I just picked up a 1965 Chevelle (see photos) (http://www.ourphotos.org/chevelle/index.html) and am going to start with redoing the suspension (after fixing all the rust holes).

I see a total kit listed at this site performancesuspension Stage IV kit (http://www.performancesuspension.com/gmachStageI.htm) which is $1185 and includes this:

Complete Polyurethane Front End Rebuild Kit
Front & Rear KYB Gas Charged Shocks or Struts
Front & Rear Powder Coated Sway Bars with Polyurethane Bushings
Front & Rear Springs
Heavy Duty Upper & Lower Control Arms

Can someone recommend if this is a good deal, and the way to go? Or should I do one thing at a time? Plans for the car in a few months are new wheels, 383 crate motor, and new tranny if that helps.

I'm not sure, as you'd have to add up the prices of all that stuff separate and compare.

Priorities IMO would be a swap to power disc brakes, including all new flex lines and master cylinder first.

But I did use their front-end rebuild kit with the poly bushings. Seemed like good stuff.

The KYB gas shocks are what I used, and I'm satified with those.

I also installed new swaybars front and rear from Original Parts Group.
(I snagged boxed rear lower control arms from a GTO). Replaced the bushing with new poly upper and lower.

I replaced the original stock springs with new stock 70 Chevelle SS Springs (my car has a 396).

Their lowers look really nice, and I might go that way if I ever do this again.

The handling improvement is tremendous, at least compared to the worn out old stuff that was on the car when I started.

Just adding it up, in my head it sounds like you won't save much buying all at once compared to shopping around and buying each where you get the best deal. But it might save you some hassle.

This was my first attempt at this kind of work, (1998)and I'm still pretty happy with the results.

Thanks! A couple questions from your reply. Would you recommend going disk front and rear, or just front? Also what brand brakes did you go with and were you happy with the setup?

Also, what suspension parts are engine specific? For example, if next year I go with a 454 BB (or something like that) would I have to get a different front end setup than if I was going with a 350 SB?

I don't want to buy the parts twice if I decide to go with a larger engine down the road. Right now it has the small 6 cylinder. I'm just trying to figure out where to start with this thing. I want to be a real nice powerful street car. I don't care if it has a $200 paint job as long as the suspension and motor are set up right.

silkman what are you intentions. a g machine type car with 17 or 18 or a strait liner? i ran there front end kit with included all new tie rods, ball joints and poly bushings, nice kit but my tie rod ends where a little long. i cut down my self and rethreaded to work. i used hotckiss rear control arms with adjustable uppers. i recommend those especially with you lowering the car. these cars like the correct pinion angle to keep from vibrating. i run edelbrock ias shocks which i like very much. i dont know about 65 but on 67's my car takes the same sway bar as cars produced roughly through the late 70's. any 1 1/4" take off from ebay would work nicely up front. rear no more than a 1" i would think. those are the size of my bars. car corners very flat. i had eibach lowering springs which i had to replace because once my stereo was in the trunk the rear sat too low and when i put the bigblock in the front sat too low. i also have drop spindles. my springs are moog heavy duty. with the front coils cut 1 loop. i concur with thad these cars need good brakes. especiall with a 383 you are planning. if you get one of the publications. i think car craft of chevy hi performnace they are doing a build up of a 65 just like yours. you might want to go online and find past dated articles about suspension and the brakes. cool car and trust me that the fun out wieghts all the future headaches yet to come you. ;) . tommy

Originally posted by 67lemanster:
silkman what are you intentions. a g machine type car with 17 or 18 or a strait liner? i ran there front end kit with included all new tie rods, ball joints and poly bushings, nice kit but my tie rod ends where a little long. i cut down my self and rethreaded to work. i used hotckiss rear control arms with adjustable uppers. i recommend those especially with you lowering the car. these cars like the correct pinion angle to keep from vibrating. i run edelbrock ias shocks which i like very much. i dont know about 65 but on 67's my car takes the same sway bar as cars produced roughly through the late 70's. any 1 1/4" take off from ebay would work nicely up front. rear no more than a 1" i would think. those are the size of my bars. car corners very flat. i had eibach lowering springs which i had to replace because once my stereo was in the trunk the rear sat too low and when i put the bigblock in the front sat too low. i also have drop spindles. my springs are moog heavy duty. with the front coils cut 1 loop. i concur with thad these cars need good brakes. especiall with a 383 you are planning. if you get one of the publications. i think car craft of chevy hi performnace they are doing a build up of a 65 just like yours. you might want to go online and find past dated articles about suspension and the brakes. cool car and trust me that the fun out wieghts all the future headaches yet to come you. ;) . tommy ps. my lemans pictures do not relflect new springs. i am hoping to get car cleaned and update pictures this weekend.

Thanks, appreciate the help. I'm looking for a fun car, powerful, sounds good, and one that looks good from 5-10 feet smile.gif I'm not concerned with the paint being perfect or any of that. If I put a ding in it I don't care. If I put bondo on it every couple years that's fine to.

What I do want though is reliability and streetability. I want to be able to give a 93 supercharged Mustang a run for its money, but when I punch the gas, I don't want it to fall apart. So I guess just a balanced car that looks good.

Plus, I'm pretty new at this (as I'm sure you've realized) and want to do the work myself. Lastly... I don't want to buy the same parts twice. I'm just not sure where to start. The car is a 65, compltely stock, 60,000 miles on a 120HP 6 cylinder, and a transmission that slips like crazy.

I think front disc are all thats really necessary.
Rear disc are kind of a coolness thing, since I don't drive that hard to really need em.

My brakes are rebuilt stock 68 power disc, and my opinion, comes from riding in a friends 4 wheel manual drum brake car. Even after a rebuild of the brake system, it was kind of scary.

I think springs are the only different suspension part, but I could be wrong.

My thinking is make them stop right first, then turn as they should, then go for speed.

Just looking at your photos you've got the beginnings of a very cool car there. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

There is a guy that shows up at some of the local cruise-ins with a Teal blue/green 65 sedan with a big block in it.

It gets very favorable attention, and is really nicely done.

Here's the thing-those aftermarket rear arms look real nice and pretty but do very little for cornering, they help with straight line launch but they are still bushings on the ends they are still at an angle to the rear diff putting them in bind. A budget approach to a g-machine style handling car would be 4-link and coil overs. To really make a change look at the Hot-rods-to-hell kit using truck arms and relocated crossmember. I know you guys are probably tired of my corner-carver type rants I just don't get the whole go-fast-in-a-straight-line-and-stop thing. I wanna go fast in a straight line then turn 90 degrees without ever lifting then turn another 90 degrees, then turn 150 degrees then come a complete stop in 100 feet from 60 mph. :D
just my .02