Total Suspension Build

[Bent6]

Thought I'd share my latest endeavor on my street car. The new engine is definitely too much for the stock suspension/drivetrain. Powermaster failed as I was pulling into the driveway on my way home from the track last time out. What started out as a brake job has turned into this. Rather than hacking up the factory 10-bolt rear I let my drag racer mindset get the best of me.

Moser M9 Housing custom narrowed 1/2" per side - this will enable me to tuck the tires UNDER the car using the more commonly available 3.5" wheel backspacing instead of having the "bronco billy" look.

Moser narrowed 35 spline axles

Moser aluminum center section 3.50 Pro-gears with Wavelock 35-spline differential (lifetime guaranteed!)

SC&C Adjustable Tubular UCAs with Howe NASCAR-style tall ball joints - ball joints drop ride height about 3/4 - 1" by themselves

SPC Ride Height Adjustable LCAs with Howe tall ball joints - these are adjustable from about -2 inches to +1 inch

This will all accompany the existing Eibach springs, H&R rear upper and lower control arms and H&R swaybar. Still waiting on Aerospace 4-piston, drilled & slotted disc brakes for all four corners, aluminum double-adjustable Vari-shocks, plus a few other odds and ends.

Thanks to John Evans (JEvans) for the long-distance measuring and collaboration on this project and Marcus at SC&C for his insight on the overall suspension goals. The car should be low but definitely not slow and be able to handle way more than the current engine can throw at it. Stay tuned....................................

 

[49-blues]

Thats a sweet set up-i ve been looking at the Strange S60 rear for mine and i really like to get a set of them control arms. So is that a 9" rear?

 

[Bent6]

I hate to tell you but Stange doesn't make the S60 for the G-body anymore. I was looking into going that route at first. The M9 is based on a 9" and is a lot stronger and more efficient than an S60 anyway.

 

[shocker998md]

holy ****, it all started with a brake job and i thought i was going to over doing it by popping a cam in while im doing a timing chain. props though, that is some SWEET stuff you got there

 

[SGRIM]

Cool! You remind me of me:biggrin:

 

[Slow91z]

Holy Overkill Batman!!

 

[Alky V6]

I like the control arms. I shy away from aftermarket front control arms because they always appear so weak to me. Those look pretty stout.

This is for a street car?

 

[Bent6]

Overkill - no doubt for the current combination. The car should be able to run in the nines but at least I'll never have to second guess the driveline.

The car is a 17k mile creampuff - I've now pulled/stored the entire stock drivetrain from the radiator to the rearend. Although this may horrify the purists, nothing has been done to the car that couldn't be put back to stock. Besides, I've owned it since new and I'm not saving it for anyone else. I do have to keep reminding myself that I'm NOT building another race car here - funny how stuff tends to get out of hand when you deal with serious race cars in addition to street cars. I would love to mini-tub the car and get really serious with it but the one rule I have in this build is NO CUTTING and that means NO CAGE now or ever even though it needs one by the rulebook.

 

[Bent6]

I like the control arms. I shy away from aftermarket front control arms because they always appear so weak to me. Those look pretty stout.

This is for a street car?

I am the same way when it comes to some of the tubular CAs out there. These are plenty beefy and the best part is you can get rid of all the factory shims and adjust these like a modern car for proper alignment for whatever type of application whether drag, autocross, or street. They greatly improve the camber on these cars. They also have greasable journal bearings which are smaller and have the side benefit of not being affected by heat - ie passenger side stock rubber bushings getting cooked by the downpipe on street cars.

 

[jevans]

Nice start to your upgrade project Will... Very Impressive parts list, looks as you have all bases covered. I really like the frontend parts, definitely something I should have done with my suspension upgrade. Looks to take the guess work out of what ride height you'll have with different springs. I'll keep a eye on your thread for progress pics and pointers to do my frontend. Good Luck with your progress...John

 

[T-CHRGD]

GodSpeed Will !!







Pun Intended :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[Toady]

Very nice!

I wish those lowers were available when I did my front end...do they have a provision for the bump stop?

 

[Heavy D]

Cool thread.... I'll grab some popcorn

 

[GNRick]

This looks like a good thread to ask this question...I'm redoing my front end on my 87 GN. I need new springs but I don't know what was in there from the last owner. I was thinking of the Moog 5658 but now I see that longer ball joints can lower the front. Can anybody steer me in the right direction for longer ball joints that would work with the stock control arms? What springs would you recommend to go with them? Thanks guys!:biggrin:

 

[Bent6]

I wish those lowers were available when I did my front end...do they have a provision for the bump stop?

Yep -

This looks like a good thread to ask this question...I'm redoing my front end on my 87 GN. I need new springs but I don't know what was in there from the last owner. I was thinking of the Moog 5658 but now I see that longer ball joints can lower the front. Can anybody steer me in the right direction for longer ball joints that would work with the stock control arms? What springs would you recommend to go with them? Thanks guys!:biggrin:

Call Mark at SC&C. The Howe tall ball joints should work with the stock control arms. The spring issue has been beat to death - do a search. The Moog 5658s have different results on different cars - this is one of the many reasons I am sticking with Eibachs and using the adjustabilty of the LCAs and ball joints to adjust the front ride height.

 

[GNRick]

Yep -



Call Mark at SC&C. The Howe tall ball joints should work with the stock control arms. The spring issue has been beat to death - do a search. The Moog 5658s have different results on different cars - this is one of the many reasons I am sticking with Eibachs and using the adjustabilty of the LCAs and ball joints to adjust the front ride height.

I checked SC&C website Savitske Classic & Custom and they say I would need adjustable upper control arms for allignment issues if I go with Howe ball joints. I think I will just go with the 5658 springs and cross my fingers.

 

[Squid4life]

Every time I stumble across a thread I get in trouble... I guess I unconsciously start making "sounds" and my wife thinks I am looking at porn. I remind her this IS my porn!
:biggrin:
Very sexy setup there!

 

[Bent6]

The brown truck showed up again and left this stuff. The teardown begins tonight. The plan is to get all the stock stuff out, mock up the new parts to make sure it all fits and address any "engineering opportunites", disassemble for powdercoating then put it all back together one more time. Sounds simple enough huh?

Rear Shocks - Varishocks by Chris Alston Chassisworks - double adjustable - still waiting on fronts

Aerospace Components Pro-Street Rear Brakes - available through Hartline Performance (shameless plug )

Aerospace Components Pro-Street Front Brakes/Hubs

Billet aluminum caliper closeup

 

[charlief1]

She'll be one sexy whore after you finish.:biggrin: Subscribed!

 

[Boost231]

What wheels are you going to run? Also what size did you get on the aerospace brakes? I have almost everything you have minus the rear in my next to purchase in the next month or so. I think I'm going to hit up the wilwood fronts and get the aerospace rears since wilwood doesn't make a rear that will fit the stock t-type wheels. Or just get the aerospace all around.Anyways great post.