First Gen Coilover Thread ver: 2018

[GTP091]

Okay cool. I may add them later if vibration becomes an issue but ultimately this is getting a built, intercooled L67 with 2 1/2" exhaust through a Thrush Welded series muffler and a Walbro 255 fuel pump. Where vibration noise is concerned I suppose I need to choose my battles.

You may wish to put the Torrington bearing on the bottom rather than the top. It will get a lot less exposure to grit and grime closer to the hub than higher up in the wheel well.

[Imp558]

I’ve always wondered about the 2gen swap. What donor did you use? Do you keep the oem control arm? Is this swap just to reduce bulk?

 

I wanted to get away from the First Gen Spindle assemblies and into a traditional one. Years ago Miko did a Second Gen subframe and all up front, I bought two new First Gen A-Arms and two new Second Gen A-Arms and had them cut and spliced. They bolt to the First Gen subframe and have Second Gen ball joints.

 

I'm booting the whole thing with those velcro boots after this summer so my plan is to put the bearings at the top like normal to keep water away from them and then inspect / replace next winter..

[Mach 5]

I have never seen a bearing on the bottom. but on the top. grease them up. so long as they are seated you wont have an issue. the one major issue with the w-body is lack of travel when lowered. so long as you have a short stroke housing which im sure they offer for the gen2 they may even be shorter to begin with you wont have an issue... good stuff

[MemphisMan]

Summit salesman also thought I was crazy asking if there was a product to help protect the sleeve from the spring, Whoop! DER IT IS!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allstar-Performance-ALL64201-Shock-Protector/dp/B00F0CE8L0

 

Dumbass, I should call back and try to get a salesman that knows something, I bet the 2 1/8" ID isolators are intended for 2 1/2" coilovers and the dipshit didn't know because him and his Honda Homeboys never deemed it necessary.

 

Summit salesman also thought I was crazy asking if there was a product to help protect the sleeve from the spring, Whoop! DER IT IS!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Allstar-Performance-ALL64201-Shock-Protector/dp/B00F0CE8L0

 

Dumbass, I should call back and try to get a salesman that knows something, I bet the 2 1/8" ID isolators are intended for 2 1/2" coilovers and the dipshit didn't know because him and his Honda Homeboys never deemed it necessary.

I didn't know these existed.  I've got wear on my sleeves from the springs and would've tried these if I knew about them.

[Imp558]

I didn't know these existed. I've got wear on my sleeves from the springs and would've tried these if I knew about them.

I wonder what could be fashioned out of 20oz bottles or monster cans...

[Imp558]

AAAARGH! Looking for shock bumpers that don't look like dildos!

 

Edit: whew! found these Energy Suspension 9.6111 at Summit and got 2 pair.

Edited May 8, 2018 by Imp558

[rich_e777]

I need to get all my suspension stuff out as well for my 94 CS, doing the rear struts first. Those rear strut plates, the factory ones need to be modified so that the bell shaped seat can fit right? Its been too long reading about this and Ive got 80% of the parts. 

[Imp558]

Yeah, they need cut off so the threaded sleeves can go on in their place. If you post a picture of what you've got we can tell you what's missing.

[Imp558]

I posted this in my GS thread, one rear and one front. I just ordered the other two springs and bumpers last night. I actually disassembled them after this picture so I could put those plastic tubes back on them until I'm ready. The adjustment things on the ends of the shafts are plastic and don't look durable. One is already a little tweaked just from shipping so the tubes are protecting them.

 

[Imp558]

Just a quick update, those bumpers above should fit on any strut, a little wd-40 and a couple whacks with a hunk of pipe and hammer and they're on the shaft.

[Imp558]

MemphisMan has done a nice write-up on rear coilovers using KYB Excel-G struts and 250# QA1 springs.

He's got p/n's, a couple videos, and oodles of pictures on the 7th page of his '91 Cutlass build thread.

He did not use tenders though, so this is a traditional rear coilover conversion.

 

[Imp558]

AGX struts are less than optimum for a first gen. They're a couple inches longer than stock.

In the first picture is my 225# rear spring with about 1.5" of suspension travel.  I'm going to order some 12", or maybe 14" springs but for now I stuck the front 325# springs in the back and got about 3" of travel in the second picture. The 325# springs are very firm, almost mining cart kind of firm but honestly I think I like it.

I may do some longer 300# springs in the back and maybe 400# up front but I'm gonna drive this for a week and mull it over.

[Nas Escobar]

I'm bumping this instead of making a new thread. For reference but also because I have to do the rear coil over as a necessity. My rear sags to the point that the wheel is cambered in at top. I will post a picture of it later. 

 

4 years later, I'll update how much these things are going for. I remember in the original thread, it was said with $250, one could have a decent rear suspension, but now in 2022.... we'll see.

 

I also bought the RRRI top mounts when @Mach 5 made a handful of them and @Imp558 made this thread so lets see how this goes for me. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Nas Escobar

[pwmin]

When I priced it out for my 2nd gen, it wasn't much cheaper then the ZZP kit and that didn't include camber plates for the front   Hope you can piece it together for less than I was able to.

Edited March 28, 2022 by pwmin

[Nas Escobar]

11 hours ago, pwmin said:

When I priced it out for my 2nd gen, it wasn't much cheaper then the ZZP kit and that didn't include camber plates for the front   Hope you can piece it together for less than I was able to.

 

Interesting. Remember ZZP doesn't offer support for 1G cars and the little things like the top hat, the Torrington bearing, the spring tenderizer weren't posted on here so it's going to be one of those things. I have to decide if I need the other pieces @Imp558used, considering I have the custom made top mount opposed the modified KYB one.

[55trucker]

Nas: 

where have you been hiding for the last few years?........lol

I take it that you too have done the front lower control arm alteration as well to allow the 2nd gen arm installation onto a 1st car?

[Turbocharged400sbc]

i remember looking at that with the 442, best i could come up with was splicing the 2nd gen outter arm onto the 1st gen inner.

people are modifying the subframe instead for the whole 2nd gen arm?

[55trucker]

Seems sort of redundant to alter the subframe instead of reconfiguring the control arm to mount the 2nd gen knuckle.

I'd take that same approach as well to refab the arm's ball joint flange.

[Nas Escobar]

On 3/28/2022 at 5:56 PM, 55trucker said:

Nas: 

where have you been hiding for the last few years?........lol

I take it that you too have done the front lower control arm alteration as well to allow the 2nd gen arm installation onto a 1st car?

Ended up becoming addicted. I took a loss that was too hard to bear..

 

Anyways, I Haven't done that. I bought the top mount in 2018 because I always had issues aligning the car. I was going to make the rear function as a 2nd gen W and raise it up a bit because I never liked how the rear always sagged. 

[Go4DaMo]

On 4/26/2018 at 12:14 AM, Imp558 said:

Does anybody know a resource for vehicle curb weights or know the curb weight of a 1995 Regal Coupe?

 

The best I found was this site:

 

http://www.whatiscurbweight.com/vehicle-weight/buick_curb_weight.htm

 

They generically list 1995 Regal as 2955 lbs without saying if that's the Sedan or Coupe.

I always understood my Lumina coupe to weigh 3400 lbs as a Hydromatic and 3200 lbs as a Getrag, give or take.