joecutlass Posted March 21, 2011 Report Posted March 21, 2011 needs new struts int he rear... any suggestions as to what brand to run? Quote
AliasCT Posted March 21, 2011 Report Posted March 21, 2011 1st Gen w-bodies are pretty much stuck with KYB's or Monroes, from what I'm aware. I have KYB's and I like 'em. Unless you want to do a 1.5 gen coilover swap Quote
Rocketman Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 1st Gen w-bodies are pretty much stuck with KYB's or Monroes, from what I'm aware. I have KYB's and I like 'em. Unless you want to do a 1.5 gen coilover swap Is there a writeup or sticky for this swap somewhere? Quote
AliasCT Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 Damn, used to be a sticky. I used it when I replaced my struts, but IMO it's a piece of cake. Remove the two top mount bolts (from inside the wheel well), remove the two strut to knuckle nuts, pound out the bolts with a hammer, pull out the old struts. Installing new is the reverse. Then, get an alignment. The only warning I've seen on this is two make sure and PB Blast the top mount bolts as they're apparently quite weak and you can shear the bolts... I can't remember the torque values but the KYB's had values listed on the install sheet. Quote
joecutlass Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Posted March 23, 2011 how hard is a coil over swap and where can i find one? Quote
AliasCT Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 Mmmm I'm pretty sure it's not trivial. I have seen pics of a swap, but I have no idea of all the nitty gritty details. One thing I'm sure of is that you'd have to drill out an additional mounting hole in the strut plate. Find a 1.5 gen w-body (1995 Monte Carlo / Chevy Lumina) and a lot of it can swap over (knuckle, sway bar, strut and mount, caliper, rotor, etc). Alternately I think there at least to be a kit floating around, but there seemed to be questions as to quality and whether the ride got *too* stiff. Quote
Rocketman Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 Regarding rear coilovers I've been searching all over the forum here, people have done it, but there are no pics that I can find, nor any definitive parts lists Would it be possible to use a 2g W rear strut/spring with a custom upper mount? I have fab capabilities & would be willing to make more than one set Quote
AliasCT Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 @Rocketman lol Oops I just looked at what you quoted, and my answer didn't make much sense to what you asked... Replacing the struts is piece of cake; Don't know about 2nd gen, but I know someone on here has done a 1.5 gen rear suspension swap. I've also seen a write up for a 2nd gen knuckle / caliper swap... So I guess all that would be missing is the strut and coilover itself. I don't know how much it differs from the 1.5 gen setup. At the very least you would be getting rid of the leaf... Quote
white4d96 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 For the coilovers everyone just uses a coilover sleeve over the stock strut. That's the route I plan on going once I figure out which part numbers I need. As for custom mounts, I would love to have some that aren't $300! Quote
GaPrix Posted March 24, 2011 Report Posted March 24, 2011 Pretty good information in these. http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/44866-HOW-TO-Front-Adjustable-Coilovers-w-Camber-Caster-Adjustable-Mounts-Pics!! http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/49352-Suspension-overhaul-planning-stages?p=981971#post981971 Quote
joecutlass Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Posted April 15, 2011 So a buddy of mine had a 97 gp. He sold it to a friend of his about 5 years ago and the kid totaled it about 2 weeks after the purchase. Recently, my bud bought the car back dirt cheap. He pulled the coil over suspension and has it sitting there in his shed.... worth the purchase and swap? Quote
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