69 Nova performance cruiser front suspension rebuild

[dontlifttoshift]

Other than cost, where the difference isn't that great and the ability to dent the body and still have a functional shock. What is the upside to a twin tube?

Please don't use the "it's good enough to win this series" argument. That Ohlins you linked has as much in common with an off the shelf Koni as a space shuttle does with a paper airplane.

You will not find a shock manufacturer in the world that will say "These would work better with a smaller piston"

[stab6902]

I appreciate the discussion/debate guys - hopefully this thread is helpful for people down the road. I respect everyone's input, especially considering a lot of people on here have been playing with cars since well before I was born.

The high-end Ohlins example was just to illustrate that the twin tube design isn't inherently flawed. I was trying to help the OP maximize his bang for the buck, hence relating my positive experience with the Koni's (which is not an isolated case - check out peoples' experiences on the BMW, Camaro, and Mustang forums). That said, I have nothing to sell, don't mind what the OP (or anyone else) ends up buying, and I'm interested in learning as much as I can.

A couple other benefits of twin tubes include longer available travel per given shock length, minimal effect on static ride height (I've seen high pressure mono tubes "raise" ride height noticeably, especially in the back with a 1:1 motion ratio), and less seal friction.

Regarding the piston size comment, I agree, bigger is better. A lot of the better twin tubes have a larger OD than a comparable mono tube for this reason. I have not cut them apart to see how different the working piston diameters are, but I agree that that's generally a pro for mono tubes.

As QA1 says, "The monotube vs. twin tube debate will go on forever. We manufacture both styles of shocks in order to support both preferences."

Relevant links:
https://www.qa1.net/suspension/shock...onotube-shocks
https://iscsuspension-na.com/monotub...erence-better/

[OregonianNova]

What kind of tires are you running? That will ultimately determine how "hardcore" you should go on suspension. Here's what I'm running on my 68 Firebird, with prices rounded to the nearest $5. This is a great setup for street and the occasional autocross with average sized modern summer street tires. You'd want something more "hardcore" if you plan on running 275mm+ 200 treadwear tires on a road course, but you said this was primarily a street car.

- Moog rubber front control arm bushings (all 8): $40 from rockauto.com, don't forget your 5% off code
- Moog rubber rear leaf bushings (all of them): $35 from rockauto.com
*Again, I prefer rubber bushings on a street car, especially on the rear leafs where you need compliance. Delrin/Del-Alum will cost more and ride harsher/noisier, with the benefit of less compliance under high loads. It's a trade-off.
- BMR front 2" lowering springs: $140 from Summit, often you can get 10% off promotional codes at big car shows
- Hellwig 1-1/8" hollow front swaybar: $160 from Summit
- Pro-Forged 0.9" taller front upper ball joints (pair): $120 from Summit
- Koni STR.T shocks: $240 for the set of 4 from tirerack.com, they often run specials with $30-$50 mail in rebates
*I've had Bilstein and Koni shocks on a number of cars and honestly I can't tell the difference between the two. Maybe if I had two identically setup cars to drive back-to-back I could, but the differences are small and a matter of preference. They're both good and noticeably better than the "parts store" shocks. I'm not really sure how much better the Hotchkis and ridetech shocks that cost 2-3x more could really be; i've never tried them.
- 2" lowering blocks for my stock rear multi-leafs: $25 from Advance Auto
*Stock rear multi-leafs and small (2" or less) lowering blocks are fine for a typical 300-400 ft-lb torque street motor and street tires in my opinion. Due to roll center heights and the properties of leaf springs, you don't need super high rear leaf spring rates and rear sway bars to prevent understeer with the stiffened up front end.

Grand total so far: $760, without using any discount codes or rebates.

If you must have new rear leafs, you can add the BMR ones for $350 (then subtract $20 from above since they come with bushings), moving your total up to $1090. With some discount codes and rebates, you're at ~$1000 for a suspension system very comparable to ridetech's. And you're still using good brands - Moog, Koni, and BMR are all highly regarded. Why pay more

If you want to run the Bilstein shocks, your total would be around $1290.

Hopefully this helps. I'm very happy with this system in my car for the way I use it. Pic below:Attachment 153708

I just priced this out on summit racing but with ridetech ball joints from their street grip kit and poly control arm bushings from summit. They happened to have a promo going for $50 off any order of $500 or more. Decided to pull the trigger and buy it but I split the order up into two and surprisingly it let me use the code twice. With the $100 off and a $50 rebate from koni it only cost $1152 shipped including bmr leaf springs. I figure that this will at least allow me to drive the car a year or so sooner than if I spent 1-2 years saving up for the suspension I am planning to run long term. Plus it will let me figure out how hard core I want to go.

[pitts64]

Dude, I'm just a car guy not making a dime on any of this. Listen to Marc!!!

His set Stage III and Lee 14:1 box have my 69 el Camino handling like a new sports car!! I didn't even need modern tires! I'm very happy keeping it sixtys looking but modern handling.. I'm always taking the long way home, my car is so much fun to drive, its like a performance go cart..

[stab6902]

I just priced this out on summit racing but with ridetech ball joints from their street grip kit and poly control arm bushings from summit. They happened to have a promo going for $50 off any order of $500 or more. Decided to pull the trigger and buy it but I split the order up into two and surprisingly it let me use the code twice. With the $100 off and a $50 rebate from koni it only cost $1152 shipped including bmr leaf springs. I figure that this will at least allow me to drive the car a year or so sooner than if I spent 1-2 years saving up for the suspension I am planning to run long term. Plus it will let me figure out how hard core I want to go.

Great, let us know how you like it once it's all installed!

[OregonianNova]

Great, let us know how you like it once it's all installed!

I will. It will be a while as I want to replace floor pans first and I am LS swapping my car as well. Hoping to be on the road by spring or summer.