Thread: Opinions Required plz

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I have the choice of many suspension setups to use but have heard good things from a coupla places. Namely Chris Alston's Chassiworks, Art Morrison and I could use C4 stuff or just use stuff like Global West, KYB, Hotchkis, PST, etc etc. I would like to know some opinions of this stuff and others that you guys have used with success, less failure rate, ease of adjustment or installation and how much custom fabricating it took to get it in there. And most notably, how much did it help. Was it useless or was it good, that sort of thing. Also, how long did it last? Up till now, I have been mostly an underhood fan, but I want to go a little deeper now.

I have two projects that are in the chassis, suspension stage and need help choosing a good manufacturer etc. I want to drop and stiffen the 56 F-100 as well as slap a v8 in it. I want it to handle like a normal truck cuz thats what it is, but not the solid front axle 50s style handling. It's gonna have good power, so I want the rear to be able to handle that as well.

The other project is the 67 (not hot rod i know) Slowmaro. Power and handling, so not full time strip, but its gonna see track time. I guess you could say Pro-Touring. Add components or buy clips? 4 link, 4 bar, IRS, coilovers, or monoleafs with track bars. Im trying to keep the options open but I do have a good idea of what I want to do, just not where to get it from. Who makes good stuff, and who doesnt?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I can't speak to the end result as I'm still building, but i have had a good experience with Art Morrison so far. Quality is good and Kevin Kosir (Sales Rep) has been great about answering my questions and steering me in the right direction. Click on the camera by my screen name to see progress pics. It's a blend of A.M. parts and some of my own.

Any takers? I know its kinda an obscure topic to some but even a story ya heard about some of this stuff can prove useful to me at this point hehe. It's winter time...time for me to be in the shop puttin this stuff together when I can't drive em.

Hey Streets, that sounds too easy to be true, I should check into that since I have no qualms about modding the body to fit another frame, and I could even move the gas tank at the same time!....among other things hehe.

And thanks Pro, I have been looking at their kits as well as some others and they seem to be about what I'm looking for but not 100 percent on anything yet. Is it worth getting a full clip subframe or should I just get all the components and use my clip?

Depends how far you want to go. My original idea was to back half it and add frame connectors. By the time I got to the actual ordering stage I opted for the complete chassis. It comes down to personal preference and what your intended use will be.

Well for the car its gonna be used primarily on the street and cruisin in. Now I know for that purpose I could leave everything stock...but whats the point of that??? However, I want to take it to the track quite frequently (there's one about 20 mins from my place) so it needs to be legal and safe. I want it to handle and drive like a new car but have the brutality of a strip car. So, my original intention was a 'loose' 4 link coilover (but how good is a 4 link for carving corners???) in the back with my 9 inch and a new front clip with all the proper goodies, lower springs or spindles and rack and pinion steering. Add some subframe connectors and polyurethane mounts and I should be on my way.

And back to Streets' comment, I know a guy who is building a 77 Blue Oval right now and I could check out his frame and do some measurin. He's dropped a 347, a t-56, and a 9 inch in it for motivation so far and done some mods to the suspension. It would seem that frame is a little more open to the aftermarket.

Originally posted by 1stGenCamaro
So, my original intention was a 'loose' 4 link coilover (but how good is a 4 link for carving corners???)

Mine's a four link with an anti-roll bar and a spool. Not a real good cornering set-up. I'll hafta' hop and/or slide around cornerz' HEHEHE

I can see powerslide turning in your future..or broken axles and worn out bearings hehe. I think that has more to do with the spool than the link though too hehe. I can see that a 4 link would try to keep the axle on a level plain at most to all times and a panhard bar would keep it from moving side to side. So with a 4 link, is that like saying that when you go to corner you dont get any 'roll' outta the rear housing? And what/how does it help by adjusting it to different spots. If the bars were far apart would this be more rigid than if they were quite close together. If they were closer would this help the housing 'roll' to allow hard cornering? I'll try to put a pic up to give you guys an idea of what I'm asking. Basically what I'm asking is "Is a 4-link a good idea for a weekend strip car that sees mostly hard street/highway time?"

OH and I have an Auburn pro cone limited slip with 4.11s and 31 spline axles in the diff already so I dont have a spool.

