10K Suspension Build

[piratebaseball]

Ok guys, just trying to figure out the best suspension combo to go with so I figured I'd get your imput. My budget on my 67 camaro build for suspension is 10k. That has to include everything. Wheels, tires, brakes, 12 bolt, rear suspension, front suspension, et cetera. I have no rear suspension pieces currently, except for the DSE Deep tubs are installed and I have my front subframe bolted on with global west solid bushings and it is powdercoated. I also have a hotchkis front sway bar and disc brake spindles for up front. So with 10k to play with, what would you get?

Car will be street driven hard, drag raced every now and then, but doubt it will ever be autocrossed. I do want power steering and power brakes with discs all around. For rear suspension, I'm looking into the prodigy bar with a moser 12 bolt. Engine will either be a bbc efi or a built lq4 and trans will more than likely be a T56 magnum.

[scherp69]

Since your trying to keep a budget, here's some suggestions:

Kore brakes. Don't have any experience but have heard nothing but good about them. Looks like a full kit for around $1600 http://www.kore3.com/products.php?cat=11

Prodigy Bar, g-bar or g-link. $1900 - $2300 http://cachassisworks.com/cac_gBar.html

Keep your stock subframe and mod it with:

Speed Tech chicane kit $750 - 950 depending on shocks. If you get their control arm kit it comes with shocks, so may save some. http://www.speedtechperformance.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=277/category_id=237/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd277.htm

Speed Tech upper and lower control arms $1569 http://www.speedtechperformance.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=131/category_id=237/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd131.htm

ATS power steering box $600 http://www.speedtechperformance.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=215/category_id=271/home_id=-1/mode=prod/prd215.htm

Add the G-mod to you subframe FREE or down the road add the AFX spindles for $1100

That would put you just under 7K. Leaves you 3k to play with for wheels and rear end. Wheels....depending on what you want you make it work. If you really want something like a Rushforth or Forgeline, that will kill your budget.

Or if you're not stuck on the prodigy bar, for $1700 you could get the Hotchkis TVS kit. It's a bolt on kit that has been proven to work and then do the subframe mods.

[piratebaseball]

Prodigy Bar and 12 bolt is 4700
Wheels/Tires is 1500
That gives me 3800 to play with front suspension and brakes. I was hoping to find some deals on the forums like I've seen in the past but since I've been researching and looking there hasn't been nothing anywhere

[johnny68]

keep your eyes on the for sale forums i bought all my front end stuff used speed tech arms c5 disk saved lots of coin then bought a torque arm set up from speed tech and kore3 rear discs
john

[pw2006]

Chat with Frank at Prodigy. He has been very helpful with my project, and has some good ideas on getting you what you need at your desired budget.

[piratebaseball]

Yea, I've talked to him a couple of times since I'm definately going with him for the prodigy bar and moser 12 bolt with 33 spline axles and a trutrac as the differential. I think it may come down that the only way I build the suspension with wheels/tires for under 10k is to find some deals with people selling stuff on the forums. I posted an add on the WTB section but nobody replied. If anybody has anything I'd be looking for send a PM this way. How is the AGR steering box? I know that somebody had one for sale on the forum pretty cheap.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Prodigy Bar Rear and 12 bolt, $4700
Ride Tech Coil Over Conversion including upper and lower A Arms, $1700
Single Adjustable Upgrade (Free)
Prodigy Total Car G Machine Strrepackage (12.12" all around) $1800
Wheels and tires budget $1500
Shipping $400

Damn it, went over $100, LOL!

This would give you a bolt in (in the driveway package) with full front and rear ride height adjustability with coil over front and rear, adjustable shocks will give you front and rear ride quality adjustabity,

[spacepirate]

^ I think Frank is onto something!

[piratebaseball]

I like that combination...what would you do for steering? Hotchkis steering linkage maybe, but what steering box?

[OLDFLM]

KORE3 brake kits are AWESOME... stock C5/Scarebird.com are more budget minded options.

Go with a billet AGR box and pump... or Lee's if you can get one. BMR torque arm with their stuff up front is a great option too!

Keep your eyes out for some used Rushforth's! They pop up on here from time to time and the quality/design can't be beat for the price!

You have to ask yourself what you REALLY want the car to do and what you're REALLY going to do with the car and go from there...

[piratebaseball]

I'm looking at a LS2 engine and T56 transmission currently...if the price stays low enough it'll be going in the car. As soon as I finish hanging the sheet metal on teh car I think I'll be giving Frank a call and ordering all the stuff he recommended...man thats gonna suck for my bank account.

[OLDFLM]

https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?81841-AGR-292317-Billet-Cruiser-gearbox-13-16-1-Ratio

[piratebaseball]

I saw the agr steering box for sale. I've heard a lot of people talk about problems with the agr though...that is my only hold up or that would be shipped to my house by now.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I sure do love the Rack and Pinion feeling of our 600 boxes.

