My goal is to make a resto mod/pro touring car that can handle very well (I intend to take it to some track events) and still give me a good ride for cruising or going around town every now and then.

I've mostly been considering what suspension setup to go with. I'm looking mostly at the Hotchkis TVS with their single adjustable shocks, a Heidts universal IRS in back, and a US Car Tool stage 3 chassis stiffening kit. But, I know there are coilover setups like the AlterKtion and there are completely new aftermarket chassis like the G-Machine, although that one requires more work to install than I really want to put in.

I'm led to believe that the Hotchkis setup generally does better with handling for less money than the coilovers, but I'm curious about how the ride quality differs between the two, and about how adjustable the coilovers are between a soft and hard ride.

Other elements of my build:

440/512 stroker, aluminum block and heads, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 XT fuel injection

TCI 6X automatic transmission OR Silver Sport A41 Perfect Fit Kit

Borgeson Power Steering Box

Another thing I've been considering is weight distribution. I know the original all-iron big block E-bodies were extremely front-heavy, and this engine I've speced out should weigh around 430-475, which shaves over 200 pounds off the front. What else can be done in aiding weight distribution to get closer to 50-50?

IMO the Heidt's is outdated, the Morrison is the current flavor of the month in aftermarket IRS.IMo, its neat, impressive, pricey, not reversible, and poor bang for buck.


Coilovers are mainly for header additional clearance, and maybe a better rate selection for really fine wheel rate tuning. Big TB are fine and best bang for buck, and take little effort.


Not sure if I classify an auto as ever as a serious track car. A stout big block auto will almost never be able to put down its torque to the pavement, beside the F/R issues. You would be much better off with a hot stroker SB



Your best improvement of the car is simply the one thing in all these threads overlooked, maximize your seat time. It will overcome anything mentioned above. The deeper you go into the mods you are touching on above, the more money you will spend, the less forgiving/touchy the car will become, the less seat time you will have, the older you will get, and the better chance you have of life once again changing your direction/focus.

My suggestion:
Buy a used stroker running drop in SB w/alum heads
Get a Passon 5 spd or T-56
Big TB's
Composite Leafs
Big Anti front bolt on Roll bar
Aftermarket UCA's to help with alignment goals
13" and up front discs
17" and up wheels Square
tires nothing smaller then 275's
Frame connectors welded
A good drivers seat and belts
Multiple Front spoilers (cheap, they don't like off track excursions)
Fiberglass lift off hood
Battery to rear
Everything above is proven, cost effective, resalable, and helps get you on the track promptly, compared to your initial goals.

Why do you say a big block auto will never be able to put its torque down? Doesn't that depend on the rear gears? I've seen a Hellcat swapped '70 Challenger putting all 650 pound feet of torque down (of course it was using the modern 8 speed auto), that's a similar torque number to what I'm looking at.

Someone needs to get a controller together for the new 8 speed auto. It's pure sex.

Because odds are real good you will never get the traction you need to put the torque to the pavement. You'll just end up blowing the tires off. You are only as fast as your traction.

Need at least 275’s up front.

It seems above 550/550 hp/TQ and capable suspension system, you start running out of chassis and need to start thinking about a full cage to tie the front and rear together.

Others thoughts on this?

Driving instructor Bob Reed had a stroker A-body without cage with a little less hp/tq than the Red Brick 68 Valiant (~550/550) with full cage. He’s driven the Red Brick on track. He felt the cage made a huge difference at that level. And that the approaching the level of the red brick without a cage was sort of futile.

Moment of inertia works against larger platforms compared to smaller, all else being equal.

The A body is a lot smaller than an E-body, perhaps the E-body's threshold is larger especially with chassis stiffening?

moment of inertia...think of your car like a barbell. The closer the weight is to center, the easier it is to manage transitions. B and E bodies are larger, so even achieving 50/50 on them means their moment of inertia will always be greater than an A body. In competition, this is critical. For open track days and fun driving, much less so.

You goal of a good handling car with decent road manners is certainly achievable. Budget is a big variable. With all you engine work, it does lean towards a higher end budget, but it doesn't have to be. Do you have a target you are after here or is the sky the limit? Are you planning on competing or is this a fun day car? If competing, are there any rules constraints to the system such as NASA Time Trials or SCCA classes or is this an unlimited, run against the big guys of the sport effort?

IMO, the biggest advantage of the coil over systems is limited to a few items;
*rates from 200-2000 are easily available. This is paramount if you compete at multiple tracks that necessitate different rates. As a weekend warrior, this is much less to a non issue level of critical.
*low cost for rates changes. coil over springs are dirt cheap compared to t-bars and leafs. important for the above factor.
*potential space and weight savings. they obviously are more compact and lighter.
*potential adjustment range. This is a big MAYBE as most of the coil over systems out there have modified geometry that improves on the mopar achilles heel of caster/camber interdependance, but very very few allow a range of adjustment other than height, which a stock mopar can already do.

Shock control of suspension motion is the key to a good riding and performing suspension. Shocks are to suspension like camshafts are to engines - they determine everything about the manners and operating range. Cheaping out here can make a good system a dog and great shocks can make an average system feel superior. This allows much higher spring rates to be controlled to a degree that makes them more comfortable than their gross rates would lead you to believe.

The Hotchkis system can make a very capable fun car with all around usage and give you a baseline to build from. The price of entry here is not outragous and if you decided to move beyond that in the future, you could certainly unload the system easily.

If cost is not an option, a complete analysis and then following the suggested changes from Ron Sutton through any of his systems is probably the pinnacle of pro touring as a genre.
http://www.ronsutton-racetechnology.com/

If budget isn't a big concern but you are a do it yourself guys and want to be intimate with the fabrication, Dobbertin Performance is probably the cutting edge of adapting Corvette suspension systems, including IRS, to any chassis configuration.
http://rick486.wixsite.com/dobbertinperformance

if ultimate adjustability is the goal, then an air system may be the best all around system that will handle well, cruise well, and can be adjusted from inside the car. These typically are outlawed by all sanctioning bodies for racing, but if sanctioned competition isn't on the agenda, then no loss.
https://www.ridetech.com/applications/musclecars/

So, what does "track events" mean to you, how are you approaching it, what is your budget? Knowing that. we can better dial you in.

hopefully mitch and Brads70 will chime in, they both have taken their challengers to the next level