ksith

I put together my build list without an engine mind you and I'm sure I'm missing a few things as well. but so far for chassis and suspension mods including rear end drive train and transmission with everything full adjustable pretty much its roughly about 13k in parts. anyone want to donate money to a worthy cause??

HAHAHAHAH


my wife's gonna kill me

plum92_camaro

building a drag car or corner carver?

Remember, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Bob88GTA

iTrader: (2)

How was your math in school? My goodness, what are ya building!

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

Funny quip! Very post-modern of you - grab your heart's desire and work backwards to justify it. It works well for narcissistic pragmatism, not so well for relationships. Your wife has infinite more value than your car - make sure she knows that and you'll get her permission and support .
I did chuckle, though.

With drive train components (what's it have to hold up to), it doesn't sound too high.
Application, application, application.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

Without the list its hard to say if thats a lot or pretty stand and honestly. Good parts are expensive but poorly chosen and priced parts are more expensive

What all are you planning might I ask?

ksith

its a corner carver. so far here's my build list probably gonna change the brakes to carbon ceramic instead of steel to help with brake fade. also doesnt include wheels and tires drive shaft or engine. for engine thinking about world product small block 454. 600hp 600tq range. with the tremec tko600 and that rear end should be pretty solid.. have the two different sfcs on there for extra rigidity. i like the idea of the tubular spohn sfc stitch welded to the pinch weld and also connecting the front and rear sub frames together inside as well. just sounds solid.

Rear end $995
http://www.quickperformance.com/QP-G...xles_p_40.html

Third member $1685
http://www.quickperformance.com/Ford...mber_p_61.html

k member $880
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...C-BBC-LT1.html

front a-arms $591.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ing-Boxes.html

rear lower control arm $246.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Bushings.html

panhard bar $165.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Bushings.html

steering $351.85
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...GM-F-Body.html

shocks and springs $1249
http://www.ground-control-store.com/...p/II=966/CA=86

torque arm 697.42
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...nsmission.html

sub frame connectors $488
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Top-Cars.html
and
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ible-Cars.html

steering brace $136.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...djustable.html

strut tower brace $189.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...arbureted.html

front brakes $789.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...Brake-Kit.html

rear brakes $749.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...Brake-Kit.html

roll cage $329.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...rome-Moly.html

transmission $2,395
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/awr-tcet5009

rear sway bar install kit $79
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ation-Kit.html

sway bar end links $166.98
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7961
and
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7964

sway bars $543
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...End-Links.html

AlkyIROC

It never ends. I priced out the value of the engine in my race car. Somewhere close to $20,000 in parts and labor.

GCrites80s

I don't know if you NEED need the a-arms or K-member. You might also look at Founders, BMR and UMI to save some bucks over Spohn.

ksith

The amount saved would be pretty small over all. The k member and a arms save weight and are stronger than stock. Also more room for headers and what not.

LX_SS

The spohn k-member is far from stronger than stock, in fact i would say its about 50% weaker. There has been great discussions on this on the forums here.

Take a look at the notches in the one pipe that the k-member is made from.
http://www.spohn.net/productimages/1...-92-703-13.jpg

ksith

chrome moly vs stamped steel? even with the "notches" I'll take chrome moly

plum92_camaro

Rear end $995
http://www.quickperformance.com/QP-G...xles_p_40.html

Third member $1685
http://www.quickperformance.com/Ford...mber_p_61.html
Good call with quick performance. they are only 30 minutes from me. Great business!
k member $880
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...C-BBC-LT1.html
http://umiperformance.com/catalog/in...roducts_id=732 Check this one out. Gusseted for more rigidity to reduce flexing under load
front a-arms $591.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ing-Boxes.html
rear lower control arm $246.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Bushings.html

