Suspension upgrades, Part 1

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Recently, through the good graces of my wonderful wife, I picked up 4 Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks, an Energy Suspension Master bushing kit, ES front coil spring isolators, and ES front bump stops. To add to the mix, I also picked up a set of ES rear sway bar mounts (I'm probably going to make a trip down to Jeg's today to get the end link bushings (or end links thenselves) for the rear as well. I thought I would take the time and share my experience with everyone.

So far, here is what I've managed to get done:
Front stabilizer bar mounts
Front stabilizer bar end links
Front bump stops
All 6 body mounts (there are 8 on ext. cabs, but mine's a std. cab)
Rear stabilizer bar mounts
Transmission mount
All 4 shocks

I've got a few observations to share. . .

1) Don't wear clothes that you care about -- they will get torn and extremely filthy.

2) If you have mechanics' gloves, USE THEM! My hands are so banged up, scratched, scraped, bruised, and otherwise beaten to hell and back, that it hurts to type this!

3) Make certain you have a deep well 6-point 15mm socket, a standard depth 6-point 15mm socket, and a 15mm wrench. Every focking bolt under these trucks is 15mm it seems! Cripes. At least it made finding the tools easy.

4) Depending on how old your front shocks are, be prepared to cut those b!tches off. There's an old trick that I learned on older model GMs -- a 24" extension and a deep well socket, stick it on the shock top and bend it back and forth until it breaks off. Does it work with these trucks? NOPE! No room under the hood to do that. I had to go through the fender well and use a hacksaw to cup the bolts off, and then chisel the remnant away.

5) Body mounts are a royal pain in the A$$! Of course, they're all 15mm, except the ones behind the bumper. Those are a 15mm bolt and an 18mm nut. The cab body mounts weren't too terribly bad. Loosen all the mounts on one side and then remove them on the opposite side (to allow for body flex). But, those front mounts are a pain in the a$$ -- you need to pull the grille (which is only 11 clips and 2 or 4 wiring harnesses) to get to the bolt head. Get a hydraulic jack, a 2x4 (at least 4 feet long for even weight distribution), and a nice thick towel to wrap around the 2x4 (avoids scratching the paint).

6) Replace them as soon as possible -- all of them. I've only got 40K miles on my truck, and NONE of them are in snow or rain -- only decent weather. But every bushing I pulled off was worn, frayed, or in otherwise generally bad shape. The body mounts were the worst. They were so saggy and corroded, and not to mention full of rust scale. I used sandpaper on the body mount lips for about 30 minutes to get all that crap off of there -- then greased them liberally and installed the mounts.

7) The transmission mount was the easiest one to deal with. . . Go figure. I was figuring it would be the hardest. Truck up on jackstands (at a good height) and the hydraulic jack on a safe spot on the tranny. Mount took a grand total of 10 minutes. Everything else took a combined total of 10 hours (including sand rust off various spots and greasing everything that needed it).

Still left to do:
Front coil spring isolators (I have one package -- not sure if I need two or not)
Front control arm bushings
Rear spring and shackle bushings
Tie-rod end boots
Rear stabilizer bar end link bushing (or end links themselves)

I will do the end links myself, but don't have the equipment to deal with the control arms, rear springs, front springs, or tie-rod boots. Those are getting sent to Bee-Line. I'll let them put money in the swear jar and go spend the $100 dollars or so I just put in! Yes, I was using quarters!

Oh, yeah, final note: keep a sledge hammer handy -- you'll need it!

Next project, getting rid of the stock 3.08s and installing a set of Richmond 3.73s! Oh boy, that ought to be fun! I HATE doing differentials, but I've got an "ego thing" going with this truck. . . So far, I have done EVERY bit of work to it myself, except the spindles and blocks (no lift, spring compressors, or presses), so the differential is "all me." Yay!

[firefighter]

Sounds like you had a great time. I did a similar project on my old blazer and I was out of commision for a week But I lowered it at the same time spindles/coils and leafs/blocks. What a joy that was! But when I was done it was worth every second of work the old "brick bullet" handled like it was on friggin rails.

