Thread: Narrowing a C4 IRS....Wow....my head hurts!

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Originally Posted by mopar34

Tell him it was an early Father's Day gift.

The Vette rears look great and under some cars it really rides well. A lot of things must be taken in to consideration when installing one in anything other than another Vette. Specifications such as wheel base, body type (steel or glass) front/rear weight ratios, hp/torque/ rear end clearance, etc. must all be given consideration. If the setup and body weight is very similar to a Vette, then the ride should be very good. If the body weight is heavier and/or the weight over the rear is greater than it was on the Vette, then the ride quality may be less than ideal.

I have an all steel sedan, with a wheel base that is 16 inches longer than the Vette that the suspension came out of and the added weight over the rear suspension creates a less than perfect ride. Mine has the composite rear spring and standard vette shocks (not coil overs), so I may be able to improve the ride by switching out to coil overs. Not sure if the cost would justify the improvement. Also due to the location of the bat wing and gas tank there is no room for a rear sway bar, which would really help my ride control and comfort.

A couple of years back I had to have one of the half shafts replaced along with a new composite spring. Cost was over to $1200. Parking brake adjustments can be a real pain in the ass as they may need constant attention to keep them working right. Like I said Vette rears are really cool, but they can be a pain.

I think you will be much happier in the long run with a solid rear in your choice of flavor.

Thanks Mopar 34. Have you looked at Vette Brakes site? http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=379
They have a multitude of spring rates that may help you if you don't want to go coil-over. I spoke with them on Friday and they were very helpful.....he told me spring rates werent an issue as there were many to choose from.

Also...can your sway bar be mounted in this way? On the backside of the support bar for the pinion? Scroll down nearly to the bottom. They have some good shots of the swaybar for the rear. http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/ric..._Project.shtml

Another alternative for the swaybar that I've seen is passing it through the frame using say, 1 5/8 tubing welded within the frame, with the swaybar passing through and adjustable arms on the ends (which are splined). Just a thought.

Thanks for the input on this. I think this will be better suited for my dad's car. He has more room to work with. My gosh....you could literally put the bathroom sink in the back of the 41. The trunk is huge!

Thanks,
Dave