panhard bar $165.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Bushings.html
For the pan hard and lower control arms you don't want poly/poly ends. poly is hard enough it can cause snap return. Either get poly on the body side and rod end or delshpere on the axle end. Check out roto joints from UMI. Also check out founders for these parts.
steering $351.85
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...GM-F-Body.html
Have you compared price with Moog?
shocks and springs $1249
http://www.ground-control-store.com/...p/II=966/CA=86
Great choice here. I have these on my car. What spring rates? One thing to keep in mind is for the rear shocks you can use 3rd or 4thgen shocks. The 3rdgen style are mono tube but not on car adjustable. The 4thgen style is twin tube and is on car single or double adjustable.
torque arm 697.42
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...nsmission.html
Check out the Global West track-link TA
sub frame connectors $488
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Top-Cars.html
and
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ible-Cars.html
Check out BMR, UMI, or look at Top Down Solutions for Alston's
steering brace $136.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...djustable.html
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/ste...or-firebird-(a half the price and 6 mounting points instead of 4.
strut tower brace $189.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...arbureted.html

front brakes $789.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...Brake-Kit.html

rear brakes $749.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...Brake-Kit.html
Have you checked out bigbrakeupgrade.com?
roll cage $329.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...rome-Moly.html

transmission $2,395
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/awr-tcet5009
Do your research on this. I've read that the tremec 5 speeds don't shift so smooth, not a good characteristic for a road race trans. look at the 6 speed tremec or a 93-97 LT1 6speed conversion then upgrade rebuild later.
rear sway bar install kit $79
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ation-Kit.html
look at energy suspension, might be cheaper. stock mounts are fine but can benefit from the poly bushings.
sway bar end links $166.98
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7961
and
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7964
Nice looking, but seem awful expensive compared to the energy suspension ones that come in various lengths. I doubt you would need to adjust these often enough to justify the cost.
sway bars $543
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...End-Links.html[/QUOTE]
If you can find some factory 36mm/24mm sway bars, that is as good as anything you can buy. If the rear breaks loose easy in corners, change to a smaller bar. I currently run a 21mm and the 19mm rear bars are popular. Spring rates can also make up for the sway bars. Aftermarket bars are usually only a weight savings advantage, same with K-members and a-arms.

Hope you find this helpful! Good luck!
Also might want to check out some bump steer outer tie rod ends, Baer makes some nice ones for about $175 and check out CTW wheels. Upgrading to 17x9 wheels with 275/40R17 tires is a GREAT mod even for a stock thirdgen.

LX_SS

Good luck with that, just trying to point out a bad product.
I'd go for the UMI over the spohn any day of the week btw.

Lonnie P

You are severely misinformed... even though moly is stronger than mild steel , the factory arms are probably 5x the surface area in material, making them both stronger, but heavier.


If road racing/street driving, you may want to consider the factory front k member & control arms.


As for your list, it adds up fast.
You still need exhaust & most likely a drive shaft, in addition to your engine.


I sunk $16K in my car & my suspension/brakes were already done.
I did replace rear, drive shaft & add frame connectors, but no springs, shocks, or brakes etc.

ksith

lots of info coming my way. i'll look into the spohn parts a little more. I also have a wishlist on summit. spohn isnt sold on summit. good thing nothing is set in stone as of yet. my biggest concern is the old steering box. still turns tight but will it be good enough for hard use like racing? Lonnie I plan on keeping the exhaust I have mostly. Hooker headers and 3 inch intermediate. I do need a drive shaft but I plan on waiting to purchase that till after i get the engine trans and rear end mounted. Plum 92, The tremec tko 600 from what I hear has fixed there 2-3 shifting issue. I really dont want 2 extra gears past the 1:1 ratio. the tko will serve its purpose and do it well i believe. Well for the next 20 years my car will be up on blocks. wish me luck i'll revisit every once in a while and update if anything gets done. just an after thought, anyone want to sponsor a build?

plum92_camaro

I just realized, there aren't any caster/camber plates on your list. I'm still running my factory gearbox at 185k miles. Had to tighten it a couple years ago but it's done well thus far.

Glad to hear tremec fixed their issue. They make a good trans. Just a thought, I believe you can get a single overdrive 6 speed which would allow more close ratios for the track. Just a thought.

