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    Results 1 to 3 of 3
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Jun 2020
      Posts
      1

      Chevelle handling advice (mostly shocks)

      Im new member but have read a lot of posts on here, as Im currently doing an ls2 and 6 speed conversion into my chevelle, I also know these forums arent chevelle specific but I think my question is probably more generalised anyways. From the reading Ive done here, there seems to be a number of smart people that have done all of this before I have and have a better understanding, so I thought a good idea would be to make a post.

      Im from Australia and have to make a big order of parts so I dont keep paying for shipping and import approval (can get expensive).

      Essentially Im stuck on which shocks I should go with, if I really need to spend that much money for what I want to do with the car, also not wasting money and still getting what I need out of it.

      My intended use for the car is probably in reality 90% spirited street driving with the other 10% a mix of road track and drag, I want to do both but at the moment I dont have intentions of doing either one very seriously, mostly want to try and keep up with my brother in his supecharged Toyota 86 around the corners.

      Ive tried to learn how to read the force velocity dyno graphs for shocks, I have a very basic understanding.

      This is what Im intending on going with all together, adjustable UCA (probably spc, have considered UMI), 0.9" tall upper ball joint, 0.5" taller lower ball joint, probably 1-1.25" lowered springs, hellwig front and rear adjustable sway bar, UMI adjustable rear UCA.

      The part Im having the biggest issues with is shock selection, non adjustable/adjustable.

      I have narrowed it down to
      Koni classic $3889AUD in total (cant find a dyno graph)
      UMI non adjustable $4371 (this is full UMI) (No graphs available)
      UMI adjustable $4696 (full UMI)
      ridetech $4489 (Linear, rebound seems kinda low?)
      Varishock SS $4757
      Varishock QS2 double adjustable $5795 (Have had a couple of people tell me they have issues with leaking)
      Viking warrior $4386

      I was originally going to go with viking, seeing so many people on Facebook use them but the more I read and checked forums like this the less ideal they seemed, their dyno graph looks kind of odd their low speed rise being all in 0-1inch/s where as most others are 0-2/3inch/s, their graphs also stopped at 6inch/s, most others went to 12/13 at least.

      Any input is greatly appreciated, as I feel like I am completely stuck on this and may be at the point of over thinking it

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Sep 2010
      Location
      Orange County, CA
      Posts
      665
      I went with the dse/jri coilovers on my Chevelle. So far Im really happy with them. When I installed them, I put the adjusters right in the middle, I haven’t touched them since. They are somewhat firm how it is now, but not harsh.


    3. #3
      Join Date
      Jun 2012
      Location
      Chicago burbs
      Posts
      247
      Country Flag: United States
      Hey LS2Velle,
      I ran the Varishock SS for about three years and I really liked them. The ride was controlled and predictable, while not being harsh. On the street they were just what I wanted. I tracked it at Blackhawk Farms with my Antisquat set too high (around 100%) and was wishing I could adjust rebound on the rear. (The right approach here I think is to drop my Antisquat). So ended up purchasing the double adjustable Varishocks and put the SS's in the basement. They're mounted, but I haven't had it back on the track yet. Overall they are great quality and Chassiworks shares the dyno charts for them. If you want the real details on the various shock competition, give Mark Savitske a call at SC&C, he's tested almost everything available for the A bodies and has never steered me wrong(he's even talked me out of buying some of his products that wouldn't have benefited my particular application.

      1969 442 6.0L LQ9 T56
      Fab9 w/ custom 3 Link conversion
      FAYS2 Watts link
      Thanks to Mark at SC&C for his honesty and passion for the sport, and Ron Sutton for the wealth of knowledge that has helped shape so many of the cars on this site.



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