blakecharles

still waiting for mine!!! kinda cool that if he dose not have them in stock he can drop ship them... my poor neglected camaro needs these to get off the jack stands and back on the ground.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, I never heard of the term "drop ship" before....in my mind I was half expecting a plane to kick them out and parachute them to me..lol

Should get them in another week. As I said, no rush really. Not looking forward to removing the old front springs...what a pain in the....

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Well, been a month since I ordered the struts, and still waiting....never tell anyone you're not in a rush. Called for an update and was told it'll still be 2 more weeks.

blakecharles

still pending... I called Bruce a while back and when he got back to me he told me they where still on back order for a few weeks (that was the voice mail anyway)... Guess this is not a popular strut so they dont keep many onhand.

blakecharles

Email from Bruce
----
Blake I just got confirmation on these shocks from Bilstein they are on the way to me fronts and rears. It will be about a week before I get them and resend them to you. I will have fronts to but they will be in short supply so please order them too.

Thanks Bruce

> Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:00:05 -0400
> Subject: Re: shock order
> From: info@blakecharles.com
> To: fastlineperformance@hotmail.com
>
> any updates on these? How soon can you get the front and rears?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Blake these shocks are temporary out of stock I will keep these on this on
> > back order.

blakecharles

this is taking a lot longer then I thought it would, no use in backing out now if he is going to have them to ship in a week. He seems a bit reluctant to sale them (or further advertise) because most of this process is out of his hands, yet he's still responsible by the customer.

Just a quick update
Blake

blakecharles

I managed to find 1 person that has them...

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I got a email from Bruce two days ago. The front struts have shipped. According to UPS, they get here Monday. If Bluegoose got all 4 for 419, then he got a good deal...

EDIT: Wait a minute...those pics are dated from 2005!!

blakecharles

the above came from a really old thread
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...ks-struts.html

blakecharles

prices are $679 and $719 over at shox now, yes he got a great deal. I'm jealous. Maybe I should contact him to see how they are holding up..

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Probably started leaking at all the seals....bouncy as heck...

rick90gta

iTrader: (3)

im curious to find out what the shipping costs are going to add up to... the HD struts are listed on summit racing for 279 and change with free ground shipping. if the price difference is only gonna add up to a few bucks id be inclined to purchase the HD's From summit and get the warranty with them

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

His problem, not yours. He should have honored the price he gave you & chalked it up to that he screwed up. If you had stayed after him, he would have had to LEGALLY.

blakecharles

I'm not looking to rip anyone off. Just wanted to find a good price. @ $215 ea for fronts, they are still a good bit cheaper then anywhere else....

Also there is a perfomance benifit. The AK should be much stiffer then the HD, more comprable to koni. The warrany is meaningless to me.

The few $ saved buy getting AK front + rears is almost $170

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Just got mine today:


There's a few different languages on the box...except for english. It's on the "other" side...Ooops...there IS a bit of english on there....

motenkjr

iTrader: (1)

Pretty....

blakecharles

I got my rears, still pending fronts... Here is some specs on the Bilstein AK for the 82-92 (see related page)

http://www.bilsteinus.com/uploads/tx...ts_2010_17.pdf

also see this thread
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233561

and this review
http://ramengineeringmidwest.com/ind...d=21&Itemid=38

1bdbrd

iTrader: (1)

Most websites have a disclaimer against this. Its not a bait and switch if the error was on the website. I've not seen a website yet that didn't give the option to back out once they sent the real price. So I see no legal obligation there.

blakecharles

@ Confuzed1 - did you get these on the car yet?

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, I have installed both the fronts and rears along with springs, CC plates, etc...BUT the car still isn't drivable as I'm installing a few more things.

blakecharles

same here. got my rear on, still pending umi k-member

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Figured I'd update this post. The Bilstein AK's are just.....awesome! The Camaro handles better than I ever imagined it would...and I didn't even intend the car to handle the twisties well in the first place since I was really looking for better straight-line performance. The place linked above by Blake is probably one of the cheaper, if not cheapest place to get them.

What I didn't realize when I bought them, is the lead time...it took 2 months to get them because they are built to order and valved towards road racing - so they are pretty stiff on the street....but livable. Try to bounce my front end down by hand, and it's nearly impossible!