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

Absolutely keep the stock k-member. The Spohn tube adj a-arms have their advantages. Every decision is a compromise that locks you into other choices. You need a plan/strategy/philosophy, not just parts put on the car. I prefer and have the Spohn strut mounts and adj a-arms.
Lower the CG, raise front RC; lower Rear RC. Limit all weight outside the wheelbase – this includes the wheel assemblies themselves. Unsprung weight is critical and allows all these parts to perform at their best.
Proper wheel choice alone will save a minimum of 5#/wheel, likely even more! If you want the bling, there’s a big penalty (18” wheels with 24” rotors - sarcasm). 13” 2 pc. Rotors with 17” wheels are optimal IMO– of course, opinions vary and personal preferences destroy performance. Know the decisions you are making – there’s no one right decision. Al. hubs from Kore3 are excellent, also. Keep the wheel assemblies light!
Quick Performance 9” is good, affordable, and heavy. It appears you have enough time to search for a Dana44. MWC has the best, light 9” if money is not decisive factor (and if you haven’t already purchased a TA).
You’re planning for too much time off the road. I doubt you’ll finish this – I would be pleased to be proven wrong, but I won’t wait around. Add to that, you’re asking for funds. Keep the car on the road as much as possible. Enjoy what you have now, and enjoy the incremental improvements. Good Luck!

SlickTrackGod

That is far from a list I would build. Pm me and I'll help you later tonight when I get near a computer.

Trust what everyone is saying about the OEM k- keep it.

There are many "more critical" parts you do not have on that list of show car parts.

ksith

revised list. removed k-member just going to clean up the stock one. Maybe drill some holes to lighten it. went with some of the suggested parts and some cheaper ones. added camber caster plates ect ect. by the way im kidding about drilling holes in my stock k-member lets see who actually reads this.

Rear end $995
http://www.quickperformance.com/QP-G...xles_p_40.html
Third member $1685
http://www.quickperformance.com/Ford...mber_p_61.html
front a-arms $529.95
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bm...model/firebird
rear lower control arm and panhard $469.95
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/up...model/firebird
shocks and springs $1249
http://www.ground-control-store.com/...p/II=966/CA=86
steering $267.67
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/po...model/firebird
sub frame connectors $484
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...-Top-Cars.html
and
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/cha...rd-(aka-f-body)
torque arm 697.42
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...nsmission.html
strut tower brace $189.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...arbureted.html
steering brace $55
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/cha...or-firebird-(a
transmission $2,395
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/awr-tcet5009
roll cage $329.95
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...rome-Moly.html
sway bar end links $166.98
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7961
and
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-7964
rear sway bar install kit $79
http://www.spohn.net/shop/1982-1992-...ation-Kit.html
Brakes from bigbrakeupgrade.com upgrade to carbon ceramic rotors I know it's more expensive but less brake fade
camber caster adjustable plate $239.95
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/up...model/firebird

SlickTrackGod

Also. You will need a JEGS panhard relocation bracket to lower the rear axle panhard mount 2".

you will need Spohn Solid bearing Strut mounts. these are best style. Do NOT use hotparts . Bearing is glued in and if it fails the car will come apart on you at speed. High rebound racing damper rates can and eventually will fail this bearing. you want it replaceable from the top side with a retainer clip, NOT from the bottom side glued in place (holly crap what were they thinking.)

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

There's no need to get the fancy tube suspension parts up front. Shiny parts are cool and all, but for the money... wheres the benefit? A few less lbs in exchange for more stiffness and less long term structural integrity?

Tube parts in the rear are fine because they're not supporting the weight of the car. but I like to keep that stuff out of my front suspension. Tube k's are for drag cars who switch to coilovers for weight reduction in my opinion. Putting a factory type spring into a front A-arm is just a bad idea. It's trying to bend that arm in half, and those springs, if you are going to be corner carving with it, are going to be in the 700-1000 lbs per inch range with the entire weight of the car coming down on it. You really want to put your life in the hands of some welds? There's a reason the factory just stamps out a huge piece - it may be prone to bending, but it's not going to break. They're not even that heavy.

But whatever.... do what you want guys.

