'55 Bel Air front suspension

[cornfedbill]

I am building a '55 Bel Air for daily use. I want a mild PT theme to make it fun to drive.

There does not seem to be much in the line of suspension upgrades without changing to a Camaro or Vette front suspension. I am really not planning on that much change. I don't plan on competing with this car. I would, however, like to have a bit of fun driving in the local canyons without white knuckles.

I was considering rebuilding the stock suspension and adding Howe Racing tall upper ball joints. The new ball joints, good shocks, stiffer springs and a bit of lowering may give me what I want.

Has anyone any experience with modifying the stock tri-5 front suspension?

What has anyone else done?

[exwestracer]

I'd start out (again) with the LCA level and do a geometry check to see what the camber gain and bump steer is like. Then decide what you need to change. Obviously you'd want front discs...right?

[dontlifttoshift]

Easy and simple. Heidts or RideTech controls arms to get some extra caster and coilovers. Hotchkis front and rear anti roll bars. Eaton Detroit spring for a new set of leaves in what ever ride height (I prefer 3" lower) and the best shocks you can buy. All bolt on, no fab work, and works pretty damn good. Oh, don't forget the steering box......Borgeson newer box is good. Stay away from the 605.

I have done a handful this way and the customer has always been happy with the "perceived handling" and I always felt that it rode well.

[cornfedbill]

I'd start out (again) with the LCA level and do a geometry check to see what the camber gain and bump steer is like. Then decide what you need to change. Obviously you'd want front discs...right?

Thanks again Ray. I will start there.

The discs are already installed with all new lines and self-adjusting rear drums.

[cornfedbill]

Easy and simple. Heidts or RideTech controls arms to get some extra caster and coilovers. Hotchkis front and rear anti roll bars. Eaton Detroit spring for a new set of leaves in what ever ride height (I prefer 3" lower) and the best shocks you can buy. All bolt on, no fab work, and works pretty damn good. Oh, don't forget the steering box......Borgeson newer box is good. Stay away from the 605.

I have done a handful this way and the customer has always been happy with the "perceived handling" and I always felt that it rode well.

Donny,

This sounds like a great setup. I bet your builds handle well. But it is beyond the low buck scope of this car. My Nova gets first priority for money and will be the car of choice for track and autocross events.

I will look into the Hotchkis bars you suggested though.

I took a look at the Borgeson website. Its not cheap, but may be a wise investment. It has to be much better than the loosey goosey armstrong power steering I have now. I lose track every time I try to count how many turns it is from lock to lock.

I am leaning towards some Bilsteins and will definitely buy good set of springs. I probably will not spring for coilovers, adjustable shocks or new control arms at this time. This will be a daily driver. I just want something safe and fun for the street.

[dhutton]

I have read in a few places that the best bang for your buck upgrade for these cars is sway bars.

Don

[dontlifttoshift]

That's cool. You don't "need" coil overs. Springs and shocks first. I still recommend Eaton for the springs....no question there. If you shop price on springs you will get crap....I promise. Get the back as low as you can.... it will help with caster.

Bilstein shocks are a great choice.

You won't be sorry you spent the money on the Borgeson box....a close second is CPP. I have done both and prefer the feel of the Borgeson.

The Hotchkis bars can go on any time. The rear is adjustable and the front is hollow.

[rockytopper]

Easy and simple. Heidts or RideTech controls arms to get some extra caster and coilovers. Hotchkis front and rear anti roll bars. Eaton Detroit spring for a new set of leaves in what ever ride height (I prefer 3" lower) and the best shocks you can buy. All bolt on, no fab work, and works pretty damn good. Oh, don't forget the steering box......Borgeson newer box is good. Stay away from the 605.

I have done a handful this way and the customer has always been happy with the "perceived handling" and I always felt that it rode well.

In this setup do you use the standard or heavy duty leaf springs? What about front springs if not going the coilover route?

[dontlifttoshift]

I have used the standard springs. Same in the front. I like soft springs with good shocks and relatively large sway bars on these cars.

Keep in mind, these cars were for guys that wanted to feel like they are handling, they only see cones at construction sites.

[exwestracer]

keep in mind, these cars were for guys that wanted to feel like they are handling, they only see cones at construction sites.

love it!

[vette427-sbc]

Definitely get some kind of aftermarket upper control arm that addresses the castor... stock control arms have been known to severely limit castor.
Lowered suspension, aftermarket upper control arms with proper modern day alignment specs, a swaybar and shocks will get you a nice handling car. Solid motor mounts make a big difference too since the frames are known to sag in the middle.
My father has a '55 with SPC tall balljoint arms, 3" drop spindles, custom 3" drop springs, 7/8 sway bar, and hotchkis shocks. I think it needs a bit more swaybar, but it rides very smooth and tight as it is

[cornfedbill]

I have used the standard springs. Same in the front. I like soft springs with good shocks and relatively large sway bars on these cars.

Keep in mind, these cars were for guys that wanted to feel like they are handling, they only see cones at construction sites.

Donny,

Maybe I fit somewhere in the middle. I like to pretend that this car will see some action, but reality will likely be otherwise.

Have you ever used Landrum springs? They offer a good selection of rates and are priced fair.

[cornfedbill]

Definitely get some kind of aftermarket upper control arm that addresses the castor... stock control arms have been known to severely limit castor.

