I have a 1983 regal, I will be doing a lq4 swap soon and restoring the car completely. With that being said my car still has the factory suspension. Looking for the best way to upgrade the suspension on a budget (front and back), so far I have bearings, jeep shaft, and ball joints. Looking to upgrade shocks, coil overs, sway bars, center link, tie rods and control arm bushings. Will be running 20 inch rims and would like to keep factory height. Any suggestions on what brands to use or any specific places to shop? Thank you in advance
Suspension question.
- Thread starter rdakins
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If you are on a budget, then Coil-overs are out. Use Bilstein shocks, for springs look here for info (http://www.maliburacing.com/coilspring.htm). Many use the S10 springs for a lower, stiffer ride. Find a 36mm hollow front F-body sway bar ( Ebay). The Grand Prix Jounce Bars are a good addition as well. A reasonable brake upgrade is the Blazer dual piston upgrade, and I highly recommend it. Replace the bushings if they are bad, and check your ball joints. Do the Jeep steering shaft upgrade. For the rear, add a sway bar if you don't have one ( Monte Carlo SS), Bilstein shocks, and springs from above. Again replace the bushings if they are bad. You can replace the control arms with aftermarket, but may not see much of a change for the money, unless you run at the track. You can add disk brakes, but they really don't add much over the drums, since the front brakes do most of the work. Can't give you much advise on the wheels- I've only got 16's. I know the larger you go, the lower you have to go on the sidewall ( Aspect ratio). This reduces comfort and the ability to absorb shocks like Pot holes, etc.
darbysan said:
I appreciate that input a lot. I won't be racing but I will be driving my car a lot on nice days.
I usually ask a few questions before I make any suggestions to determine the best possible bang for the buck.
I think many guys spend more than they need or will use. I pride myself in asking as many questions as possible before making a decision on what is best for the customer’s hard earned money.
First question is what do you have for goals for the car once it is done? Is it going to be a factory restoration, daily driver/weekend cruiser, weekend warrior/drag car, Pro-Touring/handling machine, etc.
Second question is do you need and/or plan to improve the braking & steering systems to compliment any suspension upgrades?
Third question is do you have a specific budget in mind?
Lastly, do you plan to do the work yourself?
I think many guys spend more than they need or will use. I pride myself in asking as many questions as possible before making a decision on what is best for the customer’s hard earned money.
First question is what do you have for goals for the car once it is done? Is it going to be a factory restoration, daily driver/weekend cruiser, weekend warrior/drag car, Pro-Touring/handling machine, etc.
Second question is do you need and/or plan to improve the braking & steering systems to compliment any suspension upgrades?
Third question is do you have a specific budget in mind?
Lastly, do you plan to do the work yourself?
rdakins,
Hello fellow Michigan member! The best advice I can give you is to read the questions Rich (BMR Suspension) suggested you ask yourself (AND BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF because in the long run you'll save yourself ALOT of money and misery!). I'm pretty sure you already have a good idea of where you'll be doing most of your cruising and at what speeds. Try to figure out the percentage of driving you'll do on the interstate, on primary roads, dirt roads (heaven forbid!) and city streets, then build where you will need the best ride/handling. ...I'm on a fixed income (retired), so I don't have the funds to buy things just to see if they work for what I want my El Camino to do for me. I try to use two adages when trying to buy car parts: 1) Fast ain't cheap & cheap ain't fast...2) Quality ain't cheap & cheap ain't quality. ...A little food for thought: a) Autocross: The shocks do more of the stabilizing of the vehicles roll rather than the springs. This is because the vehicle jars back and forth quickly so the springs never have time to reach their potential. The shocks do most of the quick back and forth damping to keep the car from rolling too much. ...b) Road racing: long sweeping curves will give the springs time to compress to its potential, and the car settles and stops rolling. ...As I said, this is food for thought and not gospel!
Oh, your lq4 swap sounds SWEET
Doug
Hello fellow Michigan member! The best advice I can give you is to read the questions Rich (BMR Suspension) suggested you ask yourself (AND BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF because in the long run you'll save yourself ALOT of money and misery!). I'm pretty sure you already have a good idea of where you'll be doing most of your cruising and at what speeds. Try to figure out the percentage of driving you'll do on the interstate, on primary roads, dirt roads (heaven forbid!) and city streets, then build where you will need the best ride/handling. ...I'm on a fixed income (retired), so I don't have the funds to buy things just to see if they work for what I want my El Camino to do for me. I try to use two adages when trying to buy car parts: 1) Fast ain't cheap & cheap ain't fast...2) Quality ain't cheap & cheap ain't quality. ...A little food for thought: a) Autocross: The shocks do more of the stabilizing of the vehicles roll rather than the springs. This is because the vehicle jars back and forth quickly so the springs never have time to reach their potential. The shocks do most of the quick back and forth damping to keep the car from rolling too much. ...b) Road racing: long sweeping curves will give the springs time to compress to its potential, and the car settles and stops rolling. ...As I said, this is food for thought and not gospel!
Oh, your lq4 swap sounds SWEET
Doug
BMR Suspension said:
No problem, the car will be a weekend cruiser. I plan on making the car a muscle car that I enjoy driving. I have driven plenty of g body's that ride like trucks and I hate that. I bought a pair of 22s to go on the car but I know how rough the ride is and I refuse to lift or cut on my car. Im going with 20s with a nice sized tire. I will be upgrading steering and brakes as well. Me and my dad are doing all of the work, budget is between 500 and 1000 for suspension. I love the pro touring look and feel but budget and pro touring don't belong in the same sentence
Ok, I have driven a bunch of G-Bodies and I usually describe the stock ride as soft-plush. Are you looking for a smooth, comfortable ride or minimal body roll and firm shocks for handling? Either way I would suggest upgrading the sway bars. Have you fitted the wheels on the car yet? Do you know the condition od the ball joints and bushings yet?
BMR Suspension said:
I have not tried the wheels on yet due to no motor being in the car just yet and yes thats exactly the ride I want. I'm purchasing hollow sway bars this week, I bought ball joints, wheel bearings, and the jeep shaft. I will be purchasing shocks and springs for front and rear, along with tie rod ends, bushings, and control arms.
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