my GTA is nearing 200k miles on it, and I'm thinking it's overdue to freshen up the suspension. shocks are about 100k old, and almost everything else is factory original (only thing i've replaced is the swaybar links/bushings).

this car won't see the track, its just for cruising around. therefore, i just want it to feel 'correct' or slightly better than stock, without significantly affecting ride quality or clearance issues.

here's what i'm thinking:
-KYB GR2 shocks/struts
-eibach prokit (want car to have proper stance, but not have clearance issues).
-new poly bushings for the front/rear control arms and PHB
-weld-in subframe connectors, 2 point. (looking for a recommendation for a brand)
-camber plates (also looking for a recommendation... i'm only seeing UMI's out there, and they are kinda expensive)

and is an adjustable PHB really necessary when using prokit springs?


thoughts? recommendations?

 

Ball joints, tie rods, idler arm.

Adustable phb would be a good idea.

If you are on a budget skip the aftermarket camber plates, and get aftermarket rear control arms.

 

i actually replaced the steering components a few years ago (idler, tie rods/sleeves, center link, ball joints). didn't mention that since i wasn't really thinking of steering as 'suspension/chassis'.

i was thinking about camber plates, since the stock alignment really eats up front tires outside edges... and i hear lowering the car makes it worse. maybe i'll get lucky and find a used set.

 

Don't skip the rear control arms, they will make a Huge difference.

 

Adjustable phb was required on my prokit

 

http://www.foundersperformance.com/c...-Strut-Mounts/

 

actually, now that you mention it, i remember having to adjust both my PHB and LCA's on my firehawk when i lowered it.

that founder's stuff is a lot cheaper than the main brands (bmr, umi, spohn)... seems to get pretty good reviews too, so i'm sure as long as i'm not beating up the car at the track, i won't break them.

 

Don't worry you won't be breaking the Founders parts. They are really high quality parts.

 

KYBs are good and inexpensive
Aftermarket springs will likely raise the car back to stock height as the original springs have sagged over the decades
Poly bushings are up to you, bushings of any material in good condition will make a major difference
SFCs are always a plus
Camber plates... why? If yours arent in that bad of shape and you dont plan on slamming the car, why bother?
Adj PHB, not required

Id suggest a steering overhaul if its original/old including replacing the steering shaft. Also wouldnt hurt to give your steering column and overhaul as well

For reference, I overhauled the suspension at around 240k, steering around 280k, and installed SFCs are 310k. Night and day difference each intervall

 

placed my parts order last night. ordered everything I said I would, except the SFC's... 3rd gen designs seems to vary quite a bit, so i need to do more research on those. 4th gen SFC's are super simple... i didn't realize the 3rd/4th gen chassis' were THAT different.

also, after reading some interesting things on here, I went out and physically measured my sway bars before ordering those bushings, and i'm glad I did. according to some camaro guide I found on here, the FE2 suspension should have 34mm front / 21mm rear... but I had a 24mm rear bar... i'm thinking maybe WS6 was an 'upgrade' over FE2? also, my front bar actually measured 36mm in the center, but 34 near the bushings... i never realized that they are not the same size down the whole length.

 

YEs WS6 is an upgrade over the FE2.

Don;t get to hung up on the different SFC'S. All work great for our cars and most driving situations.

 

suspension project is DONE! i ended up buying the wrong front sway bar bushings because i measured wrong. (actually had 36's, not 34's) I was able to find some 36mm MOOG bushings at o'reillys. they fit the bar itself perfectly, but there were a little tall for the bracket... i just compressed them down and hoping it doesnt bind. also, i couldn't get the front springs 100% straight, as I was installing them without a compressor. they are close, about a 1-2" rotation needed on each side... i dunno how much it really matters. I rented some compressors after I got them in, but i couldn't get them to compress enough to let me rotate the springs.

When i got the alignment, they couldnt get it 100% perfect, as the strut mount wouldn't physically slide over any more, but they are still within spec. oddly enough, the sheet shows that the spec is different for the left and right sides of the car... odd.

I havent been able to give it a 'real' road test, as it started raining on my way back from the alignment, and the roads are still all wet... but i did some slalom runs on my way home, and it seemed pretty solid.

here is the before/after picture... i didn't take any measurements before... but now i have about a 4 finger gap in the front, and a 3-3.5 finger gap in the back. i'm hoping it will even up after some time. the old springs were factory original, so i'm willing to bet that 'lowering springs' results in no net change in height.

 

Post up your alignment specs.

 

here's my alignment chart. oddly enough, the spec on the caster is different from left and right. i also notice the top of the sheet says 'pontiac firebird 87-92 (modified specification)...

_______LEFT:__RIGHT:__RANGE:
Camber: 0.7___0.2____-0.2 - +0.8
Caster:__6.2___4.9____L(5.7-6.7), R(4.4-5.4)
Toe:___-0.03__-0.03___-0.10 - +0.10

cross camber: 0.5_____-0.7 - +0.7
cross caster: 1.3______ 0.6 - 2.0
total toe: -0.06_______-0.20 - +0.20