Suspension advice

[dnoel]

Looking for some advise, my 87 GN sounds and rides like an old log truck. Every bump I hit makes awful squeaking noise. All the bushings underneath the car are original. Do I start with the body bushing kit then do suspension or go the other way around? I would like to end up with about a 1 inch drop eventually on the car so I know I will be replacing springs on all 4 corners also, they probably need it anyway. Thanks for the help in advance!


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[dnoel]

This is for mostly street driving as I won't be pounding the car at the track every weekend.


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[Heisenberg]

If you are only looking for a one inch drop - just remove all the body bushings!
OK - kidding - since they are probably on their way to self removal anyway.

Of course you do your body bushings first.
Since any suspension mods would demand that you have decent body to frame connections.
To me - that's a no brainer.

And some cheap upgrades along the lines of front and rear frame bracing can do very good things - I won't use the word wonders - since actual results may vary.

I'd look at some decently priced springs and (KYB? or ??) shocks - which aren't budget busters - and can make a nice improvement in ride quality.
Naturally, tie rods, connecting link, and end links with new rubber are essential pieces for a 25 year old car that may or may not have seen that maintenance.
But you need not spend wildly - you can achieve very decent results with simply buying Moog factory replacements at NAPA or other big barn auto parts stores.

Later you can get to all the exotics tubular A arms, UMI rears, special front end bushings etc.

 

[dnoel]

That's pretty much what I figured, I'll definitely replace all the bolts also while I'm doing the body bushings. My car came out of Florida so there is some minor rust around the the contact points, hopefully none of the original bolts break off. I'll take a look at the bracing also, I know I have seen them on Kirbans site while I was looking at the bushing kits.


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[Pittsburghkid]

Make sure you do all the bushings including the missing GNX bushing and I would just replace with rubber bushings and not poly as they are a harsher ride.

 

[scot w.]

Like (pittsburghkid) said go with rubber bushings! Then address your ride height from there, then do the braces & sway bars after that.... I personally wouldn't put KYB shocks on my grandsons wagon! To me the shocks are the "brain" of the suspension and the better quality you go with the better your ride quality will be... I personally like to use a coil over shocks because your ride height is adjustable to where ever you want it and if you get adjustable coil overs you can adjust the dampening of the shocks to your liking of ride quality.. The downfall is they are more expensive up front but you don't have to go through the guess work of installing the right spring to achive your ride height goal...

 

[T-CHRGD]

.. I personally wouldn't put KYB shocks on my grandsons wagon!

X10

(But then, I don't have a grandson)

 

[dnoel]

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna get the frame to body bushings done first then, I'll tackle bracing and suspension. Scot, I'll do some reading on coil overs, I've never had any experience with them before. My main concern for now is to replace the items that are overdue replacing.


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[scot w.]

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna get the frame to body bushings done first then, I'll tackle bracing and suspension. Scot, I'll do some reading on coil overs, I've never had any experience with them before. My main concern for now is to replace the items that are overdue replacing.


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I understand 100% .... Just think about the adjustability of the coil overs, I love mine and everyone who has ever driven/driven in my car can't get over how nice the car rides for being lowered as much as it is....

 

[dnoel]

Will do!


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[cruzn57]

I like my KYB's!
they work just fine,
why would I spend LOTS of $$$
to improve something that works just fine?
I want my turbo Buick to ride like a Buick.
not a wagon!

 

[scot w.]

I want my turbo Buick to ride like a Buick.
not a wagon!

To each their own I guess... I personally ran KYB's and they were Terrible to say the least....
Not sure where you get upgrading to an adjustable coil over will make your car ride like a wagon but that couldn't be further than the truth! Anyone who has been in my car will tell you that it does not ride like a wagon! That is the largest misconception people have when lowering a car thinking it will ride like they did in the old days when people cut coils off the coil springs or heated the coils to lower the piss out of them which in turn totally screws up the coils spring rates... Not so nowadays and definitely not with an adjustable coil over!

With the "Adjustable" coil over you get to adjust your ride height right where you desire AND you get to tune the shocks "Ride quality" also where you desire! I can adjust my shocks to ride MUCH better than any KYB shock out there, No comparison at all!

 

[cruzn57]

NOT knocking coil overs,
just NOT willing to spend the mega $$$ for them.
additionally- coil overs mount in shock location?
and that mount was never designed to carry the load of the car, the springs were!
you system may improve the mounting and be an improvement,
but in general, in order to achieve a increase in handling, stiffer spring rates and shock valving has to be
increased, that ....... does not improve ride quality!

 

[scot w.]

additionally- coil overs mount in shock location?
and that mount was never designed to carry the load of the car, the springs were!
you system may improve the mounting and be an improvement,
but in general, in order to achieve a increase in handling, stiffer spring rates and shock valving has to be
increased, that ....... does not improve ride quality!

It's all good!
Your right that some lower a-arms can't handle carry the weight to that lower trunnion mount but on the G-body car it's different. RideTech has been installing their shock wave air bag shocks and now recently their coil overs on the stock lower A-arms of G-body cars for the last 10 years without a single issue so as of today it seams like "They are strong enough to carry the load of the car". without going into great detail, to improve the handling you really do not need to make the car stiffer....

 

[kidglok]

It's all good!
Your right that some lower a-arms can't handle carry the weight to that lower trunnion mount but on the G-body car it's different. RideTech has been installing their shock wave air bag shocks and now recently their coil overs on the stock lower A-arms of G-body cars for the last 10 years without a single issue so as of today it seams like "They are strong enough to carry the load of the car". without going into great detail, to improve the handling you really do not need to make the car stiffer....

My car is great from drag racing to cruising. Ridetech coilovers.

 

[Crazed1]

I personally wouldn't put KYB shocks on my grandsons wagon!

How do you feel about Bilstein shocks?

 

[1952ray]

I have the Bilstein's on all four corners. They do a good job for me, however everybody does and will have a different taste.

 

[charlief1]

Everyone has a different preference and a different budget. Some like a car to ride like it's on rails and other's (I don't know why) like their car to ride like a marshmallow. If there are a few TR owners near you see if they'll take you for a ride and ask them what they've done. It's fairly simple to do inexpensive suspension upgrades and get a car that handles better as well as rides decent if you're willing to do a little research on what you want it to do. Going whole hog with after market suspension parts may give you what you're after or it may give you a ride you don't like. There have been several post about going one way only to hate the way the car runs and drives, so they went back to stock.

One of the big things though is to get the body bushings checked and changed first. Then worry about the rest of the car. There are several instances where body bushings have been left out or where the mount is rotted to the point of not being there. Once you get all that fixed then see how she rides and decide which direction you want to go with it. You can spend as much or as little as you want but in the end, it's your car and you have to decide how much work you want to do as well as how much you want to spend, not to mention if it's worth it or not.

 

[dnoel]

Thanks Charlie!


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[scot w.]

How do you feel about Bilstein shocks?

Bilstein is a good shock!