Hey all,
Finally getting my car back on the road soon and I have a few questions as for the longevity of the suspension components. I want the car to handle like stock (or better, optimally) but I don't want to replace anything I don't need to. What all do I need to look for as far as wear n tear, and what could I replace (for relatively cheap) that would up the cars handling since it'll already be on the lift?
My thoughts:
Poly bushings
SFCs (need them anyways, ttop car and i'm building a motor to replace the 305)
springs (want to lower the car a little)
shocks
ball joints
Sway bar upgrade (my rear bar was broken in a wreck, might as well replace both)
wonder bar

What else should i look at? steering linkage, tie rods, wheel bearings,struts? any of those should I be concerned about? Thanks

 

Struts are the same thing as shocks, functionally; they're just on the front where these cars only have shocks on the rear. So yeah, part of the same package. Shocks are the biggest change you can make to the car's behavior, other than springs; but good ones are kinda $$$$.

Tie rods are part of the steering linkage. They're VERY EEEEZY to replace yourself, at any time: go get a center link, all 4 tie rod ends, 2 adjuster sleeves, and an idler arm. Take all that stuff off your car as a unit (remove idler arm bolts from frame after carefully marking the outline of the idler arm on it so you can put the new one back EXACTLY where the old one was), remove the nut holding the center link to the Pitman arm and the ones holding the tie rod ends to the spindles, bust the joints loose where you took the nuts off, lay all that on the ground, assemble your new parts to EXACTLY the same length as the old, then installation is the reverse of removal.

Sway bar bushings and end links are the same way: you can replace those at any time. Use poly of course, you can get them from board sponsors, Summit/Jegs, AZ, etc. For a car without seriously defective parts, this is the single biggest bang for the buck you can do.

Replace your rear control arms and Panhard bar instead of trying to change the bushings. They are so weeeeeeek you can bend them with your bare hands. (or at least, I can, 150-lb 6'-1" weakling that I am) I have the Lakewood ones on mine but there are PLENTY of choices out there. Poly/poly ends are fine, don't fall for the hype about "bind".

LCARBs make a MASSIVE improvement to the rear suspension geometry of even a stock height car, and since lowering makes the geometry even more faulty, they are essential for a lowered car.

Get rid of your drum brakes and put on PBR discs on the rear, and a LS1 conversion on the front.

Tires.