

[Furtrader]

Not trying to highjack the thread, but this is on topic.
I'd like to drop the nose about an inch or two in future.
I am thinking of drop spindles, but would those alone affect the geometry of the front end?If yes, what else would I need to do?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Dropped spindles would not affect the geometry, but they won't help it either. They are normally a better idea than lowering springs as they do not reduce the compression travel.

 

[Tony_SS]

A Stage I one kit from SC&C is by far the best mod I've done to my car. It's amazing what good alignment specs will do. And the cost was only $300.

If you want to drop the front .5-1" go with a Stage II kit.

Also, from what I've read, 5658 Moogs are the best bet. They'll drop the front about an 1" and are more stiff than stock, but not bone-jarring.

For shocks go with Bilsteins. To save a little, KYB's will do also.