Making a car hook: thirdgen

[WayFast84]

I was looking into suspension for my 84 firebird, their is so many options to choose from. What is the best bang for the buck suspension mod? What companys should I stay clear from. I know eddelbrock tq arms are crap.


eventually i will get
subframe conectors
tq arm

but i cant spend 300 each right now..

lca arms and relocation brackets are about the only thing I could afford right now, but will still have to wait.

what do panhard bars do?

shed the light plz!!

[NightRydaSS]

why are eddelbrock tq arms crap?

[camaro2you]

I have heard many horror stories about them snapping on people, thats one of the reasons ive stayed far far away from them.

[Firebird67dude]

I think if ur doing any type of power motor the first thing that u should do even b4 that motor would be sub frame connectors.

[j0n]

do sfcs and slicks...then buy a new rear end and call it a day

[enRo]

"Making a car hook:thirdgen" ...

...Maybe driving it first will help :lol:

[ar0ck]

The best thing you can possibly do right now, and start a great foundation is a set of Sub-Frame connectors.

[BonzoHansen]

SFC

[Ian]

sfc's, lca's, ta...those are the important ones. the panhard is for handling and/or if you're lowering the car. lca relocation brackets are mostly for lowered cars, but I've heard people at stock height still see an improvement with them.

[Savage_Messiah]

www.umiperformance.com

[Batman]

www.umiperformance.com

+1 Umi stuff fits great.

Get the SFC's before you do anything else and save your body. After that I would ask myself what is worn out? How many miles are on your car? If it needs ball joints, tie rods, strut mounts ETC I would worry about that before I went into performance mods. No point in having it hook if that stuff is worn out. Now having said that this is the order I would go:
-Shocks and struts - I love the Bilstein set-up personally. No need to adjust them and they do well at the track and the road, but if true street strip is what you need get something adjustable like a QA1 set-up
-Springs - Again, I owuldn't lower it if you want it to hook but that is up to your personal preference. I would actually go with stock 84 firebird springs. They will still handle well and offer up enough weight transfer for a decent launch
-Tubular LCA's - I would suggest poly bushings or 1 rod end and non-adjustable unless you are lowering the car
-Tubular Panhard bar - see above
-Good tires - I like the Nitto 555's for the front and 555R's for the back but shop around and find what fits your budget best. Stay away from ET streets, BFG drag radials etc, they will get you killed in the rain
-TORQUE ARM!!!! - this will be your best mod for traction that isn't a tire. Again I would suggest non-adjustable and tranny mount for your power levels but that is up to you.

Then start saving for a 12 bolt, you might need it!

[IROCdan330]

everything said above me is true.

however i say you need to drive the car with stock suspension, that way every time you add something, you can feel the difference, thus learning what you just did to improve the car.

[JSPERFORMANCE]

no dan that makes too much sense!!!

[Savage_Messiah]

www.umiperformance.com (http://www.umiperformance.com)

+1 Umi stuff fits great.

Get the SFC's before you do anything else and save your body. After that I would ask myself what is worn out? How many miles are on your car? If it needs ball joints, tie rods, strut mounts ETC I would worry about that before I went into performance mods. No point in having it hook if that stuff is worn out. Now having said that this is the order I would go:
-Shocks and struts - I love the Bilstein set-up personally. No need to adjust them and they do well at the track and the road, but if true street strip is what you need get something adjustable like a QA1 set-up
-Springs - Again, I owuldn't lower it if you want it to hook but that is up to your personal preference. I would actually go with stock 84 firebird springs. They will still handle well and offer up enough weight transfer for a decent launch
-Tubular LCA's - I would suggest poly bushings or 1 rod end and non-adjustable unless you are lowering the car
-Tubular Panhard bar - see above
-Good tires - I like the Nitto 555's for the front and 555R's for the back but shop around and find what fits your budget best. Stay away from ET streets, BFG drag radials etc, they will get you killed in the rain
-TORQUE ARM!!!! - this will be your best mod for traction that isn't a tire. Again I would suggest non-adjustable and tranny mount for your power levels but that is up to you.

