Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
#2561109
10/08/18 10:09 PM
10/08/18 10:09 PM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,164 Los Angeles, CA
JF_Moparts
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,164
Los Angeles, CA
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I have a 1971 Sebring that I Solo II autocrossed in the 1990's. To keep it on par with the new cars of the day I made the following mods to the car:
- Circa 1978 11.75" front disk brakes - 205lb/inch torsion bars - 1 1/8" front anti-sway bar - Firm Feel steering box - Fast ratio Pitman & Idler - Poly bushings all around - Heavy Duty rear leaf springs - Subframe connectors, welded
All of which kept it competitive against cars of the 90s.
Then a few years back I added the Hotchkis upper control arms, shocks, and adjustable struts.
And now, well I've been saving up for some more modifications and wanted to ping the suspension brains here on Moparts for suggestions. Here's what I'm thinking of doing next, but I'm open to ANY suggestions:
- Borgeson steering box (w/ shorter stock Pitman/Idler) - Rear anti-sway bar of some kind (I have a 1" bar on the shelf) - Upgraded brakes of some kind - New torsion bars, maybe a higher spring rate - To get a little crazy, an Independent rear susp?
What do you all think? Thanks in advance.
Jim
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2561175
10/09/18 12:03 AM
10/09/18 12:03 AM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,491 Lethbridge, AB, Canada
dangina
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,491
Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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I use the fast ratio arms and the borgeson box, 1.8 turns lock to lock, you will have to put a different flow control valve on it (I bought the one off jegs but I'm thinking of enlarging it a little bit or going with a smaller pulley to make it easier to turn through the quick slalom) You will have to weld up the k member with all the extra forces applied to it if you haven't already. Also do you have inner fender braces, lower rad brace, subframe braces ect? if not I'd suggest that first. Rear sway bar is good (although some guys prefer to run without) I would go with bigger torsion bars and heavier spring rate on the rear. Dr. diff has a great rear brake kit that won't break the bank(and still use your stock ebrake cable) I've been looking and debating on the rear independant kits - If I do I would buy this: http://rick486.wixsite.com/dobbertinperformance
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2561633
10/09/18 10:27 PM
10/09/18 10:27 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889 up yours
Supercuda
About to go away
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About to go away
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
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What brand/model tires?
Radial T/A's, wasting your time.
Michelin Pilots, good street performer.
Hoosier slicks, ah no
MasterCraft SUV tire, lol
It does matter
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2561884
10/10/18 12:41 PM
10/10/18 12:41 PM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 669 Los Osos, Ca
CKessel
mopar
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mopar
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 669
Los Osos, Ca
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Is that a MAGLEV setup like on the bullet trains?
Carl Kessel
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2562151
10/10/18 09:50 PM
10/10/18 09:50 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,645 Phila. Pa.
Mattax
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,645
Phila. Pa.
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I have a 1971 Sebring that I Solo II autocrossed in the 1990's. To keep it on par with the new cars of the day I made the following mods to the car: ''' All of which kept it competitive against cars of the 90s.
.... And now, well I've been saving up for some more modifications and wanted to ping the suspension brains here on Moparts for suggestions. Here's what I'm thinking of doing next, but I'm open to ANY suggestions: ... What do you all think? Thanks in advance.
Jim
What class do want to run in?
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2564836
10/16/18 02:26 PM
10/16/18 02:26 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889 up yours
Supercuda
About to go away
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About to go away
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
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What is your budget?
Best improvement, lightest rims you can get, fattest tires you can stuff into it. Good tires, really, really good tires.
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2564937
10/16/18 04:46 PM
10/16/18 04:46 PM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,732 Bitopia
jcc
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
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If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,732
Bitopia
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I forgot to mention them - 255/45-17s all around.
Jim Get some bigger tires on it and get back to us. Those were fine a decade or so ago. You can't put too big of tire on a car that size if handling is your goal, even on the street
Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
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Re: Best steering/suspension/brakes for 71 B body?
[Re: JF_Moparts]
#2565085
10/16/18 09:32 PM
10/16/18 09:32 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,078 Oregon
AndyF
I Win
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I Win
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,078
Oregon
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255/45-17 is a decent size tire. It is way bigger than anyone had back in the 70's but way smaller than what BMW or Porsche engineers would put on a car your size these days. So you just have to decide how "modern" you want to be.
A 17 inch rim allows you to run a 13 inch brake rotor which should be big enough to stop that car. Do you know how much the car weighs and what the weight distribution is? If you haven't had the car scaled then that should be a high priority. You need to know what you're working with before you start working.
I assume the car is at least 4000 lbs and probably has 52 or 53% on the front tires. So there is a lot of weight up there which means the tires are getting tortured. A 255/45-17 tire can handle around 1500 lbs of load but that doesn't mean it is going to handle great when it is fully loaded.
Since you have a running combination you should be able to crawl underneath it with a tape measure and figure out if you can put a bigger tire on it. If you can great, if not then you know what your limitation is. If you are limited to a 255 section width then consider a bigger wheel. Perhaps a 255/40-18 or a 255/35-19 would work better for you. A 19 inch rim would allow a 15 inch brake rotor which is what the Porsche guys would use these days on a 4000 lb vehicle with 500+ horsepower.
Go spend some time on the BMW website and look at the tire sizes and brake rotor sizes they are putting on their 4000 lb cars. Or visit your local Dodge dealer and look at what the Dodge engineers put on the Hellcat Charger. That is a big car and they put big wheels, big tires and big brakes on it. Once you have the correct size wheels, tires and brakes then you can fine tune the spring rate and shock valving.
You'll also need to stiffen up the chassis a bunch. Ma Mopar made these cars as limp as a noodle back in the day. XV is out of business but you might be able to dig up some of the stuff they published on chassis stiffness. They were the only business to ever take the subject seriously but the market must not have been big enough to keep them in business. Basically you'll need to add some crossmembers and a monte carlo bar.
Last edited by AndyF; 10/16/18 09:34 PM.
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