Shock Choices
 

Recently i have finished doing alot of my driveline work and decided to set my sights on suspension. While my car will see the odd trip out to the drag strip, i would like to gear it as more of a road course car. I dont expect to be the fastest guy but more just for fun. The first thing i was going to tackle was new shocks and struts. As i still have the original struts and just cheap load handlers in the back. I have been looking into something like Edelbrock Performer IAS's or Koni adjustables. The reason for these is im on a tight budget right now and want the best bang for the buck.

So what do you guys reccomend for someone on a budget. After shocks ill probably be tackling controll arms and then im not sure what after that. Thanks in advance for the help.

Unfortunately good damping doesn't come cheap. I would recommend Koni DA's, Tokico Illuminas, or Bilsteins.

One easy thing you can upgrade is the front and rear sway bars.
I installed a set from a '91LX and the size comparison is very noticable to the size of the factory units of the '82.
I also installed new polygraphite swaybar bushings and endlinks.
I am running KYB shocks and struts which is also a good brand.
Do you have subframe connectors yet. They are a must!!

Ya, so far im still using my original front sway bar(i think its 28mm). But im using energy suspension end links and greasable bushings. I have a new rear going in my car and it has a bigger sway bar than what ive got. For the rear i also have a set of energy suspension spring isolators. Unfortunately i dont have subframe connectors yet but im looking into them as we speak. I was also considering a roll cage to stiffen the chassis, being a t-top car. But when i put in the rear end what should i do. Should i use my present control arms with round bushings or use the newer control arms with the oval bushings. Im also going to see if i can mount up the quad shock to help a little with traction. If theres anything else i should be doing let me know. I allready know i need shocks and control arms so if theres anything else give me a shout. Thanks again in advance.

Koni's are overkill (IMOHO) for your car. Tokikos are an excellent shock/strut and I would go with those.

Get some WELDED subframes in there, before you even think about a rollcage (lotta work/weight/discomfort).

Rear control arms. Steeda makes some nice aluminum ones with poly bushings. MM has some more expensive ones with ord ends and poly bushings.

Drudis,

I noticed that since I have put 350lb/in coilovers in the front of my '00GT that it seems underdamped even with my adjustable Tokicos set to 5. I am thinking of getting Koni DA's instead. What's your recommendation?

What would you guys also reccomend for a gear ratio. Right now im running with 3.08's and i love them. I find they really let the motor unwind. But should i go to some 3.55's? Im planning on getting some subframe connectors in the next couple weeks.

I would opt for the 3:73 gears myself but there are people who will argue that 3:55 or 4:10 gears are better. It all boils down to what you ultimatly want to do with the car and how much you care about fuel economy.

I didnt know the backround or where you are going with this project. Most people ask for simple springs/shocks for the street... thus my recommend.
The Koni yellows (singles) are adjustable, and are currently what I have on my car. They definitely will work with those springs. The DA's are nice, and allow you to tune compressiona and rebound (but , humbly admit, that I really wouldnt know HOW to tune, so for me 2X the cost for something that I would only guess at tuning wasnt worth it).

Do some math...
Take your rpm, divide by 3.08 and then multiply by 3.55 or 3.73 to see you new rpm.
IMOHO, 3.73's are like taking a 5-speed 1 thru 5 gears, into a 0-4 gears (like dropping one gear for each gear range, sort'a).

This is more of a classified ad, but since I am moderator, I am gonna let it slide... :)
p.s. I dont personally know the guy, just here are some really nice parts...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Chris Ramey [mailto:CRAMEY@houston.rr.com]


All of this stuff is all 100% brand new; never been out of the garage! The
car was never finished with a motor. I can take good pics, but honestly if
I spend the time, I may want to do an ebay auction with this stuff, since it
is all good. Everything is fresh, and painted, and looks top notch.


The rear box control arms are for coil overs... you could weld a spring
perch on them easily if you wanted, but that is it. They have a sway bar
mount, and are urethane axle end, rod end chassis. They are real nice
looking, powder coated. They were $275 new, make offers. First guy over
175 gets em.

The 2300 K kit is about $1750 new, make offers. It also has the steeda
bonus race (longer) wheelstuds (another $70). First guy over 1200 gets it.
You really can't find that Booster/mcyl very easy anymore, either.

The Griggs rear koni sport coil over kit, with helper springs to keep up
slack and keep the wheel down during cornering, and tension on the posi,
along with 300 and 400 lb springs to choose from, were over $1100 new. Make
offers; first guy over 600 gets them.

The front coil overs are griggs with Tokiko illuminas, They were about 450
new. First 250 takes em.

The front tubular control arms, with custom installed ball joints to prevent
them from coming loose (a common problem!) and delalum bushings (the
urethane ones last about one track hour) cost about 425 new. First 250 gets
em.

Camber plates are global west; they are only about 190 new, so first $100
gets em.

The Complete custom wheels are also brand new; 16x10; fit perfectly under
the fenders and are very light, and strong enough for track time. THey were
$1700 new. First 1200 gets em, unless you want the brand new, never rolled
on Kumho v700 (265 40 16), in which case first 1600 gets em.

The rear end is all brand new, straight from Pyle bros, with a 4.10 and a
custom packed posi, good axles and bearings, etc., it was $1055 new, and
has the upper mounts for the parralell 4 link (along with the crossmember
to mount them in the car, which was another $600) Make offers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, Drudis - I think I'll go with the Koni Yellows as I have no clue how to judge the tuning of the DAs either. I mainly just don't want the ride to be so underdamped.