Yet another 1st gen F-body suspension question .........

[Bgonz 69]

I've got a 68 Firebird that I'm finishing up and getting around to the front suspension/steering. I've been reading threads on this for weeks and quite honestly, I'm more lost now than when I started reading lol


The car is old school meets new school so anything goes. It's gonna be 454/5 spd tremec powered with a 12 bolt. I just put the Detroit speed 3" lowering rear leafs in it and it seems to sit ok but the car is still gutted so I expect it to sit lower when complete. I'm running a M/T 29x15x15 radial on a custom 15x12 Pontiac rally wheel that's all tucked under, so i'm looking for low.

I'm stuck on coil over fronts or just coil springs and the whole stock A-arm / Guildstrand mod over tubular upper and lowers has got me lost ????? Drop spindles or not ??? Steering box choices ????

My goal is a nice riding / handling car but with the 15" steam rollers out back I'm not expecting autocross excellence. I built this car so it will accept any tire and wheel combo so who knows maybe some 18" or 20" wheels may eventually catch my eye.


Simplify my options please ............





Thanks !!!!

[TheJDMan]

I think your project is a good candidate for the Ridetech Street Grip suspension. But whatever you do, DO NOT start mixing parts from different vendors! Mixing parts is probably the fastest way to end up with a dysfunctional suspension.

http://www.ridetech.com/products/streetgrip/?features_hash=13-256

[77thor]

Be wary of drop spindles... as there have been many reports of clearance/interference issues with them.

I totally agree with Steve(above); "DO NOT start mixing parts from different vendors".

[Mean 69]

One of the first decisions you should be making is specifically what size tire will you run now and in the future, and what size brakes do you want. Need to start there, and that will really help what you "need" for your project. With the big fatty's in the rear, the front isn't going to "need" some of the higher end stuff that is on the market. Also, do you want to "set it and forget it," or will you play around with tuning the car in the future?

There are a lot of great parts in the market these days, which is cool, but there is also a lot of junk. Mixing parts between suppliers isn't a big deal if you understand what you are doing, but if you aren't obsessed with learning all of the in's and out's, sticking with one formula/supplier is a safer bet.

[Rod]

But whatever you do, DO NOT start mixing parts from different vendors! Mixing parts is probably the fastest way to end up with a dysfunctional suspension.

agree here, but I can help you, the best bet would be a coilover that will allow you to get a correct ride height to match the back, did you already buy rear shocks? a coil over should always be used with tube arms, the 50 year old arm that came on the car were not designed to have all that weight (3300lbs) concentrated on those two little 3/8 threaded bolts......




Be wary of drop spindles... as there have been many reports of clearance/interference issues with them.


drop spindles are designed to be part of a package and by themselves create more problems, but in a package are GREAT

[Bgonz 69]

Thanks for the replies !!!!

Makes total sense not to miss match parts, that was my thoughts coming into this thread. I like the adjustability of a front coil over, on this car as I think the stance is gonna make or break it, more so than some others due to the giant rear tire and odd wheel choice. For the time being I'm committed to a 15" rim, but that can easily change down the road. I have my "vision" of what I'm looking for, and so far achieving it has been quite a challenge. I'm probably going to go with wildwood brakes front and rear due to the fact they have a pretty good parking brake set-up, something I need due to the 5 spd. I'm a pretty hardcore drag racer, not really into the G machine stuff, so odds are I wont be tuning much of anything once it hits the road lol .

I've had quite a few 1st gen's over the years and I've never liked the twitchy odd feeling of the oem power steering , so I guess that's what I'm really trying to avoid.

[Bgonz 69]

I think your project is a good candidate for the Ridetech Street Grip suspension. But whatever you do, DO NOT start mixing parts from different vendors! Mixing parts is probably the fastest way to end up with a dysfunctional suspension.

http://www.ridetech.com/products/streetgrip/?features_hash=13-256


I'm thinking about the Ridetech upper and lower A-arms, spindles and coil overs. Comes out to $2230 from Summit with my discount. Any dealers with any better pricing ????

[Bgonz 69]

Quick search got me to MCB ..............

$2150 shipped

:twothumbs



Anybody else I should know about lol

[Rod]

chopped liver, only good for my advice with 30 years experience ... I guess