Replacement or Energy Suspension bushings , or springs?

[WE287GN]

I have been looking through the search a bit..At first I had my mind set on getting an energy suspension kit..
I have since strayed a bit after reading the ID of the lower control arm bushings may be wrong????

I have owned many high mile regals, some NA some Turbo..They all felt uncomfortable in turns with lots of lean(basic on and off ramp stuff).

My front end is completely disassembled...I have GN sway bar, steering box to go in..AS far as springs I have a set of NA v6 Regal springs..

I have read some response that advise stay away from the poly stuff unless you road race...i dont but I would like to feel comfortable in the turns behind the wheel of a turbo car..
will i need ploy to get this done or will something like replacement moog be just fine???
or am I barking up the wrong tree all together, and is the roll situation in the springs???

Thanks

 

[1Badelky]

you may be referring to my mention of the ID being incorrect. while the tolerance is not ideal, I have since discovered that the factory apparently did the same thing. that is , using a 12mm bolt through a 1/2" sleeve.

I did some legwork, and apparently the only company that actually does it "right" is Global West with their Del-A-Lum bushings which are made to allow no slop.

If you are talking about the front bushings, the Del-A-Lum may be the way to go, knowing now what comes along with polyurethane.

I have read using anti-seize can elimminate the notorios squeaking that comes with poly, is there any truth to this?



edit: I took pics of the clearance issue, I'll post them in a few minutes... gotta get them uploaded.

 

[1Badelky]

ok pics.

I ordered Spohn performance replacement bolts. note the factory bolts are 12mm for the first 1/4" or so (not even enough to get inside the sleeve), then they slope down to alittle over 11mm, whereas the spohn bolts are 12mm all the way (my caliper is a little off, but you can CLEARLY see the size difference.

if you use ES bushings, you can somewhat remedy the problem by using the spohn bolts, because I'd rather have 12mm than 11mm.

factory bolt

Spohn bolt

HTH

 

[jdpolzin]

OK guys, let me put a little input into this if I can. First of all, poly bushings are not bad if they are maintaned and greased properly with polly grease frequently, but, who does that?

As Elky stated, a great way to firm up the suspension is Del-Alum bushings, which are the very best bushings out there! But, I like stock Moog replacements for ride quality purposes. I contacted Moog about a few issues on there bushings. First question was, explain why i should purchase your bushings over others. Responce was, the bushing material is actually very close to the firmness needed for performance applications do to compound rubber, which is firm. But with the rubber, they are perfect for street cars to give a comfortable ride.

Now, with all that stated. You are completely off base by thinking bushings only. The front end works together as one. Swaybars are a key in SWAY, obviously! You need to match the front and rear bar as close as you can. If you go big in the front, go big in the rear. Small up front, small in the rear. Also, much of the roll feel in corners is from Bumpsteer. This is something that can be worked with using springs, spindles, taller ball joints. There are many different ways to accomplish what you are looking to do. Honestly the best way financially would be to do a good set of MOOG springs, 5658's for V6's cars front 5413 rears for v8 or v6 cars, MOOG reaplce control arm bushings (problem solvers), 34 or 36mm front 1LE swaybar, MOOG endlinks, a good size rear bar, Savitske Classic & Custom taller ball joints and adjustable upper control arms. You can leave out the ball joints and upper control arms if you want because the springs and bars will help but the tall ball joints and adjustable uppers will help a TON! Do some research on bumpsteer and you'll find many many ways to help out with this. -----Jeremy

P.S. A good set of Energy Suspension body bushings will help as well, just be sure to use Polly grease, not regular grease.

 

[WE287GN]

Great info guys,
As far as matching I have original front and rear GN sway bars..I think I will stay with these for now..But While the suspension is apart , I will strongly consider the moog springs...
I will do some more research on the bumpsteer...
Thanks so much for the pics 1badelky..
Bunch of food for thought and searching..

 

[WE287GN]

well, i was able to read a little more..I did save the Savitske site..
Budget wise, i will be staying with the GN sway bars for now.
I will try the front Moog 5658's, rears are easy enough to do later down the road..
I am most certainly staying with the factory control arms for cost purpose.

with that being written, I have left to make a choice about what bushings to use..
I have been lead to believe that poly was the way to go because it was more rigid..
But those "moog problem solvers " sound like they might be the way to go

so basicly fresh replacemnt bushings with Gn sway bars , and the 5658 springs..
I am not into lowering , but i can deal with a little drop if it is going to improve the handling..any real reason i should consider more than this considering factory control arms...pretty much is going to be street/weekend warrior??? the reason would have to be pretty significant..
Oh ya, using factory 15x7's , 235/50's and factory brakes..nothing fancy, trying to keep it simple

Thanks so much ,

 

[WE287GN]

well so far if I go with rockauto.com I can do the Moog front springs(5658),Problem Solver upper and lower bushings , and Problem solver Lower ball joints(my uppers are fairly recent) for about the same price as the Poly bushing kit alone.

 

[jdpolzin]

And the car will ride nicely!

 

[WE287GN]

Thanks for the help guys..For now this will have to be it..tranny to work on next...

 

[WE287GN]

Sorry to bring an oldy back..Just wanted to say I finally ordered My Moog Problem solver upper and lowers for the front and also problem solver lower ball joints, along with the 5658 springs...
Not everything yet , but enough to get me back on the ground ..lol
Think I just need to get a set of iso pads for the new springs and I should be ready to reinstall..

Thanks
Chris

 

[jdpolzin]

Cool! Ill be looking forward to seeing the end result! Make sure to take some pics!

 

[ACLR8R]

I just finished a complete front end rebuild with a PST poly kit (comes with problem solvers), a 36mm sway, and QA1 coilovers and it was some of the best money I have ever spent! The car is so much better, stays flat in corners, soaks up road imperfections, and doesnt make noise (at least not yet ). Now I just need a wheel and tire upgrade and it should be a very competent handling car.

Only problem now is the car handles so much better my stock ratio steering box seems slow. Next upgrade

 

[whitecobra98]

Just ordered the Moog 5658 springs, and every front end piece (Moog problem solvers), bought extra stock upper and lower arms from members on this site, so that I can assemble them off the car to make reassembly easier, although this car seems to fight me every chance it gets..with 155K on the clock the suspension is a handful to say the least...can't wait to get it back together and handling...just one ? what is the stock sway bar diameter? the closest I come to after research is 36 mm

 

[jdpolzin]

Th stock bar is 32mm in the front. The 36mm bar is from a 1LE option Camaro. I run a 36mm bar and I love it. It's hollow so it saves weight too! Keep us posted and take pics!

 

[whitecobra98]

Th stock bar is 32mm in the front. The 36mm bar is from a 1LE option Camaro. I run a 36mm bar and I love it. It's hollow so it saves weight too! Keep us posted and take pics!

thanks....i've been reading your write-up on the front springs for about 6 1/2 hrs it was extremely helpful ..can't wait to be able to turn confidently in this things...will probably be about 2 weeks b4 I get to this project..ill try to remember the camera

 

[BlackMetal]

I have to say with my 36mm front bar, big ATR rear bar, poly body bushings, 5658 front springs, I still don't feel safe cornering in my car.