Suspension Write Ups

[online170]

Can someone direct me to suspension writeups for the G-body? Im new-ish to the G platform, but fairly well versed in the A-bodies.

Looking for suspension setups, geometry tid bits that arent going to break the bank. Im going to be dealing with a fairly serious amount of torque, and would like to address the suspension.

Heres what im after;

1) Dont want to break the bank, would like to keep purchasing parts to a minimum. Things like Hotchkis, Summit are in my price range.
2) Do NOT want a dedicated DRAG suspension. I try to build my cars to perform well as all rounders. My largest traction loss is in the 1/4 mile though, so the suspension needs to address 60ft times. Im willing to put in some work for a hybrid type suspension, where I have multi mounting point LCA's, and sway bar links to tune the suspension.

My goal is to address the following items in order of priority (1 being the highest priority).
1) Eliminate loss of traction due to high torque.
2) Smaller 60ft times.
3) Better handling in corners.
3a) Let me elaborate a bit here. I used to have a 71 Skylark A-body prior to this, and installed Summit racing's larger sway bars. A freind has an A-body Cutlass with the hotchkis TVS system, and thats plenty of handling in the corners for me. As neither of us have found the limit with 17" tires. With that being said, id like to focus more on the rear end of the car, as I doubt any drag style suspension modifications would mess with my definition of good handling in the corners.



I need to stiffen the chassis up quite a bit with bracing, as I currently have none. I have MT ET Streets for good bite on the rubber. Poly bushings, and otherwise stock LCA, UCA and mounting points. Looking for tips on tuning the suspension to make it hook. Instant centers, pinion angles, castor, camber, etc.

 

[DoubleV]

The thing that made the most overall difference on my car was an adjustable rear swaybar; http://scandc.com/new/node/684

I only have it on the 1st setting and it made a huge difference in handling and it improved launching as well. I stil haven't even tried the 2 other more extreme settings yet either!

Relocation brackets are supposed to make a very big difference in traction too and they're cheap to boot. These are on my short list.

 

[khan0165]

I always refer to this... viewtopic.php?t=8126

since you're looking for cornering improvement, I don't recommend relocation brackets on the rear LCAs. A good rear sway bar with boxed arms, and roto-joints on the uppers will go a long way. If you can't afford aftermarket rear control arms, you can box your lowers. I've learned boxed uppers like mine in the GP are a bad idea because they bind. They are better off un-boxed and flexible for cornering cars. Bags in the springs are cheap and fully adjustable.

As the diagram above shows, welding a bar across rear rails or adding a hitch helps, and the control arm brackets can use some bracing too. You can buy pre-cut and pre-welded ones. Or, since you work in a metal shop, make some cardboard templates and have your own laser-cut.

You can also just buy control arm bracket braces from someone like UMI, BMR, TRZ, Hotchkis, etc...

A F-body 36mm front sway bar is lighter, stiffer, and bolts right in. On a budget, you can just add bracing to your A-arms

do you have bracing behind the rear seats?

you can also make your own out of some tubing

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

What exactly are you looking to get out and use the car for?

for the track i would say get an Anti Roll bar for the rear. adjustable upper and lower control arms. go with Heim joints for no bind.

You can also change the front springs to help with the weight transfer

 

[online170]

Thats a helpful thread. My rear seat is braced (sorta). It has a thin gauge metal plate tack welded so there is no more opening between trunk and cabin.


I have no traction through the first two gears at the strip, so want to correct that. The car is a daily driver first, if im going 80km/hr (50mph) on a country road, and a 90* turn comes up, I dont want to have to slow down. Its gotta handle well in the counrty hill twisties. It will occasionally be autocrossed and drag-raced.

If it feels close to a modern day sports coupe im happy.

 

[GuysMonteSS]

I just put all new Polygraphite body bushings from PST on my Monte,and this kit from SC&C;
http://scandc.com/new/node/47
If its in your budget,its a good way to lower your car and improve handling at the same time.Mark will ship to Canada through the postal service,USPS.Do not have anything shipped across the border via UPS,they'll skin ya on border fee's 🙁 .
Guy

 

[GuysMonteSS]

Also,the A body & G body are very similar platforms.What worked for you on your A body should produce similar results.The more braces you can get the better it is.If you can find a G body Pontiac Grand Prix at the local junkyard,see if you can get the X brace that goes in front of the rad,the braces that go from the rad support to the inner fenders and the front frame brace that can be tied into the stock V brace.All these are worthwhile add ons.
Guy

 

[GuysMonteSS]

Heres some pictures of the extra braces my Monte has;

I went to Princess Auto and got some aluminum flat bar and made a rear seat X brace;

The wife was throwing a bed frame out,so I made a rear frame brace out of a side rail;

I also have a set of Hotchkis rear control arm braces;

Guy

 

[L92 OLDS]

Check out the adjustable Hellwig rear sway bar set up. It's relatively new to market, doesn't create bind because it doesnt mount to the control arms and won't break the bank. Here's an Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=hellwig+55809&sprefix=hellwig+55809%2Caps%2C303

Another option is going with a blazer rear sway bar. This requires some fabrication work. I have a bar if you need one.

All other suggestions above are good ones. I question the effectiveness of the thick support bars from the fender to radiator support though. I don't have them on my car because they interfere with the factory coolant overflow jug.

 

[tobyp]

ftont 36mm GTA bar
Front 5660 s-10 springs
umi uca, lca
hr parts anti roll
hr parts poly trans mount
all the normal bracing as mentioned above as well
good shocks


about 1,000$ in that setup.

Sticks like glue and launches well

biggest differemve makers were springs and anti roll bar.