first off i have a 1983 Z28 with stock suspension includeing sway bars and spring and i am looking into upgradeing mine because i figure 83 did not really have the best suspension out of the thirdgens. i found a bigger swapbar at a performance shop for like 250$ dont want to spend that much on a sway bar so i was wondering is there a thirdgen that came with better sways then mine that would make a diffrence?? also is there anthing else off other thidgen i could swap onto mine to improve my suspension that wont be to hard to install???

Also tomorrow i am putting installing kumho 255/40ZR17 tires with two17x8 and two 17x9 roh snyper rims and i think i am going to have to lower the car to make it all look perfect (guessing 1 to2"). now does it matter what brand lowering spring i get or are they basicaly all the same?? is there anything i should look for or stay away from??and do i need to change the shocks when lowering the car? oh one more thing is it true that by just putting my new tires and rims on it will make a diffrence in turns???

 

Put subframes on it if you don't already have them.

Sway bars have to be properly matched and bigger is not allways better. There's a post on here which lists the sizes for each year.

There's things I would do to the suspension first before deciding on which bars to run. However, you could change the bushings on your existing bars as they're probably crap by now. You could also measure them so you'll know what size you've got - my 83 came with 32/21 bars on it.

There's also some posts which describe the handling changes with different size bars front and back. There's a lot of to consider before deciding which ones to go with.

EDIT - Eibach Prokit would be probably be a good choice for street use - 1.5 drop - should be OK with the 17s

EDIT - crap shocks will not work well with the higher spring rates so you should change them - KYBs are cheap but I hear they don't last - I have Koni yellows and don't expect to ever buy shocks for this car again.

 

You can try to find some IROC or 1LE sway bars from the later years. They will swap right on if you take the mounts with the bars off a junkyard car.

Other than that, go with Spohn swaybars, Addco, etc etc etc.

 

Get in touch with Tom at www.houseofcamaro.com I don't know what he's got available in sway bars, but he has WS6 springs, so he might have the sway bars too. The sizes on my '87 are 36mm/24mm.

His business is taking these cars apart, and he's got a whole warehouse FULL of GOOD used parts--and at good prices. Plus, he's a great guy.

 

i am getting WS6 front and rear sway bars and need to know if i will need anything to get them to fit on my 83 Z or are they strate replacements?? also when u said put new bushing on them are u are talking about the the small bars that have a couple of rubbers on each end, they go on each end of the sways to connect them to the car??i'm new at this suspension stuff as u can see so please bare with my stupid questions.
Is there a place were i can get all the specs of my suspension? or find/learn everything about this stuff with diagrams and all that?? how did u learn about this?

sub frame connectors?: do they just keep everything from moveing around, make the frame stronger? do they do anything esle or other purpuses (sp)??

 

those bars with bushings on each end are the endlinks. if theyve never been off the car, youll probably break the bolt trying to get them off, so you might as well get replacements for them before you start the project, i think spohn sells prothane ones for like 12 bucks. otherwise, your stock ones will work. the ones that will not work with a bigger diameter sway bar are the bushings where the bar attaches to the frame, and are simply called sway bar bushings

sub frame connectors are a must have for any car. they will make the car handle better, stop squeks, and make the car feel more solid.

ive got a set of WS6 springs i would be willing to part with, let me know

 

I have a WS6 setup if you want to make the switch or cant locate the parts... Ive got the front and rear bars, the springs, bushings, etc etc...

 

oh ok i see, i asked because i just replaced all 4 of mine 5 months ago and was wondering if i can use those ones or not??
i dont wanna put the WS6 springs on because i hear they really kill the ride (bumpy) and i have new lowering spring so i am gunna be installing them. the sway bars i am getting are 30mm up front and the rear is 24mm, i have a 1983 Z28 can i use the end links i have now? will i need anything to install these bars??
(wanna make sure i have everything before i start putting them on, its the worst when u missing a part)
one more question will these bars make a good diffrence?

oh thanks for the info on the subframes i will get on that in a bit.

 

actually I have a set of NEW subframe connectors too... I could not use them because of my modified TH400 tranny crossmember...