Front Suspension Rebuild Help 73 TA

[73ta]

I'm planning to rebuild my front suspension and have the following questions for you 2nd gen suspension guru's. Let me know what you run and what you would have done differently!

Currently stock A arms with poly bushings. Planning to go with aftermarket arms on top and new bushing on the lower. Any reccommendations on arms, bushings, tall balljoints?

Need new balljoints, inner & outer tie rod ends ect. Best type & source?

Currently running stock springs, stock sway bar/poly end links with KYB shock. Stick with stock springs as ride height is where I want it? New shocks? New sway bar needed?

Stock brake calipers with stock rotors & pads. Reasonable upgrades for these parts?

Car is street driven with 1/4 mile and autocross track time. Want it to handle well with reasonable budget. I know the sky is the limit!

[Lowend]

I'll ask you the most important question... budget?

[73ta]

$2500 max.

[Lowend]

The name of the game here is chassis bracing...
I would be looking at the PT Fbody's Stopflex kit (http://www.pro-touringf-body.com/chassis_components.html)
Now as far as the balljoints tie rods and such, just use Moog
Shocks - Its hard to beat Edelbrock for street driven 2nd gens

A-arms - well there are a lot of choices depending on how much you want to spend and how much install time you want to spend.
Front runners
Global West
Detroit Speed
SC&C
Pro Touring F-Body

[Lowend]

Lots of info on A-arms here
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105025

[NOT A TA]

in "The 14 Car" I run
Stock UCA's and LCA's (tubulars weren't out yet)
Global West DEL-A-LUM control arm bushings
Hotchkis offset upper control arm shafts
Hotchkis springs (they lowered the car about 3 3/4 inches from stock)
Hotchkis sway bar
Bilstien shocks (from Hotchkis)
Energy Suspension poly body mount bushings
Stock spindles
Spicer ball joints
Moog centerlink and tie rods
Hotchkis tie rod adjusters
Amsoil synthetic grease
bolt in SFC's
Stock discs W/ Raybestos Heavy Duty Semi Metallic pads
Forget whose bearings I used
New stock master cyl
new steel brake lines and flex lines
Hurst Roll Control line lock
TT II's 17 x 9.5 W/ Yokohama AO32's 275 40 17 for road course
Centerline 15 x 3.5's with Mickey Thompson skinnys for drags

Things I'd do differently
Tubular control arms(because they're available now)

My car spends a lot more time on tracks now and I trailer it to most events that are over 300 miles away. I used to drive the car from CT to Florida on vacations at the time I did the suspension work and before I had a trailer. So these things I'd change since ride quality isn't as important to me now.

Gen II solid body mounts
Gen II G brace (will probably install this year)
Weld in sub frame connectors (will probably replace the bolt ins)

[73ta]

Thanks for the replys. I think I have a good idea now.

Not A TA: do you have ay pics of the ride height? How much suspension travel left? I'm running the same wheels, measurement from fender lip to ground?

[NOT A TA]

If I remember correctly I did change the bumpstops per Hotchkis's recommendation. I never measured the travel but I haven't felt it bottom. I figured the engineers at Hotchkis know more than I do so I just installed the parts they recommended as far as springs , sways, shocks, control arm shaft and the bumpstops.

I did get a slight tire rub on the upper inner fender when hitting really hard bumps when I ran Pontiac Rally II's 15x7 with 255 60 15's. When I got the TT II's I had the custom backspacing done at 5.5" for the fronts. I don't believe that the off the shelf TT II's have that much backspace. I can't remember the fender to ground measurement so I'll measure the next time I take it out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/09/IMG_0198-1.jpg

This pic from Lime Rock is from a few years back but shows the ground clearance

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/12/LimeRock-1.jpg

[ZS10]

First, NOT A TA, that is a really, really, good looking car!

Second, I'm going to go through the front end of my 73 Camaro his winter, was going to use this (http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/7669,975_Muscle-Car-Replacement-Tie-Rods-and-Ball-Joints.html)
Kit for the joints and a poly (http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=ENS%2D3%2D3104R&N=700+4294925130+4294925074+4294892674+115&autoview=sku) bushing kit for the control arms.
I have no problem drilling some holes and making them greaseable if squeaking becomes annoying.

