Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades

Posted By: MadMatt

Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 06:19 AM

I want to start upgrading the suspension on my '70 Dart for better street handling and mild canyon carving. So far, I've upgraded to the larger '73 up front spindles and ball joints (with Viper brake conversion) and I've added a front sway bar. Besides wheels and tires, where would you go next? I'm going to have to do this in stages so I'm looking for a strategy. I don't want to pull the front suspension apart more times than necessary. So, where to begin? Larger torsion bars? Better shocks? Offset upper bushings? Tubular upper a-arms? Polyurethane bushings? Better strut rods? Rear sway bar? What to do and in what order...

Posted By: autoxcuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 06:44 AM

Quote:

I want to start upgrading the suspension on my '70 Dart for better street handling and mild canyon carving. So far, I've upgraded to the larger '73 up front spindles and ball joints (with Viper brake conversion) and I've added a front sway bar. Besides wheels and tires, where would you go next? I'm going to have to do this in stages so I'm looking for a strategy. I don't want to pull the front suspension apart more times than necessary. So, where to begin? Larger torsion bars? Better shocks? Offset upper bushings? Tubular upper a-arms? Polyurethane bushings? Better strut rods? Rear sway bar? What to do and in what order...

I've got a whole TVS Hotchkis system. I also jumped up to the big 1.14 T-bars from my old .99's.

Matt, I'll be in Simi all tommorrow we can hook up and you can drive it. You drove it "before" without the Hotchkis stuff and the old .99's T-bars. So now you can drive it "after"

BTW, now it has a 416 E-brock headed stroker motor.

Posted By: autoxcuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 07:03 AM

Quote:

...Besides wheels and tires, where would you go next? I'm going to have to do this in stages so I'm looking for a strategy. I don't want to pull the front suspension apart more times than necessary. So, where to begin? Larger torsion bars? Better shocks? Offset upper bushings? Tubular upper a-arms? Polyurethane bushings? Better strut rods? Rear sway bar? What to do and in what order...

What kind of ride to you want to end up with?

I'm thinking front then rear.

Stage 1:

Hotchkis Bilstein RCD shock $400/4
Hotchkis Front and rear sway bars. Adjustable rear bar.

Stage 2 (front end):

*.99"-1.03 T-bars
*(softer ride)offset upper control arm bushings, rubber LCA bushings, poly strut bushings w/stock strut rods
*(more aggressive ride)Hotchkis tubular UCA
*(more aggressive ride)Hotchkis strut rods

Stage 3 (rear end):

*Hotchkis leaf springs for handling

*Subframe connectors (can be put in whatever convenient for you)

Posted By: Supercuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 03:15 PM

You got a budget in mind? That would really impact the direction you go but I prefer Firm Feels stuff

Posted By: MadMatt

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 04:50 PM

Quote:

I've got a whole TVS Hotchkis system. I also jumped up to the big 1.14 T-bars from my old .99's.

Matt, I'll be in Simi all tommorrow we can hook up and you can drive it. You drove it "before" without the Hotchkis stuff and the old .99's T-bars. So now you can drive it "after"

BTW, now it has a 416 E-brock headed stroker motor.

Thanks for the offer and congrats on the new motor! I'll bet the car is an animal now. I'm committed to family stuff 'til probably 1 or 2 pm, maybe a little later. I promised my 10-year old we would work on a project on my Dart tomorrow. (He's turning into a TOTAL car nut) but maybe I can try and call you after that.

Posted By: MadMatt

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 04:54 PM

Quote:

You got a budget in mind? That would really impact the direction you go but I prefer Firm Feels stuff

Honestly, I don't have a total budget in mind, but I'd probably like to work in about $500 increments. Forgot to mention I also already have a Firm Feel stage II steering box in the car. The car needs an alignment, so I should perhaps base my first changes around the things that will most effect the alignment. I guess that would be offset bushings or tubular UCA's, and any polyurethane bushings I'm going to use. I can do the T-bars later and set the same ride height.

Posted By: Supercuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 08:55 PM

Firm Feel makes a nice tubular UCA that increases caster and can be bought loaded (poly or rubber bushings, ball joint) or unloaded. It is alos what I would consider street friendly. IMO, anything with heim joints isn't a good choice for the street in a suspension item.

