Need a lil help!

[2ndgenhunter]

I found me a car. Its an 81 Z28 silver/red hard top. I've been reading this site for the past 4 days and there is so much info I'm on overload. I see there is a ton of venders on here for susp. I would to see what you guys have to offer in the 4k range for a budget. the engine and are going to be Gen I sbc and a tko 600. I know that figures in for spring rates. it will be a street/DD with a lil track time. Thank y'all for your help and advise.

[CRead01]

there are so many options here...

What are you planning on doing with your car?

[2ndgenhunter]

Mainly daily drive. I live in the mtns and drive alot of twistie roads. I want a ride, but still want to long haul the car without abuse charges being filed by my kidneys.

[Tom Welch]

Gulstrand, Global West, Hotchkis, SpeedTech, Detriot Speed, Dave Pozzi's web site, Art Morrison, SC&C DANG that is information overload. Come to think of it you are going to love information overload!

[ProdigyCustoms]

You can get it done with hotchkis and some other parts for way less then $4K, if you want to take it up a notch, bump that 4K budget up to $4500 and we can hook you up with everything for the front and a 4 link rear!

Call anytime.

[noobwrench]

Stay away from a four link, youll get better results with leaf springs. Global west cat 5 leaf springs, PTFB upper and lower arms with AFCO tall ball joints, Hotchkis coils, PTFB solid body bushings, gbrace kit, and SFC's. Quality stock style steering replacement parts (pep boys/Oriellys type stuff) with edelbrock tie rod sleeves, any brand of those bumpsteer correcting outer tie rod ends. Im probably missing something, but all that should be less than 3k. I get to go cut out a 4-link thats consistently put worse numbers than the cat 5's it replaced in a few hours.

[2ndgenhunter]

I want to stay away from 4 linking this car. I want to stay simple since this car will see 15-20k miles a year.

[g6t6o]

If you have the time you can easily piece a kit together from the for sale section here. There are some great deals for parts right now!

[CRead01]

if you want to stay with leaf's I would just go with the hotchkis tvs kit and maby some tubular upper and lower control arms. then add a good steering box and your set.

you should be able to get that for around half your budget.

[79T/Aman]

there are more than one option but here's a pic of a kit that would transform your car into a modern handler and still leave cash in you wallet

[2ndgenhunter]

I got the 12:1 iroc box installed and ordered up all moog replacement parts since all the steering is trashed from careless flatbed driver. I know I want tubular U & L CAs and I'm thinking DA coilovers and DA shocks in the rear.
I still should be able to get all of that and stay under 4k ?

[79T/Aman]

I would avoid coil overs on the front unless you fabricate a tru coil over set up the conical springs side load the shock and cause shock failure (let the arguments start) but you would be better off with std springs and good shocks/ DA shock

[JRouche]

Stay away from a four link, youll get better results with leaf springs.

Thats funny, a weak statement IMO. Theres no way in hell you can say leaf springs will give better results than a 4-link. Comical.

First of all, and really the only part of what Im about to say is factual. You CANNOT say a specific system is better than another system. Too many variables. Without specifics, like the parts used, the numbers on how its set up, the driving usage, and the needed handling parameters how in the world can you make a blanket statment like a leaf spring suspended car will out preform a 4-link LOCATED suspension.

Just a weak statement. You cant, or shouldnt make blanket statements like that without adding in specific details of each suspension. It makes you sound like a kid at school saying a chevy 305 is "better" than a ford 302 just cause its a chevy. You really need to show some empirical data to be taken seriously.

And really, if you are a guy in school and learning what you can, good for you. Im not trying to bust yer balls, just trying to show how your statement might sound a lil weak and what you say wont hold much weight.

Ok, now into my opinion based ramblings. I of course have a 4-link. Ok, maybe not "of course", but you have to see some bias right LOL

IMO a 4-link offers up some great possibilities with adjustments, thats the main reason I went with it. Well, ok, not the main reason. My car, a 62 nova didnt have any frame under it. Uni-body. They should call it flexi body. And it had mono leafs, yup, one spring on each side.

So a proper suspension was in order, and some framework. In 1995 there wasnt anything (still isnt) for the rear of these cars. So a full on AMT 4-link rear clip was the obvious choice, for me. Yup, I lost the rear seats, had to remove the entire floor, took alot of bracing and welding. Made sure it was all square throughout the process.

But now I had a frame and a usable suspension, kinda. Im not a fan of their "coilovers". Cheap shocks with threaded spring retainers to hold the springs. Yeah, its a coilover, just meant for a 1/4 mile track, not the road course or street for that matter, mine is a street car.

But the frame is solid, top of the line. The links are well made. The link brackets are great. They made sure to put enough adjustability there where you really can get into trouble. I LIKE that. Give me the rope I asked for and let me hang myself. Once Im done hanging I may find my way down and do a proper adjustment. For me adjustability is key. I need to be able to take the suspension on the far ends of usability then back off a lil and tweak it to perfection. With a 4-link you can do that.

Ive ditched the coilovers, replaced all the rod ends from some very nice stainless steel poly ends AME supplied, which I asked for, with some nice QA1 rod ends. I dont have any binding at all. Some ART shockwaves are in place of the coilovers, but I think some decent coilovers would be just great in the same application.

My lil adjustments. https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55420

Again, Im not saying you dont have a point. Leaf springs DO have a place in performance cars. But I dont know. Whenever I see a guy saying statements that should be written in stone, like this IS the best, or these are better than this I gotta pipe up. No such thing as the best, or better when it comes to the massive variables of car suspensions. Even the mono spring suspension I removed has some added bennies, super light is one.

Ok!!! So, IMO 4-link suspensions DO have a place in performance cars, as well as leaf sprung suspension, and really all the rest too, well maybe all the rest LOL There were some pretty poor systems too. hahaha..

Its all good, where are them leaf springs anyway, I should be able to stuff them up there now and do something with them :) JR

[2ndgenhunter]

Any other company have anything to offer?

[noobwrench]

http://www.cachassisworks.com/CatPages/CAC/CAC9946.pdf page 83, I LOL'ed at him for wasting 2 grand. Also I never said 4 links are terribad for ALL cars, just kinda a giant waste of time and money for second gens. Only a few of the pieces are bent or cut too much to re-install, if anyone's interested in the kit ill see of he hasnt thrown it away yet.

[ProdigyCustoms]

To add to your steering upgrades:

Speedtech upper and lower arms $1000

Hotchkis TVS kit $1080

QA1 shock (Single sdjustable) $560

Hotchkis frame connectors $280

Total $2950

Upgrade to Double adjustable $500

[2ndgenhunter]

I picked up my subframe and rear today. Ready to order. Frank i'll be calling in the am.

[noobwrench]

do the speedtech arms have additional caster built in, and can they come with tall ball joints like PTFB and SC+C?

[ProdigyCustoms]

Yes they have extra caster built in, no tall ball joint option from Speedtech yet. But we can sell you tall Howe ball joints for the Speedtech arms

[noobwrench]

Yes they have extra caster built in, no tall ball joint option from Speedtech yet. But we can sell you tall Howe ball joints for the Speedtech arms

good too know. Buy that tall ball joint form them when you order!