I'm a newbie to this forum and to this 60's and 70's era of car collecting. I've been a street rodder (pre 1949 cars) for many years but also have a 98 WS6 Ragtop TA. I recently purchased a solid 64 Skylark convertible as I've wanted to do a mid 60's mild custom for some time now and this car is the perfect candidate. The power plant will be a LS1 with 6 speed from wrecked 02 camaro.
In recent weeks I've been researching suspension for this early A body and and I'm not yet convinced that the benefit you get from the upgrades is worth the big money spent. It's a no brainer with a '32 Ford that came with a straight axle. Dropping in an independent front suspension made a huge impact on not only the performance but also in safety.
Front end: This A-body came with a nice independent front suspension. I want the car to be about 3 to 4 inches lower all the way around. As long as the stock A arms are in good shape with new bushings, why not just use 2" dropped front spindles, cut a coil out of the original spring, pick up a used heavier '66 stablizer bar and finish it off with a good stiff shock? Can someone convince this engineer that spending more money up front will yield enough benefit to justify it?
Same goes for the rear suspension. I know the rear axle should probably be changed going for a posi unit but again, its all relative. I'm not taking this car to the strip, it will be my daily driver when finished. I'm thinking new bushings in all the pivot arms, a 1" stabalizer bar, shorter coil springs and a stiff shock.
Once again, could anybody convince me that spending thousands of dollars on the aftermarket goodies is going to be worth it? Is there good hard data to back it up? I will be going with disc brakes front and rear as I have the components already and the performance gains are undenyable.
You can spend all the money you want on your car. In the end, its the driver that makes the car go fast. My own car is setup with modified stock subframe, hotchkiss leafs, iron big block, carb, no power steering. Old school technology compared to some of the cars in the community. It puts down lap times comparable with some of the top dollar cars on this site.
Fancy parts are nice and I'm glad we have access to all the great aftermarket support. In the end, it doesnt matter how many go-fast parts or how much money you throw into a car. Its how its driven. I've been lapped by a miata with 130whp. Anyways. Build your car how you want it. Theres nothing wrong with keeping a car semi-traditional when it comes down to the suspension and build. Can they keep up with a high dollar build? Yes.
The best go-fast part you can buy is track time/seat time. And driving instruction at events.
Bring it into the 21st century with some basic suspension parts, alignment, and most importantly a sticky set of tires and you'll be amazed.
Meaning.. It already has "basic suspension parts" on it What would make a BIG improvement for the money over a freshened lowered stock set up like I mentioned
Improved camber gain, more positive caster, more negative static camber, lower ride height, more sway bar, larger tire contact patch, lower tread wear tire.... I'm no Buick guy so you'll have to source the parts...
Meaning.. It already has "basic suspension parts" on it What would make a BIG improvement for the money over a freshened lowered stock set up like I mentioned
Some adjustable QA1 Coilovers, find out who makes some aftermarket leafs, add some sway bars, some 17" wheels and some quality tires will make a HUGE difference.
No need for aftermarket subframes, control arms, 4 links or 3 links.
Avoid cutting coils. Find out who makes some adjustable coilovers.
I'm no Buick guy so you'll have to source the parts...
I'm not even sure whats out there for Buicks. I'd assume some height adjustable coilovers, some lowering leafs, and some sway bars/tires is all he would need to feel much improvement and on a decent budget as well.
I also just noticed you're interested in building a 60s styled custom. I think you might not find much info here in regards to that. You might want to check out the traditional rod and custom forums like the HAMB.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Low dollar verses high dollar susp upgrade
Yup!!! It's me!!! Here's to ya!
What would make a BIG improvement for the money over a freshened lowered stock set up like I mentioned
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