mikernet

iTrader: (1)

Hey all,

So I've been driving the car around A LOT in the last two days, and its bloody spectacular cruising around with the t-tops down...I love the car. Originally, when I was shopping for a car, I didn't care if the car I got was a T-top car or not, but now I wouldn't give up the T-tops for the world!

That said, I "discovered" some issues:

-the stock suspension is way too lax and bouncy. Going over rougher road patches, it almost feels like a truck. Yes, its a heavy car, but the suspension feels like its off a large sedan (i.e. a crown vic) instead of a sports car. Can good aftermarket springs, shocks, and SFC's remedy this problem, or are we looking at a suspension geometry problem here? I just wanna tighten things up here.

-the speedo is a bit off - speedo says 70, and I'm actually going 80. It's a damn good thing I discovered this before I got nailed by a cop haha. How can I adjust the speedo?

-the steering is a little "loose" - I can move the steering wheel back and forth about 10 degrees each way without the wheels moving. Any idea where the problem lies here?

-being a GM, there are rattles abound...I don't really mind them too much, but I'm going to try to get rid of them and I'm wondering outta curiousity, has someone been able to successfully de-rattle their car, or is this going to be an uphill battle?

Thanks,

--Mike

P.S. car pic!!

D's89IROCZ

good for you. I would definately get them SFC's ... especially wiht the T-top car.

zedder 1 9 9 0

Well, you have to remember that no matter how good the car looks it is 18 years old(possibly 19 if it was made in '88) so the suspension probably has to be replaced. Start with shocks and struts, and springs if you can afford it all in one go. How good are all of the bushings? each one may have a little play in them which can make the car feel mushy. Sub frame connectors will help out with the rattles and squeaks, but won't eliminate them. The build quality was average for this era so some sqeaks and rattles are par for the course and you have to factor in the cars age( my 98 Tercel has some annoying rattles in it, not as many as my Iroc but it certainly has its share). Just remember its an old car, its gonna have issues. As far as the steering is concerned your steering box may need a rebuild in order to get the crisp response back that the car had when it was younger, or there might be some slighly worn out front end components. The key is that it looks like you have a nice ride, so you can tackle these issues in time.

George

The suspension is likely shot.

I would suggest a Prokit with Bilsteins, Spohn SFCs, steering brace, LCAs and relo brackets with some kind of 17" wheels and 275 tyres on all 4 corners if you can manage it.

Poly bushings for the sway bars and end links. Koni Yellows are best for track use but too much for street so get Bilsteins. Strut tower brace is good idea too.

The steering box is probably at the end of its days and I expect the rest of the front is worn as well.

88camarosc350

nice gta

George

If you swap out the springs try not to use 4th gen isolators as they are thicker than the 3rdgen ones and will raise the car.

mikernet

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the input guys,

Today was a busy day...I went through and cleaned out the engine bay and the entire interior. I shampooed the shi*t outta my car, so the carpets look like new again...that was after I tore out the seats, console, shift ****, door panels and steering wheel. I'm gonna see if I can find 4th gen seats and door panels somewhere, look for a steering wheel and shift **** I like, and fab up a new console.

I'll get on fixing up the suspension after that. I'll keep your recommendations in mind George, but the wheels/tires are staying as they are...I like em :P

Is there anyone in London that has "properly working" suspension on their car, and are willing to take me on a little 3 minute ride so I can feel the difference? I'm not entirely convinced that my suspension is necessarily bad, and it's quite possible that it was already replaced at some point. It might be that I'm just used to the 325i I was driving before...the car does corner very well...it's just a little too bouncy. I don't know if it is abnormal bouncy or just the way the stock suspension should be, since I don't really have a reference point.

Thanks,

--Mike

2tonedmaro89

wow that car looks pretty good( i like the gold rims on your car too) lol

George

It should be pretty firm, if it's bouncing around the shockers are either worn or they're some kind of cheapazz replacements like KYB etcetera.

My friend has some kind of mid range BMW with a standard tranny. We took it to the Mosport race track to try and break things on it before the warranty ran out. My car was quicker and its just a scruffy thirdgen as you can see from this picture. This is what a car with good shocks looks like..lol

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Keep enjoying her while the weather is good.......that's what these cars are all about.

mikernet

iTrader: (1)

The weather here is gorgeous and the car is a blast to drive. I'm getting burnt all over from the sun though! haha...I've never had to put sunscreen on before driving lmao.

I've been driving around a lot, and I'm almost positive that the suspension is performing as intended by stock standards. It feels fine now, just took me a while to transition from the kickass sport suspension on the bimmer. As I said before, on flat ground, it drives and corners like a champ. Just when things get bumpy, its too bouncy for my liking, but I doubt it's abnormal. My mechanic would have mentioned it if the suspension was screwed up when I had him look it all over. I'll definitely be looking into performance suspension sometime soon though.

kaptinkafeen

iTrader: (2)

Great looking GTA - love the colour.
Sounds like the suspension does need a re-build. If you can, be sure to determine the use of the car - daily driver? weekend toy? Track time etc... Then go and buy your new suspension parts.
Curious - how did you figure out your speedo was out?
Oh did I mention I like the colour....

George, have you made it out to the track at all this year? I was out at Mosport's DDT - great times. Ran on a set of street tires (Firehawks). Can't wait to mount some Toyo R1 on my WS6 wheels.
-Andrew

George

Good to see another 3rdgen getting some track time. Need more of them.

I havn't been out this year which I'm not too happy about. Got too much going on right now and it doesn't look like letting up any time soon.

Nice looking car you have there. Was that with OMSC at the DDT.

How did you like that track. Lots of technical corners and a bit hard on brakes and tyres but probably about the best short track that we have.

I ran at Dunnville once and I'm not going back there - brakes faded to nothing on that track.

TLC is likely going to be at the GP Track in October. I'd like to try and get to that one at least and the long track is really easy on the car.

mikernet

iTrader: (1)

haha...i figured out the speedo was out because I'd be driving what I thought was only 10km over and passing everyone, and it also felt a little fast...so I got someone to drive 60/70/80 in front of me and i matched their speed, read my speedo.

I will certainly be making it out to the track and recording some lap times. Perhaps I'll get in a few laps before I start changing anything so I have a baseline to measure improvements from.

In terms of suspension...the car is my daily driver, but I'll take performance over comfort. Basically the feel I'm going for is like something out of a factory high end modern sports car. I'll use BMW examples because I know BMW's - something like the suspension out of an M3 - stiff as hell, very little roll, yet still very usable as a daily driver and it is still capable of kicking *** on a track. Any recommendations besides the one George gave above? I'm also looking to have the car dropped about 2 inches.

I still don't know how to adjust the speedo - am I looking at programming the ECU, or is there an easier way?