[Marcus SC&C]

Piratebaseball, first questions is do you just want a cool sounding list parts or parts that really make a huge improvement in the cars performance and drivability? If you just want cool sounding pick anything that sounds neat and fits your budget. If you want the best performance gains you have to look at what the car needs and then give it those parts. #1 priority on the1st Gen platform is structural integrity (or lack of it). You mentioned solid body mounts, great! You didn`t mention subframe connectors, if you don`t have them they`re a must!
The next step is the horrible,backward factory front end and steering geometry. I haven`t seen a single post here that does anything to correct it. They may get better static alignment settings but the backward camber curves, super low/unstable roll center and bump steer are still there. If you do what you`ve always done, you`ll get what you always got! You have to change it to make it better. Coil overs can`t fix it and neither can A arms, you have to vertically move suspension pickup points. With this platform you need tall spindles (AFX, L&H etc.) or tall ball joints/tie rod ends (SC&C/Howe). The G mod is okay but it doesn`t do nearly enough and it limits droop travel. It was a fine way to get an edge (cheat) in transam racing 40 years ago but we`re in the 21st century now so we really should get with the program and just do it right. A Stage 2-Plus package with adjustable upper A arms will take care of the geometry and steering issues as well as the alignment issues and be lightweight and inexpensive too. Add SPC lower A arms and you`ve got adjustable ride height without the expense of a coil over conversion. A set of Varishocks will give you the same dampening adjustability as coil overs for hundreds less. Next step springs, Eibach coils up front and matching rates on the coil overs. Out back, if you want a 4 link, spend a couple extra bucks for a lot of advantages and get the G-Link over the Airbar family of kits. The G Link evolved as a hardcore version of the Airbar and has more beefy components and a lot more adjustability for hardly any more money. Get the rear sway bar option, it`s very lightweight and will let you run a little less spring rate in the rear for a better ride and better handling on rough surfaces (the street). Now you have a package that still right at $10K but you`ve actually re-engineered the cars geometry in the image of modern performance cars and THEN tuned it for performance rather swimming upstream trying to tune a car that still has fundamental design issues. Both methods can produce good numbers on a skid pad or slalom but only doing it right can produce a vintage car that drives like a brand new one. Mark SC&C

[piratebaseball]

The car will have detroit speed subframe connectors under it. Not really sure about all the adjustable upper control arms and everything. If I was autocrossing the car I could understand, but not autocrossing it seems like there is something better out there for my application and desire of the car...even though I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time according to my wife

[creekwood08]

Piratebaseball, first questions is do you just want a cool sounding list parts or parts that really make a huge improvement in the cars performance and drivability? If you just want cool sounding pick anything that sounds neat and fits your budget. If you want the best performance gains you have to look at what the car needs and then give it those parts. #1 priority on the1st Gen platform is structural integrity (or lack of it). You mentioned solid body mounts, great! You didn`t mention subframe connectors, if you don`t have them they`re a must!
The next step is the horrible,backward factory front end and steering geometry. I haven`t seen a single post here that does anything to correct it. They may get better static alignment settings but the backward camber curves, super low/unstable roll center and bump steer are still there. If you do what you`ve always done, you`ll get what you always got! You have to change it to make it better. Coil overs can`t fix it and neither can A arms, you have to vertically move suspension pickup points. With this platform you need tall spindles (AFX, L&H etc.) or tall ball joints/tie rod ends (SC&C/Howe). The G mod is okay but it doesn`t do nearly enough and it limits droop travel. It was a fine way to get an edge (cheat) in transam racing 40 years ago but we`re in the 21st century now so we really should get with the program and just do it right. A Stage 2-Plus package with adjustable upper A arms will take care of the geometry and steering issues as well as the alignment issues and be lightweight and inexpensive too. Add SPC lower A arms and you`ve got adjustable ride height without the expense of a coil over conversion. A set of Varishocks will give you the same dampening adjustability as coil overs for hundreds less. Next step springs, Eibach coils up front and matching rates on the coil overs. Out back, if you want a 4 link, spend a couple extra bucks for a lot of advantages and get the G-Link over the Airbar family of kits. The G Link evolved as a hardcore version of the Airbar and has more beefy components and a lot more adjustability for hardly any more money. Get the rear sway bar option, it`s very lightweight and will let you run a little less spring rate in the rear for a better ride and better handling on rough surfaces (the street). Now you have a package that still right at $10K but you`ve actually re-engineered the cars geometry in the image of modern performance cars and THEN tuned it for performance rather swimming upstream trying to tune a car that still has fundamental design issues. Both methods can produce good numbers on a skid pad or slalom but only doing it right can produce a vintage car that drives like a brand new one. Mark SC&C

Marcus whats your thoughts on using air ride's air springs setup.....would you call that a "cool sounding list of parts" or is it worth spending the money. My 69 camaro is lowered atm and I pay attention to how I drive but the bottom of the car still rubs the ground of speed bumps and other things so i think that the air suspension set up would be a nice upgrade from a pretty decently stock suspension. Wondering your 2cents

[ProdigyCustoms]

The bumpsteer and camber gain can both be corrected for $850 with the addition of the Ride Tech Tru Turn kit. I have seen the Tru Turn in action and (as well as the other solutions) and would challenge any other front original replacment steering solutions to equal the bumpsteer (or lack there of) of the Tru Turn.

But adding the Tru Turn for a street cruiser would have blown the total $10K budget by $950 so i did not add it for a cruiser.

[Taylor1969]

You can go really budget with great results from the following (my setup)

AFX Spindles $1000
Global West Delrin bushings in stock control arms, Global West Front and rear springs, Bilstein shocks all the way around ~$1000
1992 Iroc steering box - < $100
Kore3 C5 Brake package (including teflon lines, etc.) front and rear - ~$1500
Don't forget hydroboost setup from either Tallon (who did a great job for me) or hydratech - $750

You'll get all that you are looking for out of the car on this suspension and brakes and only be out about 5K