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Yeah. . . Loads of fun! It's never been out of commission, except when I was having alternator problems at the beginning of the summer. I've had it since '99 (and new), and it's never had any down time aside from that -- even with various projects and such. I make certain I have enough time to complete what I start (I'm anal that way). I did all this in two sittings. Everything up front the day before yesterday, and then the rest of it yesterday. I'm going to be doing a little more (if i can find the right end links -- **** ZQ8 rear sway bars aren't listed ANYWHERE! ARRRGGGHHH!) today. After that, I start dealing with the rear-end gears. To be honest, gears shouldn't take much more than an afternoon and about $200 in the swear jar. Did I happen to mention that I hate doing differentials. . . But, I'm stubborn (gee, I'm German, is it any wonder?) and anything that I CAN do, I WILL do -- like it or not.

My wife thinks I'm insane by this point. Cussing, throwing tools around, banging things, hitting things with fists and hammers. Of course, her response to all this is "and you LIKE doing this? I don't EVEN want to see you doing something you hate!"

[firehawkclone]

It's so easy(yeah right) tristan to do the front bushings, i know becuase i''ve done the front bushings 4 times, and the springs like 3 dozen times(no kidding) and the shocks 4 times,re engineered everything like 12 time's.

Trust me, your going to want to do this your self!Becuase you know now that you've done this, your going to do it this more often now.So you better get good at it now!

You are going to love it after you are done.You know you can get 255 on right!You are going to need that grip!LOL

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

It's so easy(yeah right) tristan to do the front bushings, i know becuase i''ve done the front bushings 4 times, and the springs like 3 dozen times(no kidding) and the shocks 4 times,re engineered everything like 12 time's.

Trust me, your going to want to do this your self!Becuase you know now that you've done this, your going to do it this more often now.So you better get good at it now!

You are going to love it after you are done.You know you can get 255 on right!You are going to need that grip!LOL
Well, the control arm bushings can wait for a little. . . I've got enough polyurethane up front to keep the truck happy for a couple days. What I REALLY want are those rear end links and the rear leaf and shackle bushings. I need SOMETHING out back. . .

But, give me some pointers. . . How about a step-by-step for us dummies on the control arm bushings and the coil spring isolators. While you're at it, a walkthrough on the rear leafs and shackles would also be helpful!

Oh, yeah, I've got a big question: how many "packs" of from coil spring isolators do I need. The kit I've got is an ES -- it has 2 of the main round isolators and 2 tubes (coil wraps?!?!). Does that do BOTH front springs, or just one side?

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Oh yeah. . . I need to add to my To Do List:

Change t-stat to a 180 or 195 -- probably back to the stock. Al thinks I'll probably see another definite power increase with a warmer t-stat, which will allow the programming to kick in fully. Right now, it's running conservatively in the "enrichment" stage and isn't in actual "running" stage. That's what he told me to do, so I'll try it. I've got a new stock t-stat sitting around here somewhere. SHOULD take about 10 minutes, but will probably take a couple hours, knowing how projects have been for me lately.

Cripes! I can slap ANY headunit into ANY car in about 15 minutes. I went to put a Pioneer in my Cavy, and the stupid thing took me 5 hours. . . Had to tear the whole dash apart. But, on the flip side, it took me 5 minutes to put the new head unit in my truck. . . We're tight like that, the truck and I!

And the CAI for the Cavy! That was a nightmare in the making. . . RKSport CAI -- long, black S-tube and a filter. . . How hard can it be? Well, let me tell you! The left front wheel comes off, the left inner fender comes off, battery comes out, and about 50 lbs of stock intake come off! Took me 3 hours just to remove the old intake -- but about 5 to put the new one on! Nothing's easy anymore. . . Upper motor mount on the Cavy. . . Oh, brother! This is front-wheel-drive vehicle number TWO for me -- don't deal with them unless I need to. . . Well, the lower motor mount took about 20 mintues (including jacking time), but the upper -- which, I will add, is just an insert that goes around the existing motor mount, took 4 hours. I never realized that the whole motor would DROP 4 inches when you took it loose! I'm accustomed to RWD vehicles -- take the motor mounts loose, and the engine just sits there waiting to be pulled. FWD? NO! I'm the coil packs? I had to remove a good portion of the intake to get to them (still had the stocker in place at that time). I'm dreading the cat-back for that thing. . . That ought to burn at least a day for me! It's a Pacesetter. . . Monza tip. . . The **** thing is a fart cannon! 4" chrome tip on a Cavalier! Give me a break! Needless to say, I got the hacksaw out for that one. . . It now has a 2.5" stock-looking tip on it now -- but still needs to be installed. Focker will probably sound like a Honduh when I'm done. But, oh well -- intake, exhaust, coil packs, and motor mounts -- all in the name of better fuel economy. I've got ONE vehicular toy and DON'T need (or want) another. I've done what I've done with the Cavy just so I can stand driving it day after day. . .

