Ridetech Strong Arms and Tru Turn with Speedtech Chicane and Guldstrand Mod

[b17brian]

I bought the ridetech Strong Arms upper and lower and the Tru Turn Package for my 67 Camaro. I'm using the OEM subframe.

Question 1: Are the above parts compatible with the Speedtech Chicane Coilover mount?

Question 2: Should I do the Guldstrand Mod with the Strong Arms and Tru Turn Package?

Right now it will be street driven, but I want to Autocross it. I've heard Autocrossing is addicting so I want to build it right the first time, rather than have to go back and redo it later.

[Rod]

Question 1: Are the above parts compatible with the Speedtech Chicane Coilover mount?

the chicane kit requires a longer shock with a eye-loop upper mount...call speed tech for the correct length shock

Question 2: Should I do the Guldstrand Mod with the Strong Arms and Tru Turn Package?

I say yes, some say no, but I don't think a Guldstrand can be done with the chicane bracket

I want to build it right the first time, rather than have to go back and redo it later.

you will redo it, again, that's racing.... to go fast we modify and redo, test and build continuously, look at every top car in the industry they are different than last year and the year before

[b17brian]

Rod,

Thanks for the reply, I love your car Plain Jane. I'm subscribed to your thread over on Lat-G. I kept running into your posts during my research on the Tru-Turn Package. Thanks for all the great info, it led me to decide on that package. Congrats and good luck at OUSCI.

I was aware that the Chicane Mount required different shocks. Still saving for the shocks anyway. I haven’t done the research on how to figuring out the required length. I'll call Speedtech as you suggested to get their recommendation on the length.

On the Guldstrand Mod, I recently ran across a post on how you did the G-mod to your car and highly recommended it. Now I can't find that post again. Since the Chicane Mount doesn't change the upper A arm mount location I assumed that I could still do the G-mod too. Another question I'll ask Speedtech.

I did notice the industry leaders change all the time. In the beginning I thought I'd model my front suspension off of the OneLapCamaro. Now I see that James's subframe is up for sale. In the end I decided to pick a package from one company and decided that would be ridetech.

[killer69]

You can do the G mod with the chicane kit. it will take more work fitting the brackets but we have done it. but with the Tall spindle on the truturn do you really need to?

[Rod]

Rod,

Congrats and good luck at OUSCI.

Thank you VERY much, it has been a crazy trip over the last 5 years since I built "Jane" in a two car garage by myself, now to be racing with top names in the industry with my home-build, I would write it all down (everything I have done in 5 years) but most wouldn't believe it

Rod,

I'll call Speedtech as you suggested to get their recommendation on the length.

Blake is a cool dude and will steer you right (another guy I have meet, hung out, traveled and raced with in the last few years) crazy right

On the Guldstrand Mod, I recently ran across a post on how you did the G-mod to your car and highly recommended it. Now I can't find that post again. Since the Chicane Mount doesn't change the upper A arm mount location I assumed that I could still do the G-mod too. Another question I'll ask Speedtech.

I do recommended the Guldstrand mod, I was told for years that you don't do that with tall spindles and I listened at first, but after racing hard for months I kept chewing up tires and feathering the outer edges LIKE MAD! the guldstrand reduced that on my car and on the few other cars I have also work with on front suspension

[b17brian]

You can do the G mod with the chicane kit. it will take more work fitting the brackets but we have done it. but with the Tall spindle on the truturn do you really need to?

Blake, I guess that is my question, do I really need to? Will it hurt anything to do the G-mod with tall spindles? Will I gain anything by doing the G-mod, or does the ridetech tall spindles negate the G-mod?

Thank you VERY much, it has been a crazy trip over the last 5 years since I built "Jane" in a two car garage by myself, now to be racing with top names in the industry with my home-build, I would write it all down (everything I have done in 5 years) but most wouldn't believe it

I do recommended the Guldstrand mod, I was told for years that you don't do that with tall spindles and I listened at first, but after racing hard for months I kept chewing up tires and feathering the outer edges LIKE MAD! the guldstrand reduced that on my car and on the few other cars I have also work with on front suspension

Rod, I too am building my car in a two car garage by myself. I'll be happy if my car turns out half as good as yours has. Do you have a number of how many others are running G-mod with Strong Arms and Tru Turn?

[b17brian]

Starting point for the suspension upgrade. I bought the Tru Turn system and StrongArms from MCB during a sale around Thanksgiving. Purchased the Speedtech Chicane mounts during a Christmas sale, should be here Monday. I started mocking up the parts to see how they all fit. All of these parts are going on another subframe I bought that will be re-welded and painted prior to install. Trying to use OEM brakes for now. Realized that my 15" wheels won't work during mock up. I planed to upgrade wheels eventually, but wasn't ready for that change yet. Saving for the ridetech coilover shocks now.




Parts mocked up on another subframe.