Here's the link to the 4 link.

Originally posted by 1stGenCamaro
I can see powerslide turning in your future..or broken axles and worn out bearings hehe. I think that has more to do with the spool than the link though too hehe. I can see that a 4 link would try to keep the axle on a level plain at most to all times and a panhard bar would keep it from moving side to side. So with a 4 link, is that like saying that when you go to corner you dont get any 'roll' outta the rear housing?

It's got 40 spline axles. Everything is overkill Heavy Duty so it should hold up O.K.
body roll will come 0nly from chassi and tire flex. The anti-roll bar will keep things purdy' rigid.

I Basically what I'm asking is "Is a 4-link a good idea for a weekend strip car that sees mostly hard street/highway time?"
Here's the link to the 4 link.

I'm building a strip car that will see some street use. Sounds like your building a street car that will see some strip use. A four link will work, might want to use poly bushings instead of chromoly rod ends. I'm using a track locator because of the narrow rear end. If you have room a panhard bar would be less binding on the suspension.

Ya, I had intended to use poly bushings instead of chrome moly ones for more vibration damping and so they don't wear out so quick on the street. I was also gonna use a panhard bar if I could. I don't want to sacrifice on either handling or hook-up abilities. I have what one would call a 'heavy foot' on the street. Now I know a 4 link isnt gonna eliminate burning out but I'm sure it would help significantly on both the street and the strip. As for handling, I'm sure it will lessen that ability some correct? You say it will work on the street and I know of guys that use 4 links and spools on the street but they take it easy on corners whereas I would like to go faster in the corner. Will I break something or will it handle that type of abuse? I guess I just want to know how much it will affect the ability to handle and corner. It know it will work on the street but will it work too well. Should I look at a 4 bar system or something less rigid?

If your looking for real street handling maybe a 4 bar, or better yet a triangulated 4 bar and eliminate the panhard bar altogether. On the order of an earlier Chevelle or El Camino type suspension.

I think that the triangulated 4 bar setup looks good and it is meant for mainly a street vehicle with some strip abilities. I am sure it would be easier and require less body mods and fabrication to install than a 4 link would too. I had looked at this before but for some reason forgot about it or somethin'. It looks like it would live longer and be more forgiving on the street but still hold the housing much better than stock. I'll look more into that type of rear suspension since it seems to fit the bill about right.

As for the front suspension I think I wanna stay with A-arm style over strut. There are a coupla companies that offer a full clip for this sorta thing and it shouldn't be too hard figuring out what will be good for handling, since the front doesnt dictate how well I can launch at the track all that much. This is where my initial post comes into play though...what works, and what doesn't, anyone have any personal experiences with some front suspension stuff they wanna talk about??

I am no expert here or nothing but I have been looking into this a lot and these are results I got from some people. 4 link will be able to be used on the street but corners are a problem with them, you can't take corners fast. 4 bars are better but can't take as much torque as a 4 link can. On my car I am going to go with a 4 link now, I was going to use a 4 bar instead but got talked into 4 link and my car will see some street and some strip both but basically it's like this... You can either have a full drag car or street car and if you wan't both then there are some things you have to sacrafice and handling and comfortability are some of those things.
That's my zero two cents on that!

I agree with that, and I'm trying to find that sweet spot where I can do both without maxing my effort to one side. But I guess I'd rather pay for tires than give up some seat of the pants feel since I'm gonna opt for a more street than track rear suspension. UNLESS I was all track and wheelstanding...now that'd be sweet too.

So you are gonna use your car on the street as well as the strip. What made you decide to go with the 4 link over the 4 bar since you were looking at both. I know I could use either but I think the 4 bar will be more forgiving and easier to put in at this point. And I did read that with abusive street use you will wear out or break the 4 link because of the twist its being subjected to. And as for the 4 bar handling less torque, I'd agree...buts its better than monoleafs with dual rear shocks, thats a recipe for insane wheelhop and burnouts! ...not that burnouts are bad though..hehe

Oh, and anyone got any stories about front suspension setups? I want to use a stock height frame or clip but use drop spindles or lowered springs to bring the front end down. Any technical advice about suspension math or what works??