lkefthrlkeson

Hey guys, been on the forum for a while, but this is my first post. I have 92rs camaro that I just purchased w/o an engine. This is my second 92rs (1st was b4c that my ex-wife wrecked the day after I proposed to her). So far, I've budgeted $1500 for the entire suspension. Gonna have a 355 and first tpi and I'm gonna stick with the 700r4. Just wondering what I could get with that kind of budget. Been looking at spohn & bmr, but can't make head or tails of anything. This car is gonna be my toy, so I want it to be fun to drive. I appreciate any help you guys could offer. Thanks

Drkhrse89

iTrader: (1)

If you are looking for a budget suspension, I would box the rear LCAs and panhard bar. Put in some good quality bushings all the way around (LCA, PHB, A-Arms, Sway-bars, Torque Arm, and Transmission). Buy new Moog springs. Replace entire front steering (look here.) Get some subframe connectors. Replace your shocks and struts, Koni Yellows are the best (more expensive), I have friends with KYB AGX and they have been happy (less expensive). Look at the end links in the rear, since you will have taken care of the fronts with the front steering rebuild.

Depending on what you are looking to do with the car, and if money allows, you can go with a fully adjustable suspension or good for daily driving.

Adj. LCAs $170
Adj. PHB $120
Adj. Torque Arm $370
Ground Control Weight Jacks $470
Koni Yellows Shocks and Struts $800
Weld-in Subframe Conectors $200
LCA relocation bracket $70
Quality A-Arm bushings $60
Steering rebuild $350
Wonderbar $50
Adj. Strut tower mounts $260
Sway Bars $330

Of course you will have shipping and if you break any bolts you will have to factor that in there as well.

camaronewbie

I have to disagree with Grkhrse on alot of that, especially with a $1500 budget.

Adj LCA's not necessary really unless going to the track
Adj panhard not necessary unless lowering
Weight jacks? really not necessary on a daily driver
SFC's, yes, but after all the other changes
LCA relocations - again a track thing

This is way over the $1500 budget.

1st - BASICS - tie rod ends, ball joints, idler arm - this will eat $300 but no need to throw fancy parts at old worn basic suspension parts - get good stuff like NAPA's higher priced items - nice and beefy

2nd - sway bars - grab some larger sway bars off a JY IROC or GTA - fronts go as large as 36mm, but 34mm is quite nice. Rears I think up to 24mm - not too hard to find.

3rd - "wonderbar" ie steering brace - again can be found on a JY IROC or GTA - or order one from top-downsolutions.com for $100 This is a real necessity - all 3rd gens should have had them - they reduce the stress on the steering greatly, and avoid the famous steering box mount stress cracks - a "need" not a want

4th - poly bushings - you want endlinks & sway bar bushings at minimum. Trans mount is nice because it doesn't seem to break as easily as rubber mount - but it does send more vibration through to the cabin - same with motor mounts.

5th - shocks/struts - don't scrimp here - Koni, Bilstein, whatever - spend good money on good product here.

6th - springs - decide if lowering or stock height. The Eibach Pro-kit is a nice replacement - only lowers 1 in but makes a nice stance, and handles great

7th - panhard - you'll need an adjustable if lowering - no need for the ultra expensive ones with double adjustments - a single adjustment end works just fine - this rod centers the rear end - since it runs left side to right side, if car is lowered the body is off-center to the rear, and thus the rod need adjusted to pull the pass side back in under the cars center.

8th - strut tower brace - helps box the front end, can really feel a difference.

That alone will eat up $1500 real quick. This is as far as I've gotten, easily spent $1500 getting here, and I installed it all, so no labor, just $1500 in parts. And I'm very pleased with the results - my car rides great, little to no roll (stays level even when taking a 25mph curve at 70mph), sticks well - never had it break loose yet, really nice "feel" of the road (some may not like "feeling" alot, I like feeling everything.

Then, can do SFC's - but you need to have all the rest done first - you want the car to be 'sitting' as it will be, as the SFC's get put on with the suspension/chassis fully loaded. You want the car as tight and straight as possible so that when these get welded in, they are stiffening the chassis in the position it needs to be in, not just in the postion it may happen to be in - make sense?

LCA's can be 'boxed' by removing them and welding in an extra plate to make them square instead of U-shaped - helps stiffen to a degree, but lesser so than the previous stuff. Same with boxing panhard rod - no need to box it if getting an adjustable one for lowering springs.

It's all personal preference really, and what your budget allows. Its just silly (to me) to discuss all these 'performance' parts first without having done basics like tie rod ends and ball joints - there's not a SFC or weight jack or LCA in the world that will make up for a bad tie rod end.

Drkhrse89

iTrader: (1)

See, you didn't really read through my post did you? I stated in the top paragraph how to make a solid suspension for very cheap. The KYB AGX shocks and struts are $450ish, SFC $200, boxing will be cheap if you have a welder or a friend with a welder, bushings $200, springs will be $150, and steering rebuild $350. That is $1350 and you factor in shipping etc. you are right at $1500.