I still have some other parts both cosmetic and performance oriented I STILL need to get on the car....looks like this winter instead..lol

Pics below of how she sits now....(Eibach lowering springs also added along with JM CC plates)

Arctic White 91 RS

Got the front Bilstien HD's over 3 years ago via AutoZone for $225 each. Took four months & paid for half of the $450 w/$220 of AutoZone reward card I had been saving on for a long time.

Love the Bilsteins on the RS w/Eibachs & Spohn' sway bars & LCA's etc

JunJun

I was also interested in this AK version, but they seem a bit too stiff for a street ride...
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBullet...d.php?t=266188

For those who want a comfortable ride like me, HD seems to be a better choice.

Z28ricer

iTrader: (2)

I wouldnt use the input from users with a different vehicle as a basis for my comparison, the valving is different for each vehicle and part number.

Also again dont overlook that you can get bilstein to valve them differently for you before shipping them.

JunJun

Thank you, I didn't know there can be a different valve setting with the same part number.
If so, can I order AK with the same valve setting as HD?

JunJun

Oh, the part number AK1053 was mistakenly quoted.
I thought it was for the third gen cos I found it on the 1st page of this thread.
I hope I can find more about AK1049...

91z28ss

iTrader: (4)

Hey just found them ar 199,99$ a piece here:

http://www.colemanracing.com/Shock-B...ock-P4314.aspx

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

That's a decent price for those. As far as the valving goes for these, I found out after I ordered them, that they are road racing oriented. I didn't know until recently you could have them valved differently if you requested it. I wouldn't know what to tell them anyway.

You're not gonna just push on the front fender and bounce the car easily like you would with a set of Gabriels...trust me. If you've lowered your car, and you are interested in handling and not bottoming out - these are a good choice IMO. They're going to ride rougher...that's the trade off.

blakecharles

If that's an official price, Colemanracing may be the cheapest place to get these things!!!

I have UMI camber plates and Eibach Sportlines on my car w/ the Bilstein AK's. I will post pix soon!

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Our suspensions sound quite simular except that I have JM CC plates...

blakecharles

note the part numbers, these are not HD's





Drivers side installation



Passenger side installtion

blakecharles

I will post pix of the rears soon (they didn't come with hardware and I no longer have the nut's for the rears that came off the car).

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Blake - Those are some real nice front disc brakes! But those are also some seriously thick spacers also...you need to run those because of the vette wheels?

Did you get the front struts from the original vendor I got mine from? Kinda weird you didn't get the mounting hardware...I got everything with mine..locknuts, washers etc...they were in a small plastic bag inside each box.

blakecharles

Yes I did, and yes... they did come with the hardware. guess I just didn't look hard enough. You and I have a lot in common (cept I'm doing a LS1/T56 swap).

They are stock 12" LS1 brakes w/ brake motive drilled/slotted rotors + ceramic pads that I got from BM (ls1tech sponsor). I have to run 2" spacers all the way around for the "Deep Dish" Y2K wheels. When I got the wheels I didn't know much about cars, now I wish that I picked something else. I like the look, but hate the spacers and the. I also don't like that I had to cut the steering stops off my spindles for the brakes to fit. Had to do a custom steering box build to compensate for it.

So far nothing rubs at all. With the sportline springs, my car sits kind of high. I will post pix when I get home..

sorry for the slow response btw

carattini

I paid $700 for my set and I don't expect to use waranty

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

Blake -
Looks like a nice build you have going so far! And a drop top....Brakes look awesome too! I've yet to concentate on brakes...mine work fine with the stock fronts and Ford Explorer rear drums...but I've yet to really try and slow it down after a 1/4 mile run or anything. Not to mention, drums on the rear don't look that great behind aftermarket wheels...

An LS1 swap is a great way to go...just so much more efficient than any Gen1 SBC. Being able to smack down the power they have with good gas milage is why I think they're a great choice. Of course, when you start building them...or anything for all-out performance the gas mileage will vary.

I'm running Sportline springs also...your engine is a bunch lighter then my ole 400, so I'm not too surprised yours sits a little higher. Just MO, but I wouldn't go with any height adjustments until you go out and drive it around your area to see how low is practical. Looks decent where it's at to me.