Where to start?

[jjl4004]

Hello all. I have finally saved up enough $ to start the conversion of my 68 Chevelle to a pro-touring car. It currently has stock front disc brakes, rear drums, stock suspension, springs and shocks. I plan on putting on some 18" wheels and of course, need the right stance. The car will remain a street car and hopefully some day will be ready for a road course (once a year or so), but what I really want is the car to look good and handle well.

My question is, where do you think I should start this project? Should I start with beefing up the suspension components with somehting like a Hotchkis TVS system? Would coil-over shocks get the car's stance right? Dropped spindles? If I go with the drop spindles, don't I need to convert the brakes at the same time, and then that would also require me to get the wheel/tire combo as well? I'm guessing wheels/tires/brakes all should be done at the same time...?

I'm just looking for a little direction from you guys since you have been in my situation before. I currently have around $2,000 to spend on the first portion of this conversion. (Credit card is available as well if I need to spend a little more )

[T Bell]

what condition is your '68 in? Mainly the underside, any rust on the floors? Need motor work? I'd get it running mecahnically and then the safety issues 1st.

[Bandit]

I would go with the wheel/tire package first, since that is where you are going to see your largest single handling improvement. It will also help you establish a baseline from which to measure your future upgrades. Plus it will upgrade the looks of your ride considerably, which provides motivation. Maybe do the brakes second--it is always a good idea to improve braking and add safety. The TVS is a great choice for a mostly street-driven car--it would save some work overall if you could do the new brakes at the same time. I would also be looking at getting solid aluminum body mount bushings to replace the stockers--they are inexpensive and make a difference that you can really feel. After all that, Upper control arms would help too.

This is a logical approach and the way most of the car mags have done it in articles I have read. Good luck!

[jjl4004]

T Bell: The car runs great (rebuilt engine 3 years ago) and there are no mechanical issues with it. There is some rust on the floor pans, but none on the body.

Bandit: Wouldn't getting the wheels first create a problem when I get to the fine tuning of the suspension drop, rear disc break conversion and overall stance of the car? I'll have to take a look at solid aluminum body mount bushings, as I don't know too much about them.

Thanks for the responses...I value the opinions. I just got a digital camera, so I might take a couple pictures of the car and post them if I can figure it out. Anyone else think I should go a different route?

[jjl4004]

I pulled the cover up and took this picture last Thursday. I haven't got it out yet this year..still salt on the roads.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I would start with suspension and steering and / or brakes. If you are on a budget, you cannot beat a Hotchkis TVS sytem to get the stance and handling. You may want to do a quality steering box and new tie rods / centerlink if required. You could consider adding front control arms also. Then I would look at brakes.