I will check into increasing castor. I am not sure I am ready to spring for new upper arms yet. But thanks for the tip.

[Twentyover]

Is it possible to use a different upper pivot shaft with re-drilled hole locations to pick up additional caster? Or relocate the frame holes moving them rearward?

[cornfedbill]

Is it possible to use a different upper pivot shaft with re-drilled hole locations to pick up additional caster? Or relocate the frame holes moving them rearward?

Greg,

That is a good idea. I will have to take some things apart and check.

[cornfedbill]

Is it possible to use a different upper pivot shaft with re-drilled hole locations to pick up additional caster? Or relocate the frame holes moving them rearward?

Greg,

A quick look online and a located offset upper control arm shafts with 2 degrees positive camber for much less than complete control arms. Thanks again for the suggestion.

[rockytopper]

So is there no entry level suspension combination that can be packaged to make a relative stock tri five handle beyond just "perceived handling" ? Example my A-body has the spc springs control arms & bilstein shocks an entry level setup. Perhaps I too only perceive to handle better but I can assure you that the car is night and day compared to it's oem original setup. With that said adjustable upper arms are available for the trifive so one would think that the same basic setup would fix the front end suspension or am I missing something? Now for the rear which is leaf springs is this the set back that prevents the tri five from handling? I know there is limited tire widths etc but does one really need to totally re-invent the rear suspension to get a trifive to handle better than just a preceived view point?

After further review it appears Ride tech offers level one and two coilover packages that don't brake the bank. Perhaps this is the best entry level setup available? I say this because the setup I mention above with new springs, shocks, and arms isn't much under the price point of the what ridetech is offering for their trifive packages. Any thoughts?

[dontlifttoshift]

Percieved handling.....My half full big gulp doesn't spill out the top when I go around a curve. The car feels stable on the road at highway speeds. Lane changes on the interstate don't require two hands and a prayer.

Actual handling......requires a stop watch.

I use the term "perceived" as sort of a disclaimer. None of these cars have been tested to see if they put down better time or not but I would bet that they do. So now the question is what is your idea of handling? One of my favorites is when a guy says he wants his car "on rails". I always reply with "you want it to drive like a train?" So for a car that will get driven but never really DRIVEN we have to relate handling to how the car feels......how we percieve the cars ability to handle.

I guess a better way to put it is that the cars were pretty good for a 50 year old car with some bolt ons. The guy that has never driven a corvette might think he was in one, the guy who owns a corvette might say "not bad"

Given everything else in proper working order, I will put at least one sway bar and a quality set of shocks on any car and it will feel much better. Good tires on a set of 18s will do the same thing, but it will amplify everything else that is wrong with the car. Better ratio and feedback from the steering box will help. All control arms can do is keep the tire happier and allow for better alignment, in a driver (that's never DRIVEN) you will never notice if your camber curve has been optimized.

As far as rear suspension, I hate leaf springs. Asking two arched stacks of metal to hold the car up, control the axle front to back and side to side, and hook the car up is just a ridiculous thought. Truth is they work pretty good when dialed in. The right rate with quality shocks (there they are again) and they do the job just fine.

The RideTech stuff is a great deal for what you get, I'll even sell it to you. But I hesitate to call it "entry level". to me entry level must be two thing 1 must be cost effective and 2 everage dude with the Husky toolset must be able to assemble. Welding a four link in isn't rocket science but may be above what some guys can or are willing to do. The other parts that could require rework with a 4 link in place of leaf spring include exhaust and other plumbing and depending on the car even paint work. That adds to the total cost.

What I posted initially was a general endorsement of parts we have used successfully in the past. I spend a lot of time with guys nailing down their priorities for the car, often they differ from mine and I oblige. For them it just comes down to how it feels. If they think it is "on rails" and the car still rides nice enough to take my grandma to bingo then I did my job.

I hope that helps, I didn't mean to be confusing.

[cornfedbill]

Percieved handling.....My half full big gulp doesn't spill out the top when I go around a curve. The car feels stable on the road at highway speeds. Lane changes on the interstate don't require two hands and a prayer.

Actual handling......requires a stop watch.

My ego wants to believe that I will autocross this ride daily. But reality is that I will never use a stop watch and may likely never autocross this car. However, I do live within a short drive of some beautiful canyon roads. I want to be able to drive them without praying every time I see a corner or slowing to half the recommended speed.

I agree that rear leafs are a compromise. After all, they were all the rage on Conestoga wagons. I want to keep the front close to stock, but bring the handling up a notch (which should not be hard to do since the entire front end is original and unbelievably loose). The rear is a different story.

So far, based on the input here, I am leaning to a good set of Bilsteins, 0.9" longer than stock Howe Racing upper ball joints, offset upper control arm shafts for more camber, and a new set of bushings. All other wear items will be replaced like they should have been two decades ago.

I think I have no choice but to install a new steering box. The cost may delay the project for a time, but will be well worth it in the end. I will look into the Borgeson box. The price is not far from the others. If it is really better, it is money well spent. After all, I consider this a safety item.

The rear is a different story. Since I can lift the body off the frame, it may not be too much of a stretch to fabricate a torque arm/watts link rear. If I fab most of the parts myself and use the spring perches for the lower links, it may be manageable. I will take some time to plan out the best solution to the rear. There is no salvageable exhaust, and the body needs a complete restoration anyway.

This has been useful. Thanks for the help.