GTP_MuNkYs Suspension Upgrade Thread *Update Pg 13, New struts and sleeves*

[CSI_MuNkY]

OK! Parts started arriving this morning!

 

As I have mentioned before I am doing a complete suspension over haul in July, I have 3 weeks of shut down in the factory I work for, the first of which will be spent at my parents place working in my dads air conditioned garage!

Work to be done includes,

- Front and Rear Held Coil overs (c/w KYBs)

- Held Motorsports Trailing arms w/ Poly bushings

- Held Motorsports Lateral links w/ poly bushings

- 7/8" G-max rear sway bar w/ poly bushings (arrived today, ordered last week)

- "Original Performance" Front end kit from P-S-T (Arrived today with the sway bar)

- Aweb RSTB (in paint)

- Custom front STB

- Underbody "reconditioning"

 

 

The Plan

 

The first 2 days will be spent ripping everything apart, hopefully it will come apart fairly easy yeah right

I will be dropping the entire rear subframe. While its off the car it will be getting hit with the wire wheel and either POR15 or some kind of rock gaurd.

The entire underside of the car is going to be pressure washed and then any bad spots will get hit with a wire wheel before applying more POR15 and/or rock gaurd.

Then all the new parts will go in along with the neccessary old parts.

 

The only things I have to aquire now is the materials to build my Front STB, inner tie rod ends (any suggestions?) and the POR 15. I don't know if I'm going to be able to find POR15. I don't want to order it off the net because Paint CAN get held up at the boarder, and I don't have time for hold ups. So I will probably make a trip to an auto body supply store just outside of town and see what I can get from them in the way of a coating for under the car.

 

Here are the parts that arrived today.

 

Original Performance Front End Kit

 

$169 USD from PST. Comes with a lifetime warrenty. Kit includes;

 

- Outer Tie Rod ends

- Ball joints

- Control arm Bushings

 

note: to buy these parts from the local autoparts department was going to run over $300 for just the ball joints and tie rod ends, based on the appearance of these parts I got, I think this is a tremendous deal

 

The ball joints are all steel, none of that plastic garbage, same goes for the Tie rod ends. The kit came with grease fittings, but they are not installed in the joints, I guess I have to do that myself.

 

 

The control arm bushings are only OEM rubber, but it was all I could get the kit in, and I figure they will still be an improvement over what the car has now.

You can see the holes in the ball joint and tie rod casings, I'm assuming that is where the supplied grease fittings go, however the holes aren't tapped, so I dunno how they go in.

 

My big question right now is on the installation of the control arm bushings. Do the old ones have to be pressed out? or the new ones pressed in? If so I will have to get my brother to take them to the machine shop he used to work at for that.

 

I can see a tiny bit of surface rust forming on one of the tie rod ends, nothing major, I think I will hit them with some Tremclad rust paint, just gotta be carefull to keep it out of the joint itself.

 

Rear Sway Bar

 

G-maxx 7/8" rear sway bar $159 USD (would of been $179 had I not gotten the front end kit)

Comes with all the neccessary mounting hardware and instructions. In the pics below I have the hardware assembled as per the instructions, but it gives other instructions for different conditions. Including one for cars that did not come with a rear sway bar stock. I only assembled them this way to make sure all the peices were there.

When I ordered the lady on the phone said "Do you want OEM bushings or poly" and of course I asked what the differance in price was... NOTHING... who in their right mind would hear that and say "oh, I'll just take the rubber kit" So yeah, I got the poly!

 

 

 

The Coil overs and rear arms coming from Held Motorsports should be getting shipped out some time next week. Its my understanding the arms are going out for powder coating tomorrow. The springs I'm going with are a bit stiffer than the FFP units, 300lb in the back and 350 up front. I know its going to give me a harder ride, but its going to corner like a dream!

 

This whole project has been a learning experience for sure. I was looking into building my own coil overs, but I just couldn't come up with upper spring mounts I was comfortable with. Not to mention it was actually going to cost me MORE to build my own once I factored in the making of my spring mounts. Without the specail spring mount the kit would of been a mere $50 less expensive than the Held units. That said, I'm sure I won't regret getting the ones from Held.

For those of you wondering, so far my experience with Held had been great. He replies to your e-mails (sometimes take a day or 2, but thats ok) and he returns your phone calls. I have zero complaints thus far.

