I live on a gravel road with quite a few bumps but i noticed that my v8 firebird i have bottoms out very easily.. but my last v6 firebird i had didn't bottom out as easily.. im just thinking my shocks or something are shot..anything I should replace besides shocks?? and is there a big difference in weight between v6 birds and v8s?

 

I'd suggest both springs and struts/shocks.

JamesC

 

The V8 has a larger exhaust so that could be part of the difference.

 

The V8s do weigh more, no doubt there. Did you drop a V8 into a V8 chassis? If so, your springs might not be strong enough to support the extra weight. Even so, the shocks/struts should holdit up, for the most part, if you aren't driving too fast.

If your shocks/struts are the blown culprit, replace them. Even then, get new springs if they are V6 springs.

 

I'll probably just replace everything and no it is a v8 stock lol if i was going to swap from a v6 to a v8 it wouldn't be to a 305 TBI.

 

I suggest, as you have already seemed to agree to, new shocks, struts, springs and (if you feel up to it) new poly bushings all the way around. Of course, if you start on that, it inevitably leads to new Front and rear sway bars, steering brace (wonder bar), new rear lower control arms, new panhard bar, new torque arm...and a whole bunch of money the wife tends to frown at one spending. Good luck!

 

Check the sway bar end links. The bushings may be gone if the car is original. The struts give very minimum support to the ride height of the car, they are primarily controling rebound of the wheel, but if they are blown they won't keep up with a bad road. Springs do wear out and get weak with time, and if we are talking about an '84 that you list on the side bar then those springs are getting old. The sway bar generally will hang in there but doesn't do any good if the end link bushings are gone, the top bushing is the one that usually gets chewed up and spit out first, then the large washers hold on in the extreme angles.