I did leave off a sentence that explains the following parts are as money allows. No, a full adj. suspension is not necessary, however he did say it was going to be a toy. Why not give yourself the ability to tune the suspension to the Nth degree?

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

If I had $1500 to spend I'd first do a serious investigation of the condition of your stock parts. That way you know what needs to be replaced. With that said, I would do the following.

Koni shocks and struts - $650 (you'd be suprised how well a complete stock (but in good condition) suspension can handle and RIDE with just the Konis)
Moog steering components - $300
J&M Strut mounts - $230
Subframe connectors - $200

I wouldn't burn money on springs, panhard rod, lcas, yet unless you really think there is something wrong with them.

Oh and all of this assumes you have decent tires. Do you? If not, I would get them first. Budget $800 for a quality set of 16s"

camaronewbie

I did read - and it wasn't my intention to **** you off any. I guess my point was just that, first things first - spend $ on replacement that are needed no matter what the setup plans, like tie rod ends and ball joints. And that was probably covered in the link you provided to suspension 101 - I didn't read that link.

I just saw right off the bat mention of LCA's, and bushings for panhard, a-arms, lca's, and torque arm - none of which are a priority over tie rod ends & ball joints IMO. Wonderbar should be at the top of the list as well IMO - for being such a simple thing it makes more difference than I think any of us could have imagined!

I mean we agree on the parts - It was just my opinion that the priority needed rearranged a bit given the budget - otherwise one could just go out and buy everything ever mentioned here for suspension and put it all on in a weekend and be done.

Another consideration that can greatly affect budget - brands. I'm not saying that the more expensive brands are not better - maybe they really are for the serious modder. But I wanted to mention that, unless you have an unlimited budget and just want (or need) the best out there - there's nothing wrong with most of the lesser priced brands.

For example, many will say the Edelbrock strut tower brace and adj panhard rod are sub-par. But personally, I have both these pieces, and have had no issues at all - I could see and feel the difference with both easily (as opposed to not having them). Granted, I'm not autocrossing or driving radical enough to have 'need' for more expensive, but I do get on it (as we all do), and I feel them to be great products for the price.

And the Koni (yellows I believe) ... great product, everyone swears by them. But I got the Bilsteins cheaper, and they are also very top-rate product. 5 years ago, Bilstein was the name of the day on here, now seems Koni is the quoted name. As with everything, just do the best your wallet allows. New anything will definitely be a great improvement over the 20 year old worn parts.

lkefthrlkeson

Hey guys, just wanted to thank everyone for their advice so far. To answer your question about tires. I'm planning on get different wheels (can't decide between 18" irocs or 18" c6 5 spoke wheels) so I'm gonna wait til I get those. When I do, what is the best tire out there for the price? I know tires can make a HUGE difference in handling, so I'd love some advice on this also. Once again, thanks for all the help so far.

lkefthrlkeson

So here's what I'm thinking... definitely gonna do the basics (tie rod end, ball joints, idler arm)$300, bigger sway bars,koni shocks & struts, eibach pro kit, adj panhard bar, wonderbar, new poly bushings & strut tower brace. Hopefully I can get all this for around 1500. Think I'll take camaronewbie advice and wait till I get all this, then I'll get the weld on sfc's. What do you guys think? Anything else you would add?

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

I'll disagree a bit. In my opinion I would do the strut tower brace last. Its results will only become apparent after you have done the other mods.

Also, sub frame connectors are super important on these cars. They allow the suspension to do it job properly. They improve handling and ride comfort.

Also, poly bushings are about the worst kind you can run for many of the suspension parts. They tend to cause bind in the suspension whereas rubber twists to eliminate bind and rod ends articulate to eliminate bind. For front A-arms, rear LCAs, and panhard bar, I would STRONGLY suggest avoiding polyurethane. There will be tons of people that will tell you they run poly with no issues but if you push the car hard enough, you will get the poly to bind then unload at the wrong moment, causing unpredictable suspension behavior. Plus poly tends to be be more squeaky than the other options. I would go with rod ends or Spohn's del-sphere or UMI rotor joint for these pieces.

I am a very picky person with my car. I have done tons of research on this stuff before I installed these parts on my car. Take the advice or leave it.

82TAracer

Koni shocks

Solid strut mounts

WOnderbar (out of junkyard is ok too) for cheap insurance of chassis strength under the steering box area to prevent the ill fated weakness area when tire grip is improved.

Best tires you can afford after those three are purchased.

Dollar for dollar- I will put my choices against anyones and garantee mine would win under time lap challanges.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

I disagree. If all you are looking for is the fast way around a track. I'd get some racing slicks and call it a day.

This guys is looking for a street car though, so lap times are somewhat meaningless.

In any case I basically agree with your suggestions, as they are similar to mine.