Dean, how do you feel about .75" extended ball joints in addition to the lowered panhard? How hard is it to really screw up the roll axis and have it higher in the front than the rear?

SlickTrackGod

The car will just get real heavy on turn-inif the front rc gets high enough in proportion to the rear.

The idea of getting the front rc up is so you get the roll axis closer to the cg- thus less need for large sway bars. Mostv8 3rd gens I've driven need the panarh dropped 2-3" based on tqarm choice and spring&bar choices. Front extended ball joint allow for one -2 notches up in rear panahard axle mount. Depends on dynamic travel of the front suspension. I use a lot of brake pedal to set my car into rotation- people differ. I find with a gw tqarm (short), I like the panhard 2 holes down from OEM on the jegs unit with 1/2extwnded joints. Have not tried 3/4 but would buy them definitely now.

Longer OEM length tqarm is one more notch down- but of course is dependant on so many other factors.

On my old v6, I would either run koni full rebound, 25mm bar, and panhard 3 down on the track, or #3of 4 koni rebound, 23mm bar, and panhard 2 down for daily street. The track setting kept grip in the inside rear under track heat conditions and extreme braking combined.

plum92_camaro

I have these in my car. I don't know if there is glue there or not but the bearing is machined fit or pressed in for tight fit and held in place with a snap ring IIRC. I've had no issues. Good solid mounts, identical to Founders and I believe UMI.

I agree with you Dean that the spohn design, should it ever fail, would hold the strut up and prevent it from coming out. But the Hotpart/Founders/UMI design isn't as horribly dangerous as you make it sound. If these were to fail, yes they would have to fail downward, BUT with the weight of the car pushing down and the Koni's pressure causing them to extend up into the strut towers, the odds of the bearing and strut actually coming out of the wheel well are pretty slim. It would rattle or knock letting you know there is a problem before it would actually come completely out. A person would really have to have some front end lift for a failure as catastrophic as that.

SlickTrackGod

I'm on my 3rd desgin with koni shocks on the rear of my truck with very high rate rebound settings. I run 8 shocks on this truck- 2 in every corner. I keep breaking shock mounts because of the high rebound settings. the last one was 1/4" steel plate. If you think those Koni's on high rebound aren't eventually gonna fail that bearing and possibly yank it out of the bottom of the strut mount then you have better trust in the lord then I do. This is merely my opinion...but a very experience opinion.

In all due respect, You have your pressure force direction backwards. The rebound direction is where one needs to worry about mounts breaking, not the compression stroke. the compression damper rates are not as high due to the coil springs taking the force in that direction. The rebound controls the spring release so it needs to be much higher in damper force. That force is what will yank that bearing out of the bottom.

ksith

Buddy of mine said scrap the race car idea and put the firebird on a blazer chassis and make it a 4x4

Gibson

put down the pbr...your buddy is a moron.

plum92_camaro

ksith

No ****. He was serious too. Kept saying I need a 4 wheeler. Not a chance in the world. Oh and I brew my own beer

GCrites80s

You're gonna need that panhard rod relocation bracket to keep the right rear on the ground on hard left turns. I've got it but probably going to need to move it another hole down because the RR still lifts on right turns that are banked.

ploegi

There was a member here at one time, the actually did put the 'bird body, on a blazer frame. It actually looked pretty cool.

1982Z28Modified

My two cents for whatever it's worth.


I work for one of the "Big Three" and the reason they use stamped steel parts in the suspension is they are cheaper and easier to mass produce.


Tubular suspension parts are lighter and stronger than stamped steel. Anyone who thinks GM does things based on anything other than cost is an idiot.


As for our cars... anything designed and sold is engineered to work just fine up to a point. And I am pretty sure there are disclaimers and warnings on what weight, HP, or torque not to exceed.

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

Hopefully not too much of a hijack. Are the Hotparts and Founders ($170) strut mounts the same? Or are Founders just as good as the Spohn ($290)?

ETA: Now that I've read the WHOLE thread, this has been commented upon, but not quite answered.