 

 

Jamie

[19Cutlass94]

That sway bar and bushings are EXACTLY what I got and what Im using. and Ill tell ya drilling those holes and e-longating them are a PITA! Especially getting everything aligned so the bushings arnt cocked. But looks good cant wait to see some install pics!

[CSI_MuNkY]

Q-ball just told me that that bar looks identical to his ADDCO bar... makes me wonder. The instructions I got even say Revision 1 Jan 17 2000 on them.... wonder if G-max and Addco are one in the same?!?!

 

At any rate, I'm just happy I didn't have to wait 6 to 8 weeks like Jason did for his.

 

I'll update this thread regularly with updates, new parts, and install pic, rather than making 50 different threads, lol

 

Jamie

[19Cutlass94]

Do the instruction look like a sketch? if so I wonder if they are the same!?

[CSI_MuNkY]

Do the instruction look like a sketch? if so I wonder if they are the same!?

 

YES! Reminded me of school... I always dreaded doing my sketches for drafting class, lol

There are 2 sketches, they take up half a page, the other half of the page is verbal instructions.

 

I wish the sketch was a bit bigger and more clear.

 

Jamie

[19Cutlass94]

HAHA! Same thing!!!!!

 

 

If you have any questions about it lemme know. I know those instructions are not the best... at all.

[Q-Ball]

I said it looked like Addco Rev 1's. Not mine. Mines black. Rev 2

[CSI_MuNkY]

I said it looked like Addco Rev 1's. Not mine. Mines black. Rev 2

ohhhhh well to you too! lol j/k

 

Little update, I just ordered Moog inner tie rod ends and ES poly bushings for the front sway bar and dog bone.

 

Should be here within a week or so.

 

Jamie

[pwmin]

sounds awesome. only problem i had with held were the gen 1.5 real coilovers were noisy as hell. when i do my rear co's, im getting progressive springs. so, youre saying you dont trust my judgement of using the stock rear mounts i hope to get the bmr lateral links sometime. i might make my own trailing arms.

[CSI_MuNkY]

Its not that I don't trust your judgement!

I just didn't feel comfortable with it. The way I look at it was if something could possibly go wrong, it would go wrong to me! I envision the spring coming unloaded and not seating right. Infact I think that is where the noises everyone complains about are coming from.

Comfort wasn't my only reason for not building my own, the cost was damn near the same without the mounts as helds are with mounts.

 

Any noises that come from the suspension will be resolved... I found a kit that will allow me to mold my own poly parts, for a price.

 

Jamie

[pwmin]

i wouldnt trust me im just messing with ya. however, there is no way the spring can come unloaded using the stock mount that i can see; it might not be perfectly seated, but it will be seated. anyway, enough of that. the problem with the helds making noise was that the spring wasnt level with the mount on the 1.5 (kinda like |/ ), but you wont have that problem with yours. let us know what you end up using on the underbody. im interested in doing that. are you going to use the mounts that came with the sway bar? i would get es bushings for the outside and the brickyard bushings for the inners.

[CSI_MuNkY]

I just figured I would use the bushings that came with it, they are poly. I didn't realize there were other mounting options.

As for the front sway bar I just ordered the ES poly bushings

 

Jamie

[19Cutlass94]

Also, I know on the FFP ( atleast on mine ) the noise is coming from the spring and adjuster nut. Theres no bushing between the two!!!!!!! I think thats the case on almost everyones where it makes the noise.

[pwmin]

I just figured I would use the bushings that came with it, they are poly. I didn't realize there were other mounting options.

 

Jamie

if you use the inners that came with it, you have to hack up your stock mounts and bolt the supplied ones in and they WILL break. actually, i put my old addco bar in and took the poly bushings to a bench grinder. doesnt look good, but it does the job and i didnt have to hack up my mounts. ill probably order the brickyard bushings eventually

 

Also, I know on the FFP ( atleast on mine ) the noise is coming from the spring and adjuster nut. Theres no bushing between the two!!!!!!! I think thats the case on almost everyones where it makes the noise.

could be. for some reason, when mine made noise, i would turn the coils to the right spot and they would quit making the noise. energy suspension does make coil spring isolators that could potentailly solve your problem.

