TransAm

Hey guys. My '85 Trans Am w/performance suspension package turns pretty funny. It feels like the chasis turns before the rest of the body.
I've ridden in 88 and 84 performance suspension-optioned birds, and when you turn them that's where they go, no hesitation... yet mine's different.

Any suggestions as to a possible reason for this?

Thanks,

REVLIMIT

I noticed that your car is a T Top. Was the other cars that you drove also t tops? Cause that could be one of the reasons. Also it could be that your suspension is dead. Cause in my one friends car it feels like that and its a t top. And another car I drove the suspension was dead.

TransAm

One was hard top; one was t-top.

What can i do to determine if my suspension is shot or not? If it is, approx how many $$$ are we talking in replacement parts to bring it back up to snuff?

thanks

CrazyHawaiian

How many miles do you have and when was the last time you did something with your suspension? It could be anything from bad worn-out bushings, to dead shocks/struts, to even chassis problems. If it feels like the chassis is moving around then you should do something to strengthen it. Specially if its a T-Top (like mine). Get a set of SFC's. I would also recommend you get a bushings kit ($130) and replace all the bushings. That can change the feel from mushy to strong right away. If you do the bushings and SFC' and it still feels weird then you might need something major like new shocks/struts or maybe a front end rebuild.

Also note: T-Tops and Dead Suspension wont stop Revlimit from drifting the entire track like a madman!! hehe

TransAm

Right, milage, forgot to mention that.

Currently, *winces* 147,000 and change.

And i've never done anything to the suspension.

I bought the car last january with 129,000. (surfice it to say i don't believe in not driving a car due to milage constraints, lol). The suspension felt the same then, this isn't anything new.

It doesn't feel like the chassis has any problems; It feels solid as a rock in a straight line and i dont have any rattles, noises, or funny feelings other than this specific turning oddity.

The easiest time you can notice this funny-ness(ness) is if you're going down a highway at 60+ and make a quick swerve. The wheels & chassis go right on time, but the body is somewhat slower; then it catches up and swerves with the car.

Any probable hypothesis or recommendations are welcome. Also, someone yell at me if you think i have a serious problem because i drive this car all the time (incase you couldn't tell by nearly 20,000 in less than a year) and commonly for long trips. Also, if i have a problem that's gonna cost a serious amount of $$ to get out of, i'll just sell the car instead of dealing with it.

thanks a lot guys

CrazyHawaiian

Sounds like Bushings to me. Keep the car. Spend the $130 on a full poly bushings kit. Install it and that should solve the sloppyness.

Also, with that many miles I would suspect the shocks and struts are dead. Do you have a harsh ride over bumps or uneven ground? My RS had bad shocks/struts. I replaced the shocks because the rear would 'dump' when I went over speedbumps. The struts are still shot. I plan to replace them when I re-do my suspension. They aren't something that need replacing ASAP but they can make the differnce between a smooth or sloppy ride. Just a FYI.

TransAm

Thanks for the help. I'm planning on garaging my car for 3 weeks this winter and doing a variety of jobs (carb rebuild, headers...) and now i'll add that to the list.

As far as the ride goes, it's surprisingly no worse than my friends' 88 and 84 birds... so i guess those components were replaced somewhere down the line.

Do you have a suggested retailer for the bushings kit??

thanks a lot!!

CrazyHawaiian

Get it from Spohn. Here's the link

http://www.spohn.net/index.cfm?fusea...&productid=106

Good Luck!

pianiy

iTrader: (2)

The bushing kit will help but I think your springs are probably well worn. Then perhaps you could take a look at your struts/shocks and see if they're needing a replacement as well.