final suspension input needed

[Geo's66]

hey guys, frame will be out and going for blast n pwdrcoat next couple weeks on my 78 Monte.
I'm thinking from a build here of welding 1" square tubing 2 rear frame rails together for additional stiffness. The car will have a 383(400hp), a built wide ratio 4 speed and a currie rear end. Pretty much a street car only for now so I'm thinking stock A-arms and control arms along with urethane bushings all around as well as new steering components hardware. Am I missing anything that you feel with this drivetrain is a "must have" for the suspension? As much as I'd like to think this will see auto cross and track time, it's just not in my time availability to think that more than a couple times ever I'd get there. Thanks..

 

[pontiacgp]

I use one of those hidden trailer hitches to tie the rear rails together and it's come in handy a few times. I upgraded the bolt sizes when I installed it. ........oh and nothing is ever final with theses cars..🙂

 

[GuysMonteSS]

It's nice to have adjustable upper control arms in the rear so you can adjust pinion angle if needed.
I used these ones;
http://scandc.com/new/node/796
I have these ones for the lowers;
http://scandc.com/new/node/797
If you can work it into your budget here is a real nice front end kit;
http://scandc.com/new/node/47
I couldn't believe what a difference this made to the handling of my Monte.
A rear control arm brace is also a nice addition,I used this one from Hotchkis;
http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/hss-1401/overview/
I made a rear frame brace from a bed rail the wife was throwing away;

Guy

 

[GuysMonteSS]

If you are interested here is a link to a blog I made on all the suspension & chassis upgrades I have made to my Monte over the years;
http://guysmonte.blogspot.ca/2014/07/my-suspension-upgrades.html
Guy

 

[565bbchevy]

I also tied the rear frame rails but welded in extra 1-3/4" roll bar tubing I had and also now would be a good time to notch the rear frame rails.
I also welded in a tubing to tie the frame rails together in the upper rear wheel well area prior to notching my frame rails.

 

[Geo's66]

Great information guys, thanks.. Will go thru these in next couple days. If I were to notch the frame rails now, any pictures and instruction as to how? Also, the welded in upper frame rail pics? Thanks, maybe these would be a good addition now so it's done in case it's needed later.

 

[565bbchevy]

They sell kits for the rear frame notch but I did mine before anybody made a kit, basically all I did was cut the frame flush with the inner wheel well and ground down the piece I removed and welded it back in and then cut 1/4" plate to fill in the end gaps and welded those in.
If you can weld and are decent at fabricating it will be obvious what has to be done just by looking at it.

 

[xitabl442]

x2 on the adjustable UCAs up front. Add a tall upper ball joint and you virtually eliminate bump-steer and make the car feel 20yrs younger. A set of 17" wheels all around will also tighten up the handling, considering you said it will be a driver. Consider also that you can add the rear stuff later as your budget allows and you don't have to take it back for an alignment.

 

[Geo's66]

I like the frame notch idea since its apart and I have time over coming winter... I'm going old school w corvette rally's 15" which will be painted black in center as the rest of car will... Maybe I can get 295 in there

 

[565bbchevy]

The largest tire I have had on the rear of mine after I did the frame notch was when I had 15 x 8.5 Convo Pros with 5" of backspace and ran a 295/65R15 M/T drag radial, they fit well but were too tall for my taste and gave it a raked look so I switched to a 295/55R15 M/T DR to get the stance I wanted and later transferred them to my new 15 x 9.5" Convo Telstars
Pictured below with the 295/65 tires.