Got the 36mm front and 23mm rear sway bars installed today (finally had an open lift...). Topped it off with poly bushings/endlinks. Car now corners flater than anything I've ever driven. There is no understeer and the oversteer/nsedive has been eliminated. I had my worries about putting such large swaybars on my V6, I figured the lighter front end would cause understeer. I am happy, I would reccomend this to anyone with the six. Also, the plenum spacers will be done soon, I was lucky enough to get the aluminum bar I needed for free (apparently, I have a GOOD connection with a machinist and didn't even know it). I will be custom fabbing these with coolant passages and nitrous bosses (insert evil laugh here).

 

coolant passages? in intake spacers??? that's cool that the sway bars made that much of a difference!

 

I plan to use the coolant passages to keep the upper plenum nice and cool (Ice water pumped through the passages). I just wanna keep the intake as cool as possible, heat robs these engines of power in a crazy way. I know mine runs much harder early in the morning. The nitrous bosses should make for a convenient place to go semi-direct port. I'm having just the spacers themselves dyno tested by a member here (If he still want's to).

 

do you mind sharing the thickness of the spacers? i'm working on making a set of 1/2" ones for my car now. how are you going to keep ice water cold? seems like it'd be easier to branch off on of the a/c lines and pump freon through them...that'll make it COLD!

 

ive seen track cars with a wine bottle cooler converted into a fuel line cooler, fuel line spiraled around the inside of it and was filled with ice every race.

 

They are going to be of 1/2 inch increments. I'm really quite excited about them, could be an interesting general mod. I hit a bit of a snag today though, It seems there are two different runner shape/sizes (or so the gaskets I have believe). I'll take a picture and post it. Did the 2.8 and 3.1 have slightly different runner diameters and shapes? I always thought they were the same. I'd hate to have them machined and then have to re-port the inside diameters. The water will saty cold thanks to a big hunk of dry ice under pressure (it sublimes a bit slower that way). The water will be in an insulated resivoir, and pumped through the passages continuously. I figue, If I run out of Dry ice at the track, I'll just buy a big ol' cup of coke.

 

Stock V6 springs- 420lbs, I run 800+ fronts
Rears are aprox 120lbs, I run progressive 175/225 rate springs

My front bar is a Solid Chromemoly 34mm/ Not hollow
My rear bar is a solid 25mm

Koni Yellows, HMS solid strut mounts(Major Improvement-best modification that can be done to the front of an F-body. If you don't have these then don't waste you time on a STB- your wasting your money) SFC's and a magnitude of custom braces. There's much much more to list....


There isn't another streetcar I have ever come across that can touch me in a corner with this lightweight V6 Camaro- and I arrogantly boast this with money to back it.

There isn't

 

Where did you get the springs, locally or on the web?

 

Stock front springs suck. I get way to much bounce when doin 50 and I hit a dip in the road. I was just noticing this today. I could really use some stiffer springs up front. I have 500lb coil overs on the rear.

 

Im still willing to do your dyno runs that you wanted, just let me know when so i can setup a date to go. sorry Ive been so busy lately with work I hardly ever get to check up on this board anymore, but I still do everynow and then. -Matt

 

Its a custom application that I bought years back- The fronts were actualy off another race car I own. These are "Suspension Spring Specialists" coils. I don't believe that they offer progressive rear pigtail springs anymore.

 

Wow, Dean.. you didn't fabricate the springs from scratch? I'm shocked.

Btw.. I suppose this is a long shot.. have you turned any laps at Laguna Seca? If so, what's your best laptime? In the RS, of course.

 

No, I've only had this car on California Speedway2.8 mile road course (a 2.8 on a 2.8 ). No lap times- but clocked 123.3 (on handheld GPS) on the bank1 turn-was suppose to keep it under 85 but snuck past the front straight official at aprox 110 and then layed into it about 100ft before the bank- They caught me though.

Edit: I have it on 8mm Video were I edged past pop sleeping in the Vette and walked on him through the corner- He was a little scetchy to jump me back (he's turning 70 this year) Later one of my older brothers (I have five- and a twin) jumped in the Vette to try and hang with me through the infeild corners- I walked his *** but he was right back on my bumper within 100ft into the little straight sections- That car is fast (10 sec 1/4's)

 

Oh believe me Matt, You'll be the first person to see the finished project, lol. As for VsixToy...I don't corner "On a Rail" yet, maybe someday...I doubt it.

 

You've got a great frame to work with- Thats why I built this little V6 to handle, they are incredibly balanced to begin with.

 

hehe.. I've got alot of work to do on my '86 before I even start with the suspension... unless someone takes it off my hands first.

 

But, the suspension is somthing you can modify for fun. It's not super expensive or anything. Good shocks, some aftermarket springs, some swaybar junkyard hunting action, a little polyurethane, and a welding machine. The only thing I have left to do on mine, that I have planned, is replacing tierod ends and some other steering linkage issues.

 

hey ive got a lot of suspension mods that i want to do just like you did. hit me up with everything you have done to your car suspension wise and what it cost you to do roughly. i havnt done any work to my car lately and want to start working on it here soon. ive got a broken tranny mount that i was going to replace with the automatic crossmember and auto mount but i notice that i need to drill out the mounting slot for the auto mount on the crossmember by about a half an inch. the problem is that i have no way to do it seens how i live in an apartment and have no power tools. ive been driving without a mount bolted down for about 2 months now, tranny is just banging around in there lol. also i have 1 exhaust leak that i need to fix but i have no welder here with me, i can weld i just have no welder.

 

Any weekend you have time to do it, jst hit me up, we'll put it on the lift and get on it. Access is free for ya, Sonar and I spend long evenings at the shop working on these cars. I have no problem helping a fellow thirdgenner work on their car. At least what you have to do is semi-easy,lol, last night, we put lowering springs on a Trans-AM, we've got that process down to a science now. Replacing those A-arm bushings was a pain before, now it's easy. As a matter of fact, if you want to fix it tonight, we can do something, I still have a half a case of beer left over! LOL.