shocks?

[1976CamaroGuy]

I still have my 71 Camaro up on stands finishing up the brakes and a few other things. Last year it went through a major drivetrain and suspension overhaul. I haven't fired the motor or tried out the suspension yet...but I am close.



Things I have done:



1. Dropped in a 1998 LS1 / 4L60e that had 88k on it. Controlled by a Holley Terminator LS system.



2. Pulled all of the old suspension stuff off, which consisted of Moog springs, stock springs in the back, lowering blocks, stock cheap shocks, stock front and rear sway bars.



And replaced with Hotchkis front and rear dropped springs, CPP upper and lower tubular control arms, Adco 1-1/4" front sway bar, CPP 1" rear sway bar, CPP traction bars, Bilstein HD shocks.



Also have solid body bushings, CPP tubular subframe connectors, PTFB G-Brace, Cowl Brace and sway bar brace.



Steering components have been upgraded to forge, moog, and UMI tie rod adjusters.

Gear box is a borgeson 12:7.1 fast ratio box and upgraded the intermediate shaft to Jeep U-Joint.



3. Pulled the stock disc and drum brakes and stock MC / Booster and replaced with CPP C5 spindles and brakes, universal rear discs, Wilwood MC and Corvette dual 9" booster. Also upgraded all of the soft lines to braided stainless. Changed the stock 1/4" front to rear line to a 3/16" line.




Anyway that's the backstory on the upgrades and changes and can't wait to get the car on the ground, fired up and see how it compares to the old stuff.



But ONE thing I am on the fence about right now...shocks



Wondering if I should





1. Keep the Bilsteins and roll with it





2. Change them for the Hotchkis Fox tuned shocks to match my spring set-up





3. Buy a front coilover set-up for the front with dual adjustable front and rear shocks






There's pros and cons for any of the options...right now I am sort of leaning towards getting the fox shocks and keep the spring set-up.


But I like the appeal of having coilovers for the front...especially setting a tuned front ride height with minimal effort.



Oh and this is pretty much a street set-up...not planning to autocross, but I feel like the bug could hit me lol.



Open to any ideas or experiences you folks have had with these shock and suspension set-ups



Thanks in advance

[ULTM8Z]

the front suspension sounds the same as my 71 Camaro. including the steering shaft, steering box, g braces, etc...

if its just a street car like mine, I'm doubtful youd notice a difference with the shock change. the Bilsteins with the Hotchkis springs is a fantastic combination. that plus 6 deg caster out of the tubular upper arms, my guess is you'll be satisfied...

if anything, at least drive it first. I did all mine in stages, so I saw the improvement with each item added, and it's absolutely light years ahead of factory 71 suspension...

[c4racer2]

sounds a lot like my current set-up as well. Even as far as having a boxed up set of Bilstein shocks for the front that I am on the fence about returning.

What is driving my decision is really the back-end - I am pretty sure that ultimately I want a 4-link or TA set-up with coil overs and would like to run 315-35-18 tires with the factory tubs and still tucked under the fenders. Currently the springs are the limiting factor and I can fit a 295 tire. But I think for ultimate handling, ride and traction I am going to want a more modern rear suspension package.

So since I am planning on either the SpeedTech or Ridetech rear, with RT shocks either way - I am leaning towards going with RT shocks up front now instead of installing those Bilsteins. That will also allow me to dial in the exact ride height to optimize the set-up for 275-35-18 front tires too and give the best ride / handling set-up. And here is my logic - stay with me here - if I am doing RT coil overs on all 4 corners and RT or ST upper and lower control arms, the additional cost to go with the full package from RT is less that $1K and that includes steering linkage which will run about $300 for me since I haven't done that yet.

This is called the snow-ball effect people.

[Typhoon1015]

Based on your work and requirements, I would finish the car and drive it after getting it aligned. You may find you want more adjustment, or adjustable ride height. If that is the case the option for matched hotchkis shocks would be a good choice. If you want adjustable ride heights and like to spin knobs for different types of driving, then a double adjustable might be in your future.

Either way, it should be way beyond your expectations and you may not know it until you drive it and decide.