xxxman

I am trying to upgrade my 87 5.7 IROC suspension. I am just about done w/ a complete front end rebuild. I have a limited budget and would like to know what some of you think are the next important things to improve the ride.
I have a panhard bar on the way.

Should I get lowering springs?
Do i need to change the bad LCA bushings?

What is the next and best move?

Thanks


Also, what is the bottom line w/ wheel spacers? This months chevy high performance said 17x9.5 fit on all corners of a thirdgen...I am confused.

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

screw changing the lca bushings, you get new ones when you buy some lcas from spohn also the lca relocation brackets are a good investment and definitely a must if you lower the car. do you want the car to hook up, or go through the twisties?

xxxman

Have not done any racing. Just a summer weekend driver. I agree w/ the LCA relocation. Stupid question, is it the rears that get relocated? And what about the front control arm bushing's. They are all craked.

laiky

Premium Struts and Shocks!!! Koni/Bilstein/Tokico Illuminas.

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

yeah, its the back that gets relocated. you might as well do springs if youre going to do the bushing since both of em gotta come out to do the other. i dont know how many times ive said that adding on to the price of my projects prothane is the best for polyuerathane, or you can get the del a lum bushings from global west from, but i dont know how street friendly those are

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

he said hes on a budget, so those are out. a very popular set up for the budget concious is KYB GR-2 struts and Gas-A-Just shocks.

Frains90RS

A. Yes, change out out the front control arm bushings and while you're at it you can get at your ball joints and sway bar endlinks. Check the front steering components too ( idler arm, centerlink, inner/outer tie rods, etc). Before you do all this though, you should decide on your springs and struts, since you'll be down there. KYB GR-2 struts work well if youre on a budget. Check out you're bearings in your upper strut mounts to make sure they aren't toast, too. See how all this piles up? I started doing my suspension upgrade and found myself replacing worn out parts I didn't know I had.

B. From what I've read on the boards: slip on spacers= not very safe, bolt on spacers= feel free to road race. Slip on spacers can put too much stress on the studs. As for 17X9.5's fitting all around on a third gen, if the offset/backspacing are right, the size and width of the wheel make no difference, unless you're getting REALLY "different."
Good luck with it.

CrazyHawaiian

If you want the best ride as in most comfortable ride (just a summer weekend driver right?), I would replace ALL the bushings that are worn with the factory style bushings (no poly, definately no steel aka del a lum). Second, determine if your shocks/struts are dead, and if they are replace them with those KYB's. Third, determine if the springs are sagging, and if so replace them with Moog factory spec replacement springs. You could do this on a budget, but my recommendations is not to skimp on the bushings (do as many as you can), and replace the dampeners (shocks/struts) if they are bad.

But if you are looking for performance, then dont do any of that stuff. Get ready to sacrafice some ride comfort for some handling. You will want to use different bushings, and most likely different springs and dampeners (performance oriented). You'll want to lower the ride height of the car, stiffen the suspension a bit, and fix any suspension geometry issues.

Regardless of what you want, if you can afford SFC's, then do it!! Makes a huge improvement by strengthening the chassis so the suspension does all the flexing (not the chassis). The LCA relocation brackets lower the mounting points of the LCA's. This fixes the rear suspension geometry problem when lowering the car (causes wheelhop). Bolt on wheel adapters are OK (like the ones from Skulte), but keep in mind you can find wheels that dont need spacers. For 17x9.5 all around you'll want 5.5" backspacing and a 275/40/17 tire. Alot of guys on the website here are running that setup. Try a search on each of these and you'll find a BUNCH of info.

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

whats a good method to check the bearing plates, just make sure theres not side to side or up and down movement?

xxxman

Thanks

Mike92RS

I replaced my springs this weekend without touching the lower a-arm bushings (if those are the ones you're talking about). Just need to use a spring compressor.

Make sure you get new sway bar endlinks though while you're in there (less than $15 from Spohn), one of the bushings on mine was completly gone, the rest were all squished and cracked. Also you should check out your rear bumpstops...mine were completly gone ($26 each from dealer, I got the pair for $10 from a yard).

- Mike

ksrammstein

Go to this website http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/mods.html

Kontrax

if your doing suspension mods, 1st thing to get would be the sub frames. absolute best suspension mod. PLEASE dont drop your car. if you live in an area like i do, youll have a world of problems. and what happens if you need a tow? the towtruckers can barely tow our cars with the stock ride hight never mind dropped. i feel bad for your tail pipes and/or your air dam

seek007

i definitely have to agree, the roads around pittsburgh are terrible and it would be stupid to lower it, i've seen a lot of people favor the moog replacement shocks, they are very cheap and work a bit better than (NEW) stock springs, i have to research a bit more but i think i've found the sophan steering package (all moog parts) to be worth the price, considering getting kyb gr-2 shocks will save you a lot of money to put into other things like the lca's, panhand bar, all new bushings, endlinks, subframe connectors, strut tower brace, wonderbar (i'd suggest making these your self but hey, everyones different)
depending on your pocket, it's always good to check motor mounts, tranny mounts, torque arm, these things do wear out evenutally and will cause wear on other parts

Kontrax

not to mention dropping the car causes more stress on other suspension parts. cant tell you how many times we've had a lowered car on the alignment rack at work and found abnormal wear or broken parts caused from lowering.

Hunter Motorsports

Re - wheel spacers
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=218761 Read last post

And 17X9.5" will fit no problem on all 4 corners.

If you are going to spend any money on suspension - spend it on the shocks. That will make the biggest difference, and you get what you pay for. Cheap shocks are just that - cheap. Save your pennies and get a set of Konis or Bilsteins - Koni Sport if you want ultimate performance - or the Koni Specials (reds) if you want a bit more comfort on the street - still with great performance. Do a few searches on Shocks - or suspension - or whatever else you may think you want to do and you will find tons of info.

xxxman

I was really against lowering the car. I feel it's low enough. Will take your advise and go for some good struts...So Far I have done the following:
Completely new steering linkage w/ Moog balljoints and Hotchkis sleeves
Panhard bar
New Sway bar links


I have new control arm bushings but I don't know if I have the ***** to take the springs out. I just rented a coil spring compressor but not sure how it works.

Kontrax

you might want to invest in a strut tower brace also, to go along with the panhard bar. taking turns with both installed makes the car much smoother. ive always had good luck with BMR products, actually my whole suspension is BMR except the subframes and the panhard which are hotchiks. www.bmrfabrication.com