Of course, I'm driving the wife crazy again. . . I'm thinking of selling the Cavy and buying a New GTO (LS2 6-speed *arr arr, arrr!*) and using the truck as my daily driver and making the New GTO (I refuse to call them simply GTO -- they are, but they're NOT) the official toy. . . Hmm. . . Blown LS2 ought to be good for about 500 ponies, don't you think?

[ZR1-S10]

A blown LS2 sounds great, but I'd wait till 2007 for the retro GTO.

[extreme gmc]

Well, the control arm bushings can wait for a little
no they cannot and you will see why after the handling you pick up...

[Maximus]

Hell yeah a smallblock 6 speed pontiac is one hell of a ride lol.Come to the darkside Supercharged it's calling you lol.

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

no they cannot and you will see why after the handling you pick up...
I meant for about a week or so -- not much longer than that. . . I'm impatient and can't STAND unfinished projects.

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Hell yeah a smallblock 6 speed pontiac is one hell of a ride lol.Come to the darkside Supercharged it's calling you lol.
Oh, the Dark Side already has hold over me. . . It's just that I don't have the bank roll right now for it! There are a LOT of toys out there for the GTOs -- not only that, but I could adapt a few things from the F-Bodies if I wanted to. . . But, my truck is WELL beyond daily driver status at this point, and I'm NOT selling it. . . I've got a good chance of running some substantial times with this little *****. . . The track opens in a couple months, and you can BET that I'm going to see what it does in the 1320! Of course, I'm not building it for that, but I'd like to know how it does, just for the sake of curiosity. Of course, with the suspension upgrades I just did, it rides on rails -- and I'm only 1/2 way done. . . I've got to get the control arm bushings, the rear leaf and shackle bushings, and the front coil spring isolators in there. I can't seem to find the end link bushings for the rear sway bar, but I'm still looking.

Needless to say, those urethane bushings do WONDERS for handling, but I'm losing dental work every time I drive it. The body mounts took a LOT of cushion out of the ride, so every little bump and imperfection in the road goes right into my ASS! Oh, but it handles SOOOOOO nicely. I had a '94 Z28 with a little bit into suspension upgrades, and I'll say that this bugger would outhandle it in a heartbeat! The shocks do nicely -- the bushings roughened the ride substantially in one respect, but the shocks smoothed it out in another. The only problem is that since there isn't as much "give" in the suspension now, I'm REALLY traction-impaired right now. . . I had it out last night giving it hell. I can take some VERY nasty turns at insane speeds now (I was bad enough before, but I've never taken a 270-degree freeway ramp at 100+ before!). But, take-off is a BIG problem. . . Putting the pedal only halfway done during a rolling start gets it sideways. Launching conservatively and going into 2nd gear conservatively and THEN hammering it STILL gets it sideways. 3rd gear isn't bad. . . Being conservative through 1st and 2nd and then hammering it in 3rd, it loses a little traction, but it doesn't kick the ass-end out from behind. Just for ****s and giggles I gave it hell from a dead stop. . . Oh boy! Back end (even WITH the locker) kicked sideways. Pounded into second gear (thank the Gods for SHIFT STOPS on my Hurst -- no bent shift forks for me!) and it bucked even harder. Went into third and it was still squirrelly -- didn't kick sideways, but it fishtailed like a MoFo.

This bugger is probably sitting at around 250 rwhp (give or take), I can only imagine what 300 rwhp must be like in one of these trucks. . . I'm resting for a couple of days from the suspension upgrades (garage may be heated, but that concrete floor is still HARD) and then I'm going to tackle the rear-end gears. If it's doing all this with the stock 3.08s, I am literally AFRAID of what it's going to do with 3.73s!

For pure "showboat" (showing off) purposes, I wouldn't mind being able to bark the tires going into 4th. . . Still working on it though. . . I also went back to a 195-degree t-stat (on Al's advice -- the programmer is set for the stock t-stat, and it actually DOES run better with the higher temp t-stat), but it's still running WAY rich. . . Looks like I might need some more boost to even it back out! Hmm. . . The Wynjammer at 6 psi pulls a LOT harder than the Powerdyne at 9 psi ever did. . . I'm wondering what it will do at 7 or 7.5 psi! ought to be a decent difference.