Posted By: G_bob

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/22/11 11:06 PM

I built the 64 fury with a 70-71 K frame and lower control arms, stock 70-71 sway bar with urethane bushings and endlinks. .96 torsion bars. Added adjustable strut rods and tubular upper control arms from firm feel. Also used the firm feel level 2 powersteering box. Firm feel sway bar on the rear.
One of these days I'm going to load all the photos I took of the build.

Attached picture 6645754-IMG-116ws.jpg

Posted By: MadMatt

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 12:49 AM

Quote:

I've got a whole TVS Hotchkis system. I also jumped up to the big 1.14 T-bars from my old .99's.

Matt, I'll be in Simi all tommorrow we can hook up and you can drive it. You drove it "before" without the Hotchkis stuff and the old .99's T-bars. So now you can drive it "after"

BTW, now it has a 416 E-brock headed stroker motor.

Really sorry I didn't get a chance to try and hook up with you today. Family duty called. Hope you'll give me another shot at it. BTW, do you still have your old .99 bars? If you do and they're in good shape any interest in selling them? They should be the same as on my Dart.

Posted By: autoxcuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 12:54 AM

Quote:

Quote:

I've got a whole TVS Hotchkis system. I also jumped up to the big 1.14 T-bars from my old .99's.

Matt, I'll be in Simi all tommorrow we can hook up and you can drive it. You drove it "before" without the Hotchkis stuff and the old .99's T-bars. So now you can drive it "after"

BTW, now it has a 416 E-brock headed stroker motor.

Really sorry I didn't get a chance to try and hook up with you today. Family duty called. Hope you'll give me another shot at it. BTW, do you still have your old .99 bars? If you do and they're in good shape any interest in selling them? They should be the same as on my Dart.

Sorry, I'm going to hold on to those for possible future projects or changes.

Posted By: 70RT27N

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 01:14 AM

Quote:

I built the 64 fury with a 70-71 K frame and lower control arms, stock 70-71 sway bar with urethane bushings and endlinks. .96 torsion bars. Added adjustable strut rods and tubular upper control arms from firm feel. Also used the firm feel level 2 powersteering box. Firm feel sway bar on the rear.
One of these days I'm going to load all the photos I took of the build.

Beautiful car.

Posted By: MadMatt

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 01:56 AM

Quote:

Sorry, I'm going to hold on to those for possible future projects or changes.

No problem, but please let me know when you're going to be in the area again. I really want to check out the changes to your car.

Posted By: MadMatt

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 02:37 AM

Anybody have any experience with the MagnumForce tubular UCA's? Their price is almost too good to be true, $299 a pair - and that worries me.

Posted By: 340duster340

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 07:17 AM

Quote:

Anybody have any experience with the MagnumForce tubular UCA's? Their price is almost too good to be true, $299 a pair - and that worries me.

I have only bought firm feel in the past. IMO...they are the best and most others are imitation.
HY
I would do t bars and strut rods next.

when I was building my duster it was under 2g.s to tubular ucas, front and rear sway bars, hd tie rods and adjusters, strut rods and all new bushings, tbars

Posted By: autoxcuda

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 07:31 AM

Quote:

Anybody have any experience with the MagnumForce tubular UCA's? Their price is almost too good to be true, $299 a pair - and that worries me.

Reputation of a little inconsistant in their products. But it's about time someone offered that on car adjustable heim joint rod deal. They've been doing that on circle track upper arms for over 20 years. And those arms are under $300/pr loaded.

I know someone that is putting on one of thier K-members and it's all over the place.

Posted By: G_bob

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 10:01 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Anybody have any experience with the MagnumForce tubular UCA's? Their price is almost too good to be true, $299 a pair - and that worries me.

Reputation of a little inconsistant in their products. But it's about time someone offered that on car adjustable heim joint rod deal. They've been doing that on circle track upper arms for over 20 years. And those arms are under $300/pr loaded.

I know someone that is putting on one of thier K-members and it's all over the place.

Another option for that
RMS Upper control arms

I plan on going this route along with a set of their heim end strut rods for the coronet. The goal for this one isn't handling, but to make it as free moving as possible for weight transfer.

Posted By: 85_Ram_4speed

Re: Give me your game plan for suspension upgrades - 05/23/11 11:19 AM

I had the larger 1.something inch bars and RMS upper control arms (with the poly bushings), and a front and rear Addco sway bar in my '74 Dart. I thought the car handled great and it was no doubt a vast improvement over stock. The RMS stuff is really nice and he has the knowledge and service to back up his product.