Team Chevelle banner

What upgrades would you recommend?

4K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  LeoP 
#1 ·
I’m planning to start work on the suspension of my 72 soon, and I’m not sure what upgrades are worthwhile for me. I don’t have a big budget, but I want to use quality parts.

What kinds of things would you guys swap out? I’d like the car to handle as much like a modern one as I can manage.

I’m definitely going to use a quick ratio steering box, and want to lower the car. I also intend to use Wilwood brakes if I can fit it into my budget.
 
#2 ·
Stiffer springs and a good set of shocks will go a long way on a budget and you can get your lowering done in the process. I used UMI springs and Bilstein shocks which were a dramatic difference from stock. After that, you may want to add sway bars but you can go in steps.
 
#3 ·
Wilwood brakes? You may want to get those sorted out before thinking about budget. But as for the suspension, rebuilding it stock with Moog parts isn't too bad, the stock suspension is ok, it does have some geometry issues but if you put some sway bars and 17 or 18 inch wheels it handles fairly well on the street, lowering the center of gravity always helps so they have lowering springs and spindles for that, probably your best bet would be to give the UMI guys a call and tell them what you are after and they will steer you in the right direction, those guys are very helpful.
 
#5 ·
I’d recommend using the search on this website. Lots of good info. Brakes though Hydroboost and C5 Corvette brakes.
 
#6 ·
I just redid the suspension on my 67 that had manual drum brakes and here's what I did on a budget :

4 wheel disc brakes from 98-02 Camaro (12" rotors) - you need to have 17" wheels
BMR 1" lowering springs

Jeep Grand Cherokee steering box

1-1/4" front sway bar and 1" rear bar - addco

KYB monotube shocks

All new moog rubber bushings

And to top it off (not needed in your case) , a Strange S60 rear end with S trac helical posi and 3.73 gears
 

Attachments

#7 ·
To start: New springs, shocks and sway bars fore and aft. You will not believe the difference in the ride just with these changes alone.
 
#8 ·
Do you want it to "feel" like a modern car, or do you want it to be capable of cornering speeds of a modern car? Very different things, and very different costs involved.

I've done significant changes to my suspension, front and rear, and it different steps and have taken it out to track days to see the differences.

Replacing all the worn out bushings with new MOOG rubber ones was a huge difference in feel and responsiveness. A fast ratio steering box is another major upgrade. It sounds like your goals will at the least eventually intend for you to change spring rates, so I recommend changing your front springs while you change all your bushings and ball joints.

I'd recommend tall ball joints to fix the geometry. Tubular control arms are kind of a waste of money in most applications, but typically do offer built in caster, which is beneficial.

I like Viking shocks, as they are double adjustable, but most people never adjust the shocks anyways, especially the fronts since they are hard to get to in a conventional spring package. Plus they are more difficult to install as they won't just slide through the lower control arm pocket. I'd say some Koni or Billstein monotube shocks would be fine for your application.

Sway bars are a bit of a placebo. Great bang for the buck for sure. But on the street, without driving well past the point of just being an idiot, you will not load the suspension enough to actually see the improvements. It can be a bit more responsive and the reduction of body roll at the same given speed can help give the "feel" of a modern car though. With stiffer front springs, it will have a similar effect, as it will reduce body roll at the same given speed, so you probably don't need a bigger front bar at this time.

A lot depends on what you have now, which we don't really know. Is it completely stock? Is it worn out? Is it a big block, small block, LS? Manual or auto? What wheels and tires?
 
#9 ·
Do you want it to "feel" like a modern car, or do you want it to be capable of cornering speeds of a modern car? Very different things, and very different costs involved.

I've done significant changes to my suspension, front and rear, and it different steps and have taken it out to track days to see the differences.

Replacing all the worn out bushings with new MOOG rubber ones was a huge difference in feel and responsiveness. A fast ratio steering box is another major upgrade. It sounds like your goals will at the least eventually intend for you to change spring rates, so I recommend changing your front springs while you change all your bushings and ball joints.

I'd recommend tall ball joints to fix the geometry. Tubular control arms are kind of a waste of money in most applications, but typically do offer built in caster, which is beneficial.

I like Viking shocks, as they are double adjustable, but most people never adjust the shocks anyways, especially the fronts since they are hard to get to in a conventional spring package. Plus they are more difficult to install as they won't just slide through the lower control arm pocket. I'd say some Koni or Billstein monotube shocks would be fine for your application.

Sway bars are a bit of a placebo. Great bang for the buck for sure. But on the street, without driving well past the point of just being an idiot, you will not load the suspension enough to actually see the improvements. It can be a bit more responsible and the reduction of body roll at the same given speed can help give the "feel" of a modern car though. With stiffer front springs, it will have a similar effect, as it will reduce body roll at the same given speed, so you probably don't need a bigger front bar at this time.

A lot depends on what you have now, which we don't really know. Is it completely stock? Is it worn out? Is it a big block, small block, LS? Manual or auto? What wheels and tires?
That's a good post here folks, you all should read it again.
 
#13 ·
Absolutely !

And I do disagree that sway bars aren't beneficial unless you "really push it."

Big Block cars especially benefit from bigger sway bars. The 70 Chevelle SS came with a front 1-1/4" bar. My 67 SS came with a 15/16" bar.

I know several first gen Camaro owners that said a bigger front sway bar was the most noticeable improvement in handling.

And read the reviews at Summit about the KYB monotube shocks. Almost 5 stars.
 
#15 ·
You will pay a big premium for the Wilwood name on brakes. There are better deals out there but you do have to be careful as there is a fine line between good and junk. I have been happy with my Aerospace Components front Disc setup and they often have really good deals.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top