Yeah, I know, this is the suspension forum, but I'm on a roll. . . I was out tearing it up last night for about 4 hours or so -- and I MEAN tearing it up. I buried my speedo several times (I love these deserted country roads, sometimes!). Ran it hard and ran it for what it was worth. Got it back in the garage and HELD the S/C. It was a cool as can be -- so I can only imagine how LOW the AIT must be! Only nominally above ambient, if my guess is correct.

But, back to the topic at hand. . . So far, I'm giving the suspension upgrades two thumbs up. Ride quality SUCKS BALLS, but I can live with that -- it's not a daily driver. Handling is IMMENSELY improved, which is what I'm after.

I'm looking into possibly stiffening the frame a little more. . . The ZQ8 package already has an additional frame brace, but I've got a nagging suspicion that I could stiffen it a little more (and thus improve handling all the more).

[extreme gmc]

i got to look you up some time, tristan. especially when i get a couple more suspension upgrades done (i.e. detroit and put that dang frame brace in).

but I've never taken a 270-degree freeway ramp at 100+ before!

your kidding, right? you tooka off ramp at triple digit speeds?!?!??!

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

i got to look you up some time, tristan. especially when i get a couple more suspension upgrades done (i.e. detroit and put that dang frame brace in).



your kidding, right? you tooka off ramp at triple digit speeds?!?!??!
If you're ever in the area -- or if we can manage a little get together (which I've been neglecting -- been sick, been busy with work/school/family/upgrades/etc.) we can hook up. . . But I won't be held responsible if you hair turns white. You know that bar on the passenger side of the dash? Well, you probably know the joke about the passenger side handle/grip over the window right? They're called the "Jesus Christ!" handle or the "Oh ****!" bar. Well, that bar on the dash has been dubbed (in my truck, at least) as the "Oh My ****ing God!!!" bar. Long story -- I'll relate it sometime in the future.

The ramp had a decent arc to it, but I've never been able to get much over 75 mph on this one before without a little tire noise. This time is was all handling, nothing but! No, I'm not kidding. I'm an aggressive driver under normal circumstances -- give me something that has power and handling capabilities and I'm downright insane (but only when I am the only one at risk -- when there are other vehicles on the road, I do NOT drive like that). Columbus is odd. . . After about 11 PM, they fold up the sidewalks and bring them inside -- basically, it may be a "city," but it still has a small town mentality -- nothing much goes on around here after midnight or so -- so at 2-3 in the morning, the roads are deserted.

Yeah -- it's amazing what a few extra perks can do for handling. Plus, I've got 245/45ZR17 tires -- the buggers are fully 8+ inches wide and have an aggressive tread pattern, so they grip dry streets like glue.

The absolutely BIGGEST thing about handling is knowing the vehicle's capabilities and NOT being afraid to push the limits. (Vehicle limits, personal limits, SANE limits, etc.) I know what my truck can and cannot do -- whenever I do upgrades, I know that there has been an improvement, so I push the limit that much more -- within tolerances of what it can handle (no sense in wrecking it or killing myself). I'm an adrenaline junkie, and driving like a maniac gets my adrenaline going more than anything else. . .

[extreme gmc]

hmmmmmm, might have to take a weekend off some time when your local scca club starts up again in the spring and join ya...

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

hmmmmmm, might have to take a weekend off some time when your local scca club starts up again in the spring and join ya...
It's not so much a club, unless you own a Ford. . . UFO has an Autocross at Columbus Motor Speedway once a month (on Sundays) during the summer. It's $15 for the day -- depending on how many people show up, we usually get 6 runs each. It's a 1/3 mile oval track, and the guys that set up the pylons have some TWISTED ideas that they come up with. It's definitely a test of your driving skills!

I need to check the schedule and I'll give you a yell and let you know what the dates are.

I haven't renewed my SCCA membership in several years (time, money, or various other reasons), but I'm hoping to this year. They race in a HUGE parking lot -- no actual pre-set track (although that WOULD be nice) -- pylons and whatnot. It takes a bit getting accustomed to the pylons (I prefer actual road courses), but it's still a blast.