SlickTrackGod

Spohns Billet steel mounts have a machined pocket and retainer ring lip on the top side the the bearing is inserted into. It is replaceable. It can not come out the bottom side. It is important to understand this mount retains the upper critical suspension attachment point of the front suspension. The strut shaft goes up into it and is bolted in place from the top. If you use a Hotparts design, and for some reason over time or from poor quality control, etc that their design with the bearing glued into place from underneath decides to come apart? the entire strut shaft and retainer bolt will come right down also on the rebound stroke of the strut. This is very critical force if using a higher damoper force like a Koni yellow turned up quite a bit.

I ran an original design (prototye) of any aftermarket struts even known to have been made. It was in aporx 2003 that Hunter Motorsports came out with the design that Spohn copied. Hunters units were a limited production run of 20 untis. They were fabricated entirely out of ALUMINUM and used a COM12 sperical bearing very simular to the FK bearings I have been told used by Hotparts. Jump forward a few months- I was the ONLY person to have a both bearings (one on each side of the car) go bad on me due to the very high rebound force I use on my car at that time. I had to replace mine with very high end Aurora bearings at the time which had about 4 times the radial load ratings then the units sold today- I used the best out there as replacements and were very high dollar stuff.

Now fast forward about another year- I was the only person to now have metal fatigue of the aluminum Hunter mounts where the lip above the retention ring that held the bearing in place finally started to take abuse and show tolerances slop in the bearing retention- this was from the use of ALUMINUM structure. SO>>>> Spohn came out withh the same design bit with steel fabrication, not aluminum. Since this part is NOT unsprung weight, the steel is a far better use for this application. No a single problem was ever reported in the other alumunim unitsm BUT I am a rare case because of (yes may sound arrogant, but factual) I have quite the driving resume to engineer as well as push a car to the extent of it's capabilities. That car pulled 1.07 g's on 8" wide street tires, and I drove the **** out of it at times.

With that said, I would NEVER trust a bearing simply being glued in from underneath on a car I bought, built, and drove. PERIOD. This is my opinion, my experience, and my choice. You all have yours.

Dean

PAFORM350

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

Dean, thank you. I asked for your opinion and got it. Thank you for including your detailed experience with the parts and failure modes.

Your super high rebound setting in a racing application is different enough from a sporty driver/cruiser use, that the glued-in-from-the-bottom parts should be good enough for driver/cruiser use. Afterall, we should be hearing about Hotparts or Founders or UMI parts failures if the design was that marginal for street use.

SlickTrackGod

Mine was not a racing application. It was built for street use for my then wife to drive daily.

It's a matter of time- mark my word. You will hear unfortunately about a catastrophic failure and people getting hurt. Of all people here, I think most of you realize I have a far greater understanding of suspension dynamics then pretty much anyone here, or at the local NASCAR or race tracks for that matter. It is sad I try to warn people an no one listens.

SlickTrackGod

Speaking of which, I have been telling my team owner I want a budget to go through the entire car all winter- My request fell on deaf ears. We just had our opening night last Saturday an sure a **** my driver had a tie rod snap in half and hit the wall during practice. He was so gun shy after that we might as well packed up and gone home. I had the car fixed by race time but I had a scared driver that was now afraid to drive the car. needless to say this Firday I will have all the new suspension parts I requested a few months ago and on before next Saturdays race.

So times people learn the hard way.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Im not saying you're wrong, but you're not really looking at this correctly. GM is all about cutting costs as long as it's safe. They design suspension components to survive teh life of the car, and that means any ridiculous abuse that owners will give it. The factory a-arms are designed to last the lifetime of the chassis. They may be cheap, but they are NOT failure prone. Same with the k-member. Cheap is fine, but not getting the bejesus sued out of them is a bigger concern. They've made some mistakes lately, and look how it's costing them. But as a car manufacturer, your primary concern has to be durability and safety ina ddition to cost. "Performance" is pretty far down that list, and tubular parts deflecting less will definitely help with that. But if you look at how a tubular A-arm has to hold loads with the spring in the stock location... I'd never want to put one in my car unless it had coilovers. And I dont trust tubular k-members very much either. Way too many points of failure. Solid cast spindles and one piece stamped suspension components will not stress fracture the way tubular parts with numerous welds will over hte lifetime of the car.