Then start saving for a 12 bolt, you might need it!

out fo curiosity why do you recommend tranny mounted?

[V]

+1 Umi stuff fits great.

Get the SFC's before you do anything else and save your body. After that I would ask myself what is worn out? How many miles are on your car? If it needs ball joints, tie rods, strut mounts ETC I would worry about that before I went into performance mods. No point in having it hook if that stuff is worn out. Now having said that this is the order I would go:
-Shocks and struts - I love the Bilstein set-up personally. No need to adjust them and they do well at the track and the road, but if true street strip is what you need get something adjustable like a QA1 set-up
-Springs - Again, I owuldn't lower it if you want it to hook but that is up to your personal preference. I would actually go with stock 84 firebird springs. They will still handle well and offer up enough weight transfer for a decent launch
-Tubular LCA's - I would suggest poly bushings or 1 rod end and non-adjustable unless you are lowering the car
-Tubular Panhard bar - see above
-Good tires - I like the Nitto 555's for the front and 555R's for the back but shop around and find what fits your budget best. Stay away from ET streets, BFG drag radials etc, they will get you killed in the rain
-TORQUE ARM!!!! - this will be your best mod for traction that isn't a tire. Again I would suggest non-adjustable and tranny mount for your power levels but that is up to you.

Then start saving for a 12 bolt, you might need it!

out fo curiosity why do you recommend tranny mounted?


correct me if i'm wrong, but he said tranny mounted for HIS power level, ie not a worked LS1, etc. lol. a mild small block should be fine with tranny mounted, anything more i think Batman would recommend a chassis mounted. that just how i read it, please correct me if im wrong.

[Tru2Chevy]

Eh...I would say if you are going to do it, might as well do it right the first time.

- Justin

[BonzoHansen]

Most of that stuff is pretty simple bolt-on. SFC probably are not. You could easily do that over time.

[Batman]

I just think the chassis mounted are a PITA to work around, I think you can safely go high 10's on a tranny mount, why spend the extra few hundred dollars if you don't need to.

[NJSPEEDER]

I just think the chassis mounted are a PITA to work around, I think you can safely go high 10's on a tranny mount, why spend the extra few hundred dollars if you don't need to.

cause i hate replacing trans mounts. lol

for the power level he will be at a trans mount will work jsut fine. if/when the decision is made to race more or go much faster than 11's i would sugest stepping up.

[98tadriver]

cause i hate replacing trans mounts. lol

for the power level he will be at a trans mount will work jsut fine. if/when the decision is made to race more or go much faster than 11's i would sugest stepping up.

Unless i was driving. :twisted:

[WayFast84]

for all umi suspension parts
tourque arm
lca, panhard rod
sfc

its $590 sound good? I might go for a different sfc thats bolt in though

[NJSPEEDER]

which pieces were you looking at? links to the individual parts please.
you may also want to add some weld on lower control arm relocation brackets to the list. they will help traction a ton and they aren't very expensive.

[WayFast84]

http://www.umiperformance.com/201520.aspx
http://www.umiperformance.com/2206.aspx

http://www.umiperformance.com/2400.aspx
or
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=90

[NJSPEEDER]

those look like good parts to get you started. i like the looks of the UMI subframe connectors too, the topdown ones are nice but the UMI ones look beefier.
if the funds are available whenever it is time to order this stuff, consider adjustable stuff. it will cost more, but allow for more tuning of the suspension when it is time to dial the car in to launch correctly.

[Slow Z]

All you need to make your car hook is sticky tires! Spend the money on tires before anything else. My suspension is all stock front and back with the sway bars removed and it hooks hard and goes straight 90% of the time. I don't even have subframe connectors... no stress cracks ANYWHERE on my car after countless hard launches.

[WayFast84]

what tires are you using?

[WayFast84]

where do i get a 85+ clamshell mount?

Is it on the rear? can I just get a new rear and have the mount?

[NJSPEEDER]

teh clamshell is the part on the trans. you can get one at any u-pull-it junk yard or get in touch with SmokinSS, i am sure he has some around.