ok iv run into a offer that i thought sounded good, but i wnat to do some homework before i go and do it. If the guy thats maybe gonna sell me the stuff sees this,, no offence dude, just doing some research!.....anyways...hes parting out a 91 TA with WS6 suspension stuff, and i was wondering how much better the 91 WS6 stuff is than my stock 84 TA..im not looking for a kick *** cornering car or anything,, just something that will hold its own better than its doing right now. before i was thinking about buying all new stuff from jegs or whatever, but they are EXPENSIVE upgrades, and this is VERY cheap compared to that..so is it a good deal to get the WS6 stuff??(f/r sway bars, panhard, control arms)......please give me some opinions
thanks,
ryan

 

if i were u i would pick up the sway bars but not the lca and the panhard bar. they are all junk. anything will be better then stock so just go with aftermarket cheapo's. also i don't think the ws6 had diff lca's and panhard rods they were all the samre

 

how much batter are the sway bars?? also,, the panhard bar is only 15 bucks,,,that still not worth it??

 

well i have always had them on my car but i have heard they really make a diff.

 

ok, so you suggest STRONGLY to get them????? i dont wnat to be like dohhhhhhhhh when i get them and they suck, and dont make a differance at all..also i dont know how much they were used...i can get both front and back swaybars for 75 bucks....PLEASE SOMEONE SECOND,THIRD,AND FORTH ALL OF THIS....no offence 89formula, i appreciate all of your help so far, i just like a viarety of opinions. thanks again!!

ryan

 

i got a set of ws6 sway bars at a junk yard (36mm and 24?mm) for $30 for the set, they are easy to pull off and will be easy to switch. Im just going to wait and buy new bushings first, that supposedly makes the biggest difference

 

ok, so i guess ill go a head and do this mod. sure beats 400 for new ones...
thanks
ryan

 

Lets see if I can help you out, the 84 TA suspension sucks. Well its a nice design really but the springs/sway bars/tires left plenty of room for improvement. I have outfitted an older car like that with newer WS-6 size sway bars and springs. The car already had a halfway descent set of tires. The swap also included poly end links and greased poly bushings. The difference was enormous. If you don't feel a different from changing those items you did something wrong. When you set the '84 TA sway bars next to the WS-6 bars you should see an major difference in size. This is the majority of the improvement in the suspension. From there harder panhard bar, A-arm, and trailing arm bushings are in order. Also throw in subframe connectors and you'll jerk your brain out on a turn.

 

dr. pepper,, when you say newer, do you mean like 91-92,, or like 93 and up?? im assuming you mean 91-91 seeing how the cars susspensions are the same.....anyways.....so do you think i should get the panhard bar as well?? its only an additional 15 bucks. Im not sure about the springs, would you recomend thoes too?? i dont think i will want to mess with them though, and i dont want to pay someone to do it. i kinda need money for my engine in the spring. can you also explain to me what a panhard bar does?? thanks for your help, i really appreciate it!!
Ryan

 

I mean like 91-92. Most of the parts I used were donated by an 86-89 Trans Am. I am unsure of the exact year because the suspension was most of what was left after it sat in the junkyard a day. The wheels were 16" wheels though and the sway bar diameters matched the WS-6 diameters. The car also had factory rear disc brakes. The springs I used were actually NAPA replacement springs for the WS-6 package. I don't believe 93+ parts are compatible, at least for the front suspension. The rear suspension parts probably are compatible. I wouldn't bother with the panhard bar. It is my understanding that the bushings are no different, and the bar itself definately isn't different. It has been rumored a few times that 1LE/WS6 cars got stiffer rubber bushings for all of the suspension but I have also seen it disproved as well. You would be better off just getting poly bushings for your current panhard bar and calling it the day. The polys are going to be stiffer anyways. Summit sells the poly bushings for the panhard bar for $16.

What does the panhard bar do? Simply put, it keeps the rear end from pushing out to the side. Think about your suspension system without it. In a turn the rear axle is being pulled out from under your car sideways. The body wants to keep going the direction it was before the turn, the axle is following the tires which are going through the turn. If you look at the suspension system nothing is really able to firmly hold the axle from being pulled out sidways. The trailing arms and springs help a little but neither is strong enough to hold it from coming out sideways. The trailing arms are mainly designed to hold the axle from moving front to back. Like a bar of steel they are very strong going along the trailing arms and pretty weak to forces bending them sideways. The panhard bar runs from the body to the axle sidways to give a strong hold on the axle from side to side.

On the subject of springs, replacement springs are about $50 each. They aren't horrible, but probably not nearly as cheap as what you have in front of you. The springs are a double edge sword. They are not as important to handling as the sway bars but they do help. They are very important to ride quality. Heavy springs will make you feel every imperfection in the road. Many complaints were made to GM over the GTA for having a horrible ride. My experience backs this up. So if you are trying to improve handling but you are not looking for that sports car handling skip the springs. If the springs come cheap then maybe pick them up and keep them around. Then if you decide to later it is just a matter of swapping them. If you skip them and later on change your mind new ones can be purchased for a reasonable price. The rears are easy to swap, the fronts aren't that bad but I wouldn't call it an easy swap.

One thing that crossed my mind to help you save a few bucks is to look at the end links/bushings on the donor car. All I have seen had factory poly end links and bushings on the sway bar but not on the rest of the suspension. So if they are in good condition you can save a few dollars on buying new ones.

 

i wish i could look at the doner car,, but its in a differant state. i saw this guys ad here on the classified board.

thanks for your help, im waiting for that guy to email me back so we can make some deals! thanks for the answers, im sure ill have some more for ya soon!! thanks again!
Ryan