Front and rear suspension on 78 trans-am

[jerrys85iroc]

Ok I'm trying to do some future planning for my project i'm currently building the motor and will be doing a little body work after but once that's all finished I want to go more pro-touring with it since it's set up for the strip now...I'm on a budget so I was curious if anyone could give me some ideas now I can save money so throw anything at me. Oh and if anyone uses anything they like on their car...

[WS6]

I'd first make sure everything was at least in good working order before doing any modifications. If everything is in good working order, I'd brace the car up. I'd go with Gbraces under the hood and subframe connectors. Also, solid body bushings for the front subframe. You'll need the solid bushings before you do the subframe connectors. After that, springs and shocks.

[79T/Aman]

as Trey mentioned frame connectors, solid body bushings and G-braces will do wonders to stiffen the chassis for less than 500 bucks.
your Trans Am already has good sway bars so I would not worry about spending any money on those at this time, that is an easy upprade for latter, springs and shocks would be the next step after you make sure your steering parts are not worn out.

[BMR Tech]

Ditto on the front end rebuild. Make sure all bushings, tie rods, and ball joints are in good shape before upgrading other components. Second gens respond well to stiffening up the chassis and subframe connectors should be one of the first mods. Follow that with higher rate springs that will also lower the car, a good set of monotube shocks and maybe a larger set of sway bars then the OE TA bars. The OE A-arm geometry is really good on these cars but you can lighten the unsprung weight and get some extra positive caster with aftermarket tubular A-arms if the budget allows.

[jerrys85iroc]

well it has some "newer" bushings and has subframe connectors and traction bars...i want to replace the old frame connectors though... my plans were to put aftermarket a-arms and new springs then after that a coil over 4-link set-up in the back...does anyone suggest any certain set-up for a budget? thanks for all the tips guys

[79T/Aman]

the question is how big is you budget, but I know that when the word comes up it is usualy not enough as far as I can tell you if you want a 4 link set up that works you will need $4000+ you can do very well with a good set of leaf springs

[BMR Tech]

well it has some "newer" bushings and has subframe connectors and traction bars...i want to replace the old frame connectors though... my plans were to put aftermarket a-arms and new springs then after that a coil over 4-link set-up in the back...does anyone suggest any certain set-up for a budget? thanks for all the tips guys

If the front end is already nice and tight and you are ready for aftermarket parts we have a complete A-arm package, upper and lower, for $829. Combine them with a set of 3852.120 Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks and you will have a great handling setup for around $1k. As an upgrade to the springs and shocks, you could also use the QA1 Pro-coil setup which allows valving and ride height adjustability. Expect to pay abound $250 more for the QA1 setup over the Bilsteins and Eibachs.

For the rear, coil spring conversion kits seem to be ranging from $1500-$4000 depending on manufacturer and options. You have a choice between a 3 link, 4 link, or Torque arm setup. Next month we will be releasing our Torque Arm Conversion Suspension Kit that uses AFCO double adjustable coil-over shocks. Every component is adjustable - roll center, Watts link, control arm angle, pinion angle, ride height, and shock valving. Your 78 already has a great rearend. The 8.5" 10 bolt differential has plenty of aftermarket components available to make it even stronger. Our Conversion kit will bolt directly to the factory rear and you get the complete kit for $2600. And the best part is that the whole kit is a bolt-in with no welding or fabrication required.

If you are interested you can view our A-arms and swaybar HERE and the first Gen version of the Torque Arm kit HERE.

[noobwrench]

How much caster do the BMR lower arms have built into them or are they an OEM measurement piece?

[BMR Tech]

How much caster do the BMR lower arms have built into them or are they an OEM measurement piece?

The lowers are an OEM measurement piece....

[ks71z28]

Check out this kit, we put one on a customers car recently, and went from stock to competition ready in a day, really. www.customworksproducts.com and the car has pretty nice on the street as well. You don't need a 4 link in a 2nd gen, well unless uor pockets are super deep.

[ks71z28]

Check out this kit, we put one on a customers car recently, and went from stock to competition ready in a day, really. www.customworksproducts.com and the car has pretty nice on the street as well. You don't need a 4 link in a 2nd gen, well unless uor pockets are super deep.

I see this thread still gets a lot of action on views. We have updated a lot of our parts since this originated.