Which company makes the best chassis parts i.e. Torque arms, lower control arms panhards etc? I looked at the Jegster torque arm and it looks like a neat concept but their subframe connector looks subpar. BMR and UMI had some good parts as well. Lakewood's stuff looks like it's more in my price range but I need the advice of folks that have had expirience in this. Also I'm on a fixed budget so what should I start with as in the most important thing for my car? BTW 84 Z28 with a mild 350 horse street engine and a 700r4 done up right.

 

Depends on what your car is doing now...

Best bang for the buck in mine (400/T-5 at the time) was LCARBs. Before that, it would wheel hop, break stuff, blow the tires off, and be completely squirrely; afterwards, it just .... WENT. Best $60 I ever spent on traction. Never ran it at the track but it would 60' Mustangs MERCILESSLY; they'd pull up next to me at the next light, a LONG time after I was already there, literally with their mouths hanging open, wondering what just happened.

 

most important things first, good tires, shocks and struts. GOOD shocks and struts, not gabriel, monroes or any hose brands. (ACdelco are usually fine)


then check and replace if need the sway bar mount bushings and end links.

 

Unless your drag racing with some serious power to the ground, no need for a torque arm or LCA's or L:CA relocating brackets - so that will save you some money.

Adj panhard bar is only needed if lowering the car, so unless that is in the works no need for that.

You'd be much much better replacing the boring stuff if you haven't yet - like a complete front suspension rebuild (idler arm, centerlink, tie rod ends, ball joints), along with new shocks/struts, and springs. And sway bay endlinks. Depending on the shocks/struts chosen, that will run you $800 - $1500 by itself. I spent about $1300 (Eibach Pro-Kit springs and Bilstein shocks/struts, along with all poly bushings and frt end rebuild).

Can't stress enough how great the wonderbar is if you don't have one - worth it's weight in gold.

 

What is the wonderbar

 

Right; not alot of sense in modding on a broken or worn-out car.

My recommendation was based on the "assumption" that you have good tires, and that the wear parts of the suspension - bushings, ball joints, steering linkage, springs, shocks & struts, and sway bar soft parts - are all in like-new condition.

The "wonderbar" is a brace that bolts between the front sway bar bushing brackets, and the "frame" (such as it is). It stiffens the front end marginally. Its original purpose was to lessen the tendency of the "frame" to crack behind the steering gear in the cars with large tires, from stress on that point in low-speed high-steering situations like parking lots. In a car in good condition it makes very little difference, kind of a "just noticeable" thing if even that; in mine, it mostly made the car feel slightly more solid while going around curves and over bumps at the same time. Emphasis on slightly. Not a huge deal, but for as cheeeep as they were at the time (back in the mid 90s or so, I guess it was) it was a good bang for the buck at $20 or so.

LCARBs correct the defective rear suspension geometry these cars were born with. Not sure what the factory was thinking on that one, I suspect they had their reasons but I don't know what they were. Maybe something on the production line or the like, as opposed to anything about how the car actually functions. But, they WORK, and the difference they make IS HUGE, as opposed to the "wonderbar", which costs about the same nowadays (aftermarket only if you can't find a junk one) but is basically just a tiny bit of nibbling around the edges of the car's opportunities for improvements.

 

Sub Frame Conectors (SFC) would be my first choice after Struts & Shocks......Leave the other stuff until later.

 

I have good shocks and struts. What brand has good subframe connectors. I looked at many with the Jester being the cheapest but is it as good as a BMR?

 

I have the Spohn Tube type on my car and they tuck in real tight and do not hang down. But whatever brand you buy, jus tmake sure you weld them on. Forget the bolt on ones.

 

I've used UMI stuff on all my cars (on my 5th Fbody) and they are by far the best out there. Price is right too.

Like these guys have said, start with the front end stuff. Ball joints, idler, pitman etc. That alone will make the front end feel solid. Good shocks/struts will make the car handle again. Tires are always good to have considering they are the ones that put the power down. Next up I would suggest Sway bar end links and poly bushings everywhere. I'd change the stamped steel rear control arms and panhard but that's me.