i got a stock 305 now and im gonna throw a beefy 350 in it next summer but for now i want to get my suspension up to par. yes or no on all these mods i want to get the best i can have without all my money leaving me new driveshaft (mine shakes at 75mph), new 3:73 gears, control arms, subframe connectors, torque arm, fuel pressure regulator, new hurst shifter, strut tower brace, steering box brace, sway bars, and a panhard bar. should i upgrade all of these things before my new engine i can still squeeze a good 30000 + miles out of it if i have to. i eventully want my car to run very low 13's high 12's while handling better than most road rally cars and still get over 10 mpg's what shuld i do!?!?! someone please help!!!

 

I always think its a good idea to upgrade the suspension of the car before the motor is added. Also add to your list a complete front end rebuild including ball joint,tie rods,poly bushings,center link, and pitman arm. Chances are your car has high miles on it and needs a front end rebuild. Also a good set of shocks/struts and springs and bigger sway bars. And don't overlook a brake upgrade of some sort, the brakes on our cars leave a lot to be desired. Anyway heres my setup and it handles like is on rails.

Complete front end rebild with Moog parts in the frontend
Energy Suspension bushings throuh the whole car
Steve Spohn adjustable LCA's,panhardbar,torque arm and SFC
Koni red shocks/struts
Eibach pro kit springs
36mm/24mm 1LE sway bars
Wonderbar
13 inch Baer track brakes

 

just remember that a successfull suspension setup, like a successfull engine setup, is a combo. you can get away with doing it part by part over time, but you should have a master plan and follow it. so its good that you are comming up with a plan before you begin. my recommendation is that you start with strengthening the chassis. once the chassis is strong then you can build on that. next I would look into bushings. you'd be supprised how good the car can handle with the stock parts. old worn out bushings ruin everything, plus at around $130 for the entire kit, they are relatively inexpensive. then start on the suspension pieces. dont go for really expensive trick parts unless you're gonna do the whole car that way. also be aware that lowering the car will change the suspension geometry. there are parts that you can buy that will fix the geometry of a lowered car, but untill those parts are installed you might experience weird handling or weird tire wear. If you plan to go low, then find out what needs to be done to compliment that (adjustable pieces like LCA's Panhard bar and shocks/struts, LCA relocation brackets, Baer bumpsteer kit) and add it to your plan. I would start with the parts that dont require lowering first, and then when you have enough to buy all the parts you need to fix the geometry, then get the springs and lower the car. or if you can afford to do everything at once (around $1200-$1500) then do that.

 

I am with Crazy Hawaiian on this one. Create a master plan and stick to it. I did a complete front and rear suspension rebuild/upgrade earlier this year. I bought all the parts first and then set aside a whole weekend for each end of the car. 1 for the front, 1 for the back. Here are some pics to get ya thinking. Check out my site for all the details and installation pics.

Rear:



Front:

 

Ditto...just get all the parts together and take your time with it. It's not too hard and really rewarding when you take it for that first spin. Jeff has a great page with very clear pics. You can also check out my pages on the rebuild. I tried to be as clear as possible when I described what you need to do. Link is in my sig, click on the Camaro albums.

Ed

 

thanks guys big help i hope i can grab the cash now to get it all!

 

what parts do i actually need? i got the:
Shocks and Struts
Driveshaft (will this work with aftermarket gears and tranny?)
Panhard bar
Steering Box Brace
Control Arms
Torque Arm
Subframe Connectors
Sway Bars
Strut tower Brace (will this clear a carb?)
new bushings
new springs (do i need these if i dont want to lower it?)
and lift bars

is there anything else i need to do a complete suspension upgrade?????????????? i really need help on this one i want it done right and im clueless

and can i do all this myself or will someone professional have to do somethings?

 

sig....

 

In my opinion...what is the use of power...if you cant use it O_o suspension helps use ALL the power that your car has. I suggest hte suspension first.

 

vjo...what's this stand for? I see stuff all over the place with "!!" in front of things. A little enlightenment please.

Ed

 

stands for delete, AC delete, Heater Control Valve delete

 

Cool, thanks. Learn somethin' new every day!!

Ed

 

CamarosRUS,
From what I've heard (I haven't done this work, maybe someone else will know more), the lift bars are not really necessary. I wish I could help more with this.

You should have a look at your tie rods, as well. Probably best to replace the tie rod ends and sleeves if you're rebuilding the entire front end and suspension.

Also, the strut tower brace for TBI setups will clear a carb.

 

chevyguy1969: what coil spring isolators did you use? I'm not sure if when I get the prokit i'll reuse the ones I have or take them out, and I know that the new GM ones will raise the back so I'm a little iffy about those... I was wondering what you did.

 

if anybody is interested i have brand new in box Herb Adams panhard rods, solid spherical ends.

 

Hey HG, I reused my old ones. They where still in good shape so and I had heard the same thing about using new ones from GM. The pro-kits worked well with my old stock ones. Take you take your time when you are putting the front ones. You will want make sure you line up the groove for the bottom of the spring against the control arm. One thing I will recomend that I am not sure if I put on page is on the bottom of the spring and the top against the isolater, take some heavy duty axle grease or CV joint grease and coat the ends of the spring. This was they will never squeak when it is cold outside. If anyone has any other questions, post it here or email me.