[firehawkclone]

Sorry tristan for not posting back up, but i've been trying to get a "fix" for this addiction i have! Roadracing

I went out and beat up on fully preped M3's(e36/e46)cobra's,skyline's,srt4,evo's,sti, and a bunch of other stuff in the bird.Never got passed and i laped the field my second time on track!LOL

They all got pissed because the bird is just a plain firebird with 100t mile's.It doesn't even have the firehawk suspension, so they would look at my tire's and see that they are not race tire's but fusion(crap) zr1's.

Now the a-arm's you can burn,press, or hammer out the bushings, just make sure you don't distort them.but you knew this.

The spring bushing/pad the L shaped round one i taped to the top of the spring, and the tube lube it good and slide it on the bottom.

Putting the lower a-arm back on is a little scary, but you can do it with two floor jacks.Put 1 at the front lower ball joint and use it to keep the rear jack from slinding off the a arm.Have a pry bar and bolts ready to slide in 1 side of a bushing, it will help hold the a arm while you reset the jack.

And put some dammm camber in it,i use 1.5 deg of neg camber!

FYI i was off by 3 sec a lap of CMC (www.nasaproracing.com) cars with a best 1.40.01! Weighing 600lbs more, no race tire's,and no suspenion upgrades!

ROADRACING, THE CRACK PIPE OF RACING

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Now the a-arm's you can burn,press, or hammer out the bushings, just make sure you don't distort them.but you knew this.

The spring bushing/pad the L shaped round one i taped to the top of the spring, and the tube lube it good and slide it on the bottom.

Putting the lower a-arm back on is a little scary, but you can do it with two floor jacks.Put 1 at the front lower ball joint and use it to keep the rear jack from slinding off the a arm.Have a pry bar and bolts ready to slide in 1 side of a bushing, it will help hold the a arm while you reset the jack.

And put some dammm camber in it,i use 1.5 deg of neg camber!

ROADRACING, THE CRACK PIPE OF RACING
OK -- now put that in terms that idiots like me can understand. . .

Yep. . . I'm getting twitchy for the weather to clear and some racing to start. I want to hit National Trail -- just for S&Gs to see what kind of 1/4 mile this bugger will run.

Then we've got (hopefully) the Autocross (5, 6, or 7 meets -- I forget). It's with UFO, but they're decent enough guys (for Ford owners). I'm hoping to renew my SCCA membership this year, and be ready for some racing. As far as I'm aware, there isn't a Road Course around here -- they use the big parking lot for OSU's traffic and parking building. I'd prefer an actual road course, but the lot and pylons will do just fine.

[firehawkclone]

OK -- now put that in terms that idiots like me can understand. . .

Yep. . . I'm getting twitchy for the weather to clear and some racing to start. I want to hit National Trail -- just for S&Gs to see what kind of 1/4 mile this bugger will run.

Then we've got (hopefully) the Autocross (5, 6, or 7 meets -- I forget). It's with UFO, but they're decent enough guys (for Ford owners). I'm hoping to renew my SCCA membership this year, and be ready for some racing. As far as I'm aware, there isn't a Road Course around here -- they use the big parking lot for OSU's traffic and parking building. I'd prefer an actual road course, but the lot and pylons will do just fine.

Ok what terms?Oh hell i'll pm with my #'s and you can call me or i'll call you!

Were is mid-ohio from you?

[Supercharged-ZQ8]

Ok what terms?Oh hell i'll pm with my #'s and you can call me or i'll call you!

Were is mid-ohio from you?
That'll work -- I'll give you a ring. . . It all depends on what your work schedule is. . . I've got a wide open schedule right now (short term disability leave due to illness), except for Wednesday and Thursday nights (6-9:30 classes).

Mid-Ohio? It's about an hour (maybe less) from Columbus. I'm not familiar with it, but I'm guessing it is a road course track?

[firehawkclone]

Tristan i want you to pop over to www.frrax.com(fbody roadracing autox) and leave a pm for kevin(trackbird)he's the site owner/admin,well he live's in columbus along with a few other guys(all GM guys)that you can hook up with instead of those F guys!LOL

This is a great site for us that love the turn's, beside's it might make you want another fbody!

I started a tread over there, and kevin and the guys came up with 6 tracks.Some i think are some ways away.

lelson ledges
mid ohio
putnam park
gingerman
Irp
beaverrun