[Ryanater]

Does anyone happen to have the camber curve of the ridetech setup with the Guldstrand mod added? I set up my chicane kit with both the stock and Gmod upper A-arm mounting positions and I'm still trying to figure out whether to run with or without the Guldstrand mod.

Also, what does it do to bumpsteer? I know the ridetech setup has very minimal bumpsteer, but would adding the Gmod have a noticeable effect bumpsteer?

[b17brian]

Ryanator,

I would love to see a couple pics of your Chicane Mount with the Guldstrand Mod if you could post them.

My Chicane Mounts arrive Monday and I plan on doing the Guldstrand Mod even though some say its not required. I'd like to see actual measurements also, but I don't have the tools to do the measuring myself.

[Ryanater]

Sure. I just finished mocking everything up and now I am ready to paint so I don't have any pictures with the A-arms and coilovers installed. As you can see the forward bolts are no problem, but the rear bolts BARELY cleared the chicane bracket. Some say you have to modify the bracket for this to work but it seemed to go together for me alright. I still don't know if I want to run the Gmod or not so I wanted to make sure to keep my options open. I used the 4.1" stroke coilovers as suggested to do so by Speedtech.

I used the template I found on pozziracing.com to do the Gmod.

http://www.pozziracing.com/first_gen...sion_geome.htm





Well I do have this absolutely useless picture of everything mocked up....

[b17brian]

Ryanator,

Thank you for the pics, that's what I was hoping to see. I want to do the G-mod like that and I'll have the option to use it or the standard mounting holes.

[H8rDave]

Looks like a good set-up. Do you have a complete cost as to the build at this time? It looks like this is the best way to go with an OE sub, but, I'm wondering about the total build cost for all of the parts. Any idea? True turn, coil-over, spindles, brakes, sway bar.... Thanks again for the coverage.

[b17brian]

For the ridetech Tru Turn, StrongArms, coilovers, swaybar and Speedtech Chicane it's $4185.00. There are cheaper parts to use, but I decided I wanted to use one company that engineered their parts to work together. I haven't factored in brakes yet, because I'm still saving for them. I'm hoping to use OEM brakes for now, but there are some fitment issues I'm working through there.

[Buryingthesun]

Not to be a negative Nancy, But I have the same set-up on my 1967 Firebird and the Gulstrand Mod is useless with the ridetech strong arms. The ridetech arms have camber built into them so you are actually causing your geometry to be off by doing the Gmod.

[Ryanater]

Not to be a negative Nancy, But I have the same set-up on my 1967 Firebird and the Gulstrand Mod is useless with the ridetech strong arms. The ridetech arms have camber built into them so you are actually causing your geometry to be off by doing the Gmod.

They have caster built into the arms, not camber. The tall spindles are what will give you a better camber curve. But some are using the Guldstrand mod with the tall spindles to get an even more aggressive curve.

[Buryingthesun]

They have caster built into the arms, not camber. The tall spindles are what will give you a better camber curve. But some are using the Guldstrand mod with the tall spindles to get an even more aggressive curve.

Yeah I did that wrong in my mind. . . texting and driving is a bad idea. Either way, with the Tru-turn you gain whats needed from the spindles in the kit. i understand you can gain more of an aggressive angle but you think ridetech would have factored in the geometry when they did the R&D on the kit?

[Ryanater]

Yeah I did that wrong in my mind. . . texting and driving is a bad idea. Either way, with the Tru-turn you gain whats needed from the spindles in the kit. i understand you can gain more of an aggressive angle but you think ridetech would have factored in the geometry when they did the R&D on the kit?

Agreed. That is why I am hesitant to run the Guldstrand mod. But on the other hand, it seems like there has been some success with both. Rod being a great example. He has run both configurations and has had better success with running the Gmod along with the Tru-Turn package. That's why I want the option to go either way.

Rod: Do you know if the 48 Hour Camaro is using the stock suspension points or the Guldstrand mod?

[Rod]

Rod: Do you know if the 48 Hour Camaro is using the stock suspension points or the Guldstrand mod?

the 48 Hour Camaro uses stock suspension points...

[Buryingthesun]

I would contact ridetech and ask their opinion before you start re-engineering something they designed. It could lead to some sort of catastrophic failure or premature wear on joints.

[b17brian]

Buryingthesun,

I read your whole build tonight. Excellent work on your build so far, but I see you haven't actually driven your Bird with the Tru Turn yet. I intend to do the G-mod for two reasons. 1) I have easy access installing new suspension parts on a separate frame while I still drive my car. 2) Rod Prouty recommends it. As best as I can tell from his build thread, ridetech is his 4th suspension system he's tried from some of the Pro-Touring's industry's best suspension manufacturers. And his car is a daily driver that was picked for OUSCI. If he's tried that many suspension systems and says the G-mod works, I'll take his word for it. But I intend to do the G-mod like Ryanator has done, so if I decide its not for me I'll still be able to install the upper arm in the stock location.