what to do for my 1st gen bird

[mlr1026]

Hi all, I have a 1st gen firebird (1969 to be exact) and I looking to upgrade the suspension to todays technology but with all the types of suspensions out there I not sure which way to go. The vehicle is a street machine, I probally won't be using it on the track (road or 1/4) but if I do I'd like to be able to have some fun. I was wondering what some of you guys were running and your opinions on which way to go. I looking for front and rear by the way.
Thanks,
MLR

[baz67]

Front: Guldstand mod, shocks, higher spring rate springs

Rear:better leafs

[Marcus SC&C]

Brian`s right,those are all steps in the right direction. The G mod helps to correct the 1st gen`s poor suspension geometry,it requires some drilling and grinding for the UCAs to clear but it`s worth it. You can further correct the geometry (on par with modern cars) with our Street Comp Stage 1 or 2 package. www.SCandC.com The adj. upper arms are made to work perfectly with a performance ride height,the G mod and the taller effective spindle height gained with the tall modular upper ball joints. Stg,2 includes tall tie rod ends to reduce the factory bumpsteer by about 80%. Combine this with new performance alignment specs and you have a car that handles good and is fine as is or is a really great foundation for even better handling with the normal add ons. Don`t discount the importance of good shocks. I like QA1 adj. shocks for street performance use. They`re not real cheap but they`re worth every penny. Marcus

[mlr1026]

where do I find info on the g-mod?

[Jimmy Sean]

This site covers the g-mod and has a wealth of other info for you.

http://www.pozziracing.com/

[mlr1026]

I keep reading about taller spindles. Which model vehicle are they talking about?

[Tom Welch]

I decided for my 67 bird that I would keep it all simple. Guldstrand mod, shorter springs, solid body mounts, trunk mounted battery, aluminum engine parts, 2nd gen steering gearbox, about 12:1 ratio. Corvette brakes. Guldstrand motorsports has all the info you need, so does Dave Pozzi. I think the tall spindles are from A or B body cars.

[68Formula]

How do you install a 2nd gen steering unit in a 1st gen?

[JLM]

There's been some great info in this thread. Here's what I'm planning on my personal 69 bird.
I'm running into weight problems up front due to the HEAVY iron poncho in it. I'm attempting to move as much weight to the rear as possible but until I ditch my #62's for a set of edelbrock heads I'm not going to be able to loose much weight in the front.

Here's where I'm headed...

FRONT:
AFCO front springs with hidden adjusters - 750-850lb/in dependant on weight
G-Mod
DS&E 600 steering box
Del-a-lum UCA & LCA bushings (to replace the PST crap I have now)
stock sway bar - tune with larger bar if needed
Bilstien shocks

REAR:
DS&E 3" drop leafs - 175 lbs in
Competition Engineering Slide-A-Links
tune with sway bar if needed
Bilstein shocks

BODY:
Solid body mounts
Subframe connectors

I believe this will be a decent handling package at a price that isn't hard to swallow. Sure you could definitely go a little more exotic and get some better performance from a different combo, but this should work for me as I'll be mostly a street car with limited track events.

[Tom Welch]

The 2nd Gen steering box is a bolt in job. It will connect to the 1st Gen steering column as it should and the pitman arm will swap, too. My 67 has a 78 ws-6 fast ratio box on it, looks like it was made for it.