Is that a reasonable concern? Maybe. I think for a car that sees race use, go for it. That stuff should get inspected frequently and you're fine.

Also, interseting tidbit. GM designed the strut towers to withstand 30,000 lbs with 1 inch of deflection. That was the standard they built the towers to and they used a hydraulic ram pushing the towers apart to simulate it. Should give you an idea how much force goes into the strut towers, although that's not strut bound or rebound force, that's cornering loads.

GCrites80s

^On many cars control arms are wear items. On our cars not so much. Eventually they do wear out but not at like 80,000 miles as on other cars.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

I agree, most GM suspension parts appear to have been designed as one piece of metal from bolt to bolt. That and the tendency to bend or deflect vs. breaking apart appears to be a part of the same design theory.

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

Just say no to sphon K Members

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

you will want to stay away from sphons K member complete junk. I installed one my low mile 92 Z 28. the wheels we're set back an inch and a half on each side...and the tie rods would hit the K member if you even tried to drive the car. it was only installed on my car to move it from one shop to another.after getting it to the other shop. it was immediately removed and replaced with a UMI made K member. it fit like it was made by GM and bolted right up 100% wheels and everything set where GM had intended...

This was done with all 3 types of a arms made by sphon..from the poly to the rod end to there top of the line type ..nothing fit right until we put the UMI K member on the car.

1982Z28Modified

Internal Vortex my friend you are 100% wrong. The big 3 base everything on cost. Safety is not even considered. A car is manufactured to minimum standards now as they were back in the 80's. If GM makes something that is ultra reliable they have teams of engineers that strip cost out of it until they get "acceptable" failure rates. The process is called "Thrifting". Durability and safety are not even considered. I speak based on 20 years working in a automotive factory. Cost, Cost, Cost. Cost saving projects make up better than 50% of engineers employed at GM. If GM designed the shock towers to withstand 30K pound loads, it was by accident. Stamped steel is used because it's cheaper and easier to mass produce. Cheaper, easier, faster, these are the Sacraments of the automotive industry.

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

@1982Z28 - I have to disagree with you, and say InfernalVortex explained it pretty good. Sure cheaper is better. BUT, when you go too cheap, you have parts wear out and break before the warrantee is up.

• How cheap is it to replace parts under warrantee?... You've just doubled the part cost, and added more than 100% labor to replace it. The recent ignition debacle cost $750 mil to replace parts... To save $.05 on a switch?
• How cheap is it is litigate and pay off lawsuits for injuries sustained when parts break (at speed)? How much better quality of parts do these millions allow?

No car (nor any other product made) is going to last forever. KW, Peterbuilt, International build semi-trucks to last a million miles or more. The increment cost adds up to a high price, but it is worth the price for a truck that lasts as long as it does.
Car manufacturers have different problems. There are a lot more than this:

• People don't want to pay 50% more, even for a more safe or durable car, so car makers have to cut cost to be able to price the cars where the consumers will pay.
• Car manufacturers want to sell you ANOTHER car, so their best interest has cars wear out sooner than later... At warrantee + 1 mile.

So, you are correct that manufacturers run the calculus of how cheap they can go... before parts start breaking too soon. The reason they don't go cheapER is to keep enough durability/safety in their product to avoid too much cost after the sale.

There is little safety problem if/when the non-moving, non-wear item dashpad cracks... go cheaper!
K member and A arms take the abuse of road quality, drive skill, etc and would fail the whole car, cause injury if failed at speed, so they are over-engineered, or have a larger safety margin. +durability +safety +cheap = heavy.

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

The attempt to define the intentions and implementations of 'others' (individuals & corporations) is futile. It leads to polarizing debate
I need a "snoring" emoticon.

The OP saw the cost of updated quality, and "just about had a heart attack."
If you see your car as an investment, don't do it. If you see your car as your own treasure, decipher the areas needed for top quality and make compromises in the other areas - we all have budgets. Suspension, tires, and brakes are critical areas of performance and safety.