Suspension newb, want a firmer ride(converting a regal custom to GS)

[Toastytoad]

I have a 1996 Regal custom with the series II 3.8(not sure if it matters) and the Dynaride suspension

 

now I wanted a gran sport but I couldnt pass up a deal,

So I was wondering if I could bolt on the Gran Sport's suspension to my Car? Or Perhaps a better handling W-Body Suspesion, and are there any other differences between a Custom and a Gran Sport? I already have the bucket seats with the floorshifter and the larger engine.

 

I want to keep it fairly cheap so I would like to buy most of it from salvage yards/used

 

 

any help would be great!

[xtremerevolution]

I have a 1996 Regal custom with the series II 3.8(not sure if it matters) and the Dynaride suspension

 

now I wanted a gran sport but I couldnt pass up a deal,

So I was wondering if I could bolt on the Gran Sport's suspension to my Car? Or Perhaps a better handling W-Body Suspesion, and are there any other differences between a Custom and a Gran Sport? I already have the bucket seats with the floorshifter and the larger engine.

 

I want to keep it fairly cheap so I would like to buy most of it from salvage yards/used

 

 

any help would be great!

 

You can pull the suspension off easily. Get it off the regal gs, grand prix gtp, or lumina z34.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

[Crazy K]

STOP.

 

lets evaluate your need. you will be wasting your time if you are randomly grabbing at suspension parts from the junkyard without direction. You could suddenly find yourself with the wrong struts and worn out parts that are worse than what you have now... you could even have struts that are incompatible with your brake hardware if you tangle without knowing what you are looking to buy. a set of 91-94 Z34 struts will not fit your front brakes due to a change in the size of the rotor.

 

I think you should start by upgrading the parts that must be bought new, plus other extras that can be verified as being upgradable before you resort to swapping major components without the ability to compare what they are.

 

to do:

-Struts: front and rear using KYB GR2 or KYB Accel G, and new rear strut mounts

-Swaybar: verify if the front sway bar is 34 mm. if not, then get a 34mm bar from somewhere... verify the size of the rear swaybar, or if even present.

-Bushings: new swaybar bushings, either moog blue rubber, or energy suspension, and add the reinforcement bracket if you car is not equipped (you have a bracket and not a nut and bolt holding inner swaybar in place, can you see two holes under the frame below the brace, or is there a plate there?)

-Strut Tower braces: add front (from a vert, or ???)and rear (aweb design via Jamie or ???) strut tower braces

 

other possible things to do:

energy suspension control arm bushings modification

 

Once you get this list above done... then see if you feel you need to do more, and then get good direction in doing so.

 

 

p.s. does your buick have the shitty dampers between the rear most lateral links and the back side of the strut?

Edited October 23, 2011 by Crazy K

[Toastytoad]

Did alittle scouting today at the junkyard found a 92ish Regal GS with intact suspension, no front strut bar though.

 

So far list of parts needed

 

From a Regal GS

springs f/r

both swaybars

Ive read something about a monoleaf but Im not sure I need it.

 

from a Cutlass convertible

Front strutbar

 

Brand new

KYB struts

various bushings

New tires (when my current ones wear out)

 

 

How does this sound for a decent handling suspension package?

[jman093]

Did alittle scouting today at the junkyard found a 92ish Regal GS with intact suspension, no front strut bar though.

 

So far list of parts needed

 

From a Regal GS

springs f/r

both swaybars

Ive read something about a monoleaf but Im not sure I need it.

 

from a Cutlass convertible

Front strutbar

 

Brand new

KYB struts

various bushings

New tires (when my current ones wear out)

 

 

How does this sound for a decent handling suspension package?

 

An improvement for sure, but many not be what you are looking for. Even FE3 front springs are kind of soft. For a more sportier ride you could cut a coil off of them or go front coilovers. Either way will work. You would then have to get a lowering monoleaf in the back or coilovers and I would definitely go coilovers here.

 

I definitely would recommend strut bars. W-bodies are more rigid than N-bodies or other GM cars of the era, but still neeed help. For the front you can use the hard to find cutty vert bar or my car has had the Gen 2/GMPP bar attached to the strut tower covers. The rear you can get the AWEB bar which I don't think are being made by anyone at the moment or Rocketman here sells one too, and I think he is taking orders.

 

The last thing you can do is an alignment ditching the worthless factory specs. Less camber front and rear and more caster up front helps a lot.

[AWeb80]

you can get rear stb mounts from Jamie, CSI_MuNKY. He is taking over for me while I'm gone. I highly advise ES poly bushings everywhere. also get the 22mm rear sway bar from a Monte

[AL]

Did alittle scouting today at the junkyard found a 92ish Regal GS with intact suspension, no front strut bar though.

 

So far list of parts needed

 

From a Regal GS

springs f/r

both swaybars

Ive read something about a monoleaf but Im not sure I need it.

 

from a Cutlass convertible

Front strutbar

 

Brand new

KYB struts

various bushings

New tires (when my current ones wear out)

 

 

How does this sound for a decent handling suspension package?

I dont think GSs got the bigger sway bars from the factory

[xtremerevolution]

I dont think GSs got the bigger sway bars from the factory

 

IIRC 94+ Regals regardless of trim got the 34mm front bar. I don't recall what the rear bar is, but I did see one 96 Regal GS in the junkyard with a 1/2" rear bar.

[Toastytoad]

So I found a guy parting out a 94 Gran sport, So all I need is the rear swaybar and all four springs? anything else different?

[Crazy K]

FACT: there are NOT 4 springs. you have a monoleaf in the rear that serves both rear tires.

 

FACT: FE1 and FE3 does not correlate to the actual spring code, just the relative firmness of the spring related to the vehicle. ie. you could be buying springs from a FE3 car that has softer springs than your FE1 car. YOU NEED TO RESEARCH WHAT YOUR SPRING CODES ARE AND WHAT THE DONOR CODES ARE to get desired results.

 

EDUCATE YOURSELF.

http://www.w-body.com/oldsite/spring-codes.html

 

 

again... HAVE YOU PUT NEW STRUTS ON THE CAR AND FOLLOWED OTHER ADVICE GIVEN?

[Toastytoad]

I will put new struts when I install the springs as well as bushings just want to gather all the parts 1st then throw everything on at once,

 

When it says Load rating does that mean the stiffness of the spring? if so what cars came with the 22076783 KPB spring? and the stiffest rear spring?

[Crazy K]

I will put new struts when I install the springs as well as bushings just want to gather all the parts 1st then throw everything on at once,

 

When it says Load rating does that mean the stiffness of the spring? if so what cars came with the 22076783 KPB spring? and the stiffest rear spring?

the info you ask is impossible to know. I have seen a few variants of springs, and the most likely car to have stiffer springs will be a car that came with the heaviest powertrain options, and FE3 suspension. I'd say check 3.4 and 3800 cars at a junkyard. You will have to print that page out and go on a junkyard crawl.