G-body suspension adventure.

[LWillmann]

I've been slowly but surely working on my 1988 Cutlass Supreme Classic. I am on a limited budget, so I'm having to take it in steps, so I couldn't do the full suspension that I ultimately want in the end.

So for now, I am going to run a set of:

Bilstein HD shocks front and rear
Eibach Pro Kit springs
Suspension Techniques sway bars, 35mm front and 25mm rear.

Ultimately, I think I want to run a full air ride Technologies suspension.

So here's where the fun begins...

Ordered the stuff on the 5th from Summit, and when it arrived I inspected everything. Everything was fine, except for the front bar. The front bar was in two pieces!



I called Summit, and they shipped a new one out right away, and the new one arrived yesterday in one piece. UPS picked up the broken one.

There was one hole in one end of the box where the end of the bar had poked through the box, but that hole was at the opposite end of the box from where the break occured, so I'm thoroughly puzzled. ST says it would take a huge amount of stress to break that bar.

Just thought I would share that experience.

[Samckitt]

Holly cow! How much force does it take to break a sway bar? My guess is; A BUNCH!

[megaladon6]

jesus christ!!!!! did the UPS guy get a flat and try to lever the truck up with it? it looks big enough to try.

[Samckitt]

jesus christ!!!!! did the UPS guy get a flat and try to lever the truck up with it? it looks big enough to try.

No kidding! I am thinking that they may not be made of the best material if it can break in shipping. I would be about afraid to put it on the car.

[LWillmann]

ST says that it's a freak occurrence.

The box itself was not damaged other than the small hole just large enough for the end where the endlink goes to poke through.

I'll try to get a picture of the new bar and point out where the break occured on the other one, but it's right in the last tight curve of the bar out near the spindle.

[megaladon6]

it's definately strange. you almost never see sway bars break, even if it's 30yrs old. if there was a defect i could understand it, but from the pic i don't see one. either way, you've got the new one. let us know how she handles.
i'm almost done with my monte. (for now--same as you, not much money) hotchkiss? springs, bilsteins, boxed LCA's, delrin bushings, tube rear arms, but stock sway bars.
ironically she didn't feel too bad before, but it turns out that both front springs were broken (and the nose sat very high, WTF?) and all 4 shocks were USELESS! plus some idiot replaced one endlink with poly bushings, but not the other. it'll be interesting to see what the larger bars do for you.

[LWillmann]

I'm swapping the tired Olds 307 for a SBC 357, rebuilding the 2004R, installing a 3200RPM converter, installing a 3.73 rear gear, the engine happens to have an XE274HR cam too (sound familiar?).

I've got the engine pretty well together, got to get the rear end together and swapped in now that the suspension stuff is here.

I want to run Torque Thrust II's, and would ideally like to run 17x11's in the rear, but don't want to have to notch the frame. So I am thinking that I'll have to go with just some 9.5" wide wheels. I will probably have to figure all that out when I get the rear end in the car and can do some measuring.

[megaladon6]

yeah i think a 285 tire is as much as you can fit w/out mods. when i can i'm going to c5/c6 rime. 245f 275r.
what rear are you using? the stock 7.5/7.625, or are you stepping up? if i can find one i want to switch to an 8.5in.
you should like the 274h cam (i wish i got the roller though). it's got torque out the ass!! i was told it'd be on the large side for a 383, but there's no real lope, just a touch of chop. it should sound mean as hell though in a 350.

[LWillmann]

The biggest reason for not wanting to notch the frame, is that I don't have the tools. No way to cut and weld it back together.

For the time being, I'll be running the 7.5/7.625 from a Monte SS, but at some point I hope to move to either a GN 8.5 or something better.

I think I can make do with 275's, LOL.

I'm hoping that the 274 will sound mean... It's ground on a 110 LSA, so it should. But I think we're a bit off topic now aren't we? LMAO...

[Hidro]

When i ordered my swaybar it didnt even come in a box just labeled.
Something was seriously wrong with your swaybar.
Your bar looks smooth is it even forged steel?

[jackfrost]

sounds like a good start. you will love the Bilsteins.

your stories remind me, the first time I crawled under my car, the pass side sway bar end link wasn't even connected!

[XCESSIV]

Try a 10" wheel with4.75 backspace no notching needed

[jackfrost]

something you guys should be aware of, is the Cutlass has smaller wheel wells than Montes and Regals. the biggest tire I've seen in stock wells was a 255, although I've heard rumors of someone fitting a 275 with the exact correct backspace.

[Twentyover]

...
Your bar looks smooth is it even forged steel?

Forged? They may forge the ends, but the bar itself is most probably cold rolled then bent hot or cold (I'd guess hot). The forging, if done. would be to provide some profile or shape for the swaybay link

[racereno]

"the Cutlass has smaller wheel wells than Montes and Regals."

I'll ditto that, I'm still off frame but there is definately a diff in inner wheel well design.

[racereno]

Now that I think of it, does anyone know if the plastic front inner fender part #'s are diff for diff G-bodys? Or, more impotantly, are the inner steel portion of the front fenders diff? The Olds have an inner well radius that tips in quickly and sharply that really hampers running a decent tire with the Airrride susp. (I'm looking at the front mainly because I can always mini-tub the rear).

[TPI Monte SS]

From what I've seen, the front inner wells are the same on the Regals and Cutlii. The GP's and Montes got plastic front wells, and they're the same. I'm pretty sure you can't swap them between vehicles, since they bolt on in different places; the Cutlass ones bolt on from inside the engine bay to the side of the fender, and the Monte ones bolt on to the fender lip from underneath.

[GBodyGMachine]

I break swaybars on a weekly basis!!











Just kidding!
Never seen that before!

[LWillmann]

Had a gathering at the house this last weekend, and got some work done.

The night of the gathering at the house, after we ate dinner (I cooked Manicotti for everyone that came), we worked on the car a while. We got the pinion seal replaced, while a couple of guys started getting the front passenger suspension taken apart. But that was all we managed to get done.

Sunday I installed the pinion yoke, the new diff cover, and the sway bar. So the rear suspension should be complete now. I had already installed the swapped in rear (3.73 from a Monte SS), Eibach Pro-Kit springs, and Bilstein HD shocks with new bushings and fresh brakes.

The rear sway bar installs in a really odd way, check out the pics:











Notice that the sway bar bolts in the center of the U channel on the lower control arms, and that there are no bushings to hold it to the rear end. I've never seen a sway bar mount like that.

[Tony_SS]

Yep, I have the same rear sway bar. Nice design IMO. But I have to alter it to fit the tubular LCA's. But IMO I would upgrade to some aftermarket boxed LCA and you should be able to mount the plate to the outside w/o the use of spacers.