I already have 3 way shocks, and the stock 'Z28' sway bar to go in. Can loosen the bar off at the strip and tighten down for the drive to and from. So the suspension does pretty much what I want it to do.

If my alignment is OK I'll stay with the stock arms. Unless someone can post up some decent $/lb numbers I'll keep my stock arms
I will use 1/2" thick poly, upper a arm bumpstops again.

'Stock front, springs, '73, 350, w/air, RS car', and they seem to work fine with my no air, aluminum head, intake, w/p, rad, pushed back 1", BBC.

[79T/Aman]

ZS10 take a look at our Comp upper arms 1/2 the weight for $259 a set with built in castor and solid greasable bushings on billet offset cross shafts almost not worth dealing with stock ones :twothumbs

[73ta]

Not A TA:

Sweet car. Thats the look I'm looking for. Here's my current ride height stock springs frnt & bk. Looking for a little higher in the rear stock springs from 1973, very old. Front springs are for AC car and are newer stock springs about 8 years old.

[O'Neall]

NOT A TA and 73ta... wow, those are gorgeous cars!!!!!!!!!!!!

73ta... what size wheel tire combo is that? And what backspacking did you use?

[NOT A TA]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

73 TA
Thats a great looking car! I had a white 75 TA 400 auto with that sticker package on it I sold a couple years ago.

I'll be bringing mine over to my shop next week to get started on the winter projects and will measure the heights.

The Gen II upper arms mentioned above by 79T/Aman sound like they might fit into your plans.
1. Pressing Global west bushings into stock arms requires fabbing a spacer/support to keep the arms from bending/twisting, a large press, and care to make sure the grease fittings end up in an easy to reach position with a grease gun.
2. The solid greasable bushings are included in the price.
3. The offset shafts are included in the price.
4. Less flex / lower weight

What discs are you running on the rear?

[O'Neall]

1. Pressing Global west bushings into stock arms requires fabbing a spacer/support to keep the arms from bending/twisting

Really? I'd never heard this before. I've got a set of Del-A-lums UCA bushings and GW's offset billet crosshafts that I was going to use with my stock UCAs... exactly what kind of spacer/support is needed?

[NOT A TA]

I'll have to look at them since it's been a few years since I did them and I may be thinking of the LCA's. I remember that the sheetmatal was starting to flex as I increased pressure with the press to install the bushings. Knowing that sheetmetal will crack easier after being bent back and forth I stopped and made a support.

[79T/Aman]

GW used to includ a small metal plate to be welded across the lower control arm bushing "ears" to keep them from bending but they also changed the bushings in the past 8-10 years to try to help with that problem ( smaller OD. so they go in easyer)

[O'Neall]

I was just reviewing Tony Huntimer's "How to Build & Modify GM Pro-Touring Street Machines" and found where it said that welding in a plate to reinforce (and prevent flex) in LCAs was a good idea, but it didn't say anything about the UCAs needing such reinforcement. Since I'm going to just run stock rubber bushing in my LCAs I should be okay, right?

[79T/Aman]

yes you'll be fine with the stock bushings in the lowers Jon

[O'Neall]

And the UCAs with the GW Del-A-Lums are okay without reinforcement?

[73ta]

O'neal wheels are front & back 17 X 9.5 with 5.5 BS if my memory is correct. tires 285/40 rr & 265/40 frnt.

Not A TA rear disc setup came off of a 79 WS6 TA.

79 TA man I'm saving my money for some of your goodies!

[79T/Aman]

thanks 73ta, Jon the upper arms will flex as you press in the bushings just as they would installing stock bushings but a spacer can be fitted between the "ears" next to the cross shaft or as most mechanics do is to use a hammer to pop the bushing in place while applying pressure to press in the bushing

[O'Neall]

Do you recommend welding this spacer in and making it a permanent part of the control arm? Or is it only necessary to use it temporarily while pressing in the bushings?

[NOT A TA]

Sorry for the delay but weather made it a pain to get my car out and over to the shop. I can't wait to move south!

Anyway the front wheelwell arches are 26.5" and the rears are 27.25". Thats with a full tank of gas and the air cond system removed. The front end is probably about 30-40 lbs lighter than a stock car due to aluminum intake, removed park/turn lights, and lightweight plastic headlights. Still has battery in engine compartment (not for long though). Measurements were taken with 275 40 17 front tires and 315 35 17's out back. Hope this helps