[CSI_MuNkY]

Also, I know on the FFP ( atleast on mine ) the noise is coming from the spring and adjuster nut. Theres no bushing between the two!!!!!!! I think thats the case on almost everyones where it makes the noise.

 

Makes sense, metal on metal twisting... If thats the case with mine I could mold a peice of poly to seat on the spring, or like Pwmin just said, I'll get a spring isolator... bye bye noise

Not saying I am figuring I will have problems with the hedls, infact I don't think I will... Lee doesn't seem like the type of guy to hear about a problem with his parts and not fix it.

 

if you use the inners that came with it, you have to hack up your stock mounts and bolt the supplied ones in and they WILL break. actually, i put my old addco bar in and took the poly bushings to a bench grinder. doesnt look good, but it does the job and i didnt have to hack up my mounts. ill probably order the brickyard bushings eventually

 

I still don't quite follow you...

In the instructions it does show a way to use the stock hardware, but it also lists a method where you have to make elongated holes in the frame, I figured I would do it this way. I'll just drill the holes, then elongate them with my fathers Die grinder.

 

Jamie

[19Cutlass94]

I mean I duno what the 'right spot' really is but I ordered the bushings i needed last month and they still arnt here! I dont even think my order was processed! Ive called and e-mailed and they dont respond... Im gonna have to check that out cause I need these bushings bad...

 

 

[pwmin]

i dont know anything about the "elongating the holes method" but i can kinda see what you would do with the pic you posted. looks like too much stuff to me. id rather just get the gm bushings and be done with it, although the stock inner hangers are a huge PIA to pry open and get back together correctly

 

im not sure what the "right spot" is either, you just gotta kinda move it around a bit until you hear the right noise (or, i guess, the lack thereof in this case)

[GOT2B GM]

Those swaybar bushings almost look like rubber in the pics. When you get a chance, come on down to my place so we can install it on my TGP.....k thx bye

 

 

 

but for real......looks nice man, bet you're getting excited to get it all done.

 

[CSI_MuNkY]

Those swaybar bushings almost look like rubber in the pics. When you get a chance, come on down to my place so we can install it on my TGP.....k thx bye

 

HaHa, nice try! They are poly as near as I can tell, they don't feel like any rubber I've ever felt, and I work with plastics and rubbers every day!

 

but for real......looks nice man, bet you're getting excited to get it all done.

 

I'm getting excited to get STARTED... First I want to get some baseline numbers, you and I gotta figure out when and where we can get together to see what kind of G's this thing pulls before I do the work.

 

Jamie

[CSI_MuNkY]

So as of right now the ES Dogbone bushings are not happening. I used the part number supplied by DOHC V6 in another thread, its the right part number but you have to buy 2 @ $23 each and in addition to that their supplier wants $25 shipping EACH! WTF? And even further, they can't gaurentee delivery for 3-6 weeks, thats BS! If I'm paying that much in shipping, for something so light as a poly bushing, it had bloody well be here the same day!

It would be about 1/4 the price for me to send the Dogbone to DOHC v6 and have him install it for me!

 

On the bright side, the ES front sway bar bushings, will be here by weeks end, along with the MOOG inner tie rod ends.

 

Jamie

[xtremerevolution]

Hmmm...you guys want me to take pictures of what my sway bar looks like? I have the ADDCO Rev 2 sway bar (black) and I was able to install it quite easily, aside from having to take off one of the shocks to fit it in there.

 

I can take pictures of everything installed if it would help you install yours more easily.

[CSI_MuNkY]

I'll let you know... I should have it made pretty easy considering EVERYTHING is coming off the back end, even the sub frame. Thanx for the offer though! I will keep it in mind while I'm out in the garage swearing my ass off trying to get the thing in, lol.

 

Jamie

[CanadianRegal]

Sounds really good Jamie If you need any help feel free to let me know.

[CSI_MuNkY]

Sounds really good Jamie If you need any help feel free to let me know.

 

Thanx for the offer! but all work is being done in Lindsay, not waterloo... its only a 2 hour drive for me, but its the closest garage I have complete access to. Had I decided to do it in waterloo I would of had to do it all in my parking lot, that would not go over well with my landlord, I'm sure.

 

Jamie

[CanadianRegal]

Oh ok, although Lindsay isnt really that far from me.. I have some suspension woes too, my front struts are finally gone Looks like its time to replace them I really need a tool like the one you have for the struts.....