Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

[r_simmonds]

I'm getting pretty excited at this point, as the parts are starting to pour in from the vendors. Just ordered the SLP Bilstein/Eibach shock/spring package, the Eibach 35mm front/25mm rear sway bar package, new Energy Suspension front/rear control and torque arm bushings, BMR adjustable panhard rod, used GM 1LE Aluminum driveshaft, and new set of 275/40/ZR17 Toyo Proxes 4's. The Firehawk rims are at powdercoat right now, getting a gloss black/clearcoat finish (also sent out the trim piece between the t-tops to get recoated). Side note, I'm also working with a friend to get my custom stripes cut, also going to remove the factory badges (just going with black decals) and side moldings.

I'm definitely anxious to get all of this stuff installed and hit the road. I know I've got a lot of work ahead of me at this point, but that's not about to slow me down, lol. I'm tired of having to let the car sit, just looking at it, just because the factory suspension is so worn that it's unbearable to drive. Probably by the time everything gets done, I'll be driving the Firebird more than the GTO. I'm also anxious to see how the car does afterward with the shift kit I installed. On more than one occasion, the car would just break loose and go sideways when hitting second gear while being aggressive with the throttle. And if anyone I know didn't know what wheelhop was, I could easily show them, as the car had an abundance of it.

I'll definitely be giving my own review of how the car reacts once everything is installed. I have high expectations at this point, hopefully the car will live up to it with the mild revamp.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Also, don't know if it's been posted before or not, but these are the spring rates for the SLP Eibach springs compared to the Eibach ProKit V6 springs, in case anyone is interested.

SLP
Front = 285.4 - 492.9 lbs/in
Rear = 85.1 - 191.5 lbs/in

Eibach
Front = 377 - 600 lbs/in
Rear = 80 - 137 lbs/in

SLP lists that their package lowers the car less than an inch. Considering I was looking to stay close to stock height, this is a plus. And I realize the rears are a stiffer spring than the standard Eibachs, and when combined with the heavier sway bar are likely going to increase oversteer, but I plan on relocating the battery and possibly a couple of other things to the rear, so the stiffer rear suspension will help compensate for this as well as helping more with keeping the rear planted under hard launches, which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked the components that I did. It's also important to note that the springs do not give as aggressive of a drop as the ProKit, which is going to have some effect on how the suspension reacts when cornering.

All in all though, I think I've chosen the components that are going to give me exactly what I'm looking for.

[ssms5411]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Should handle great with the 35/25 combo and new springs. Let me now how you like the TOYO's ? I want to get some 315/35/17's or 335's but don't know much about them , I have read that their pretty good on dry roads which I need. If your getting a Transgo shift kit you'll love it , so much funnier to drive. I moved my Batt. to the rear and with all my weight removed from the front(about 175LBS+) the car handles very well with my QA-1 shock and 1LE rear springs and sways. I would like to see what my weight ratio is front compared to the rear, its got to be pretty close to each other. Good luck on your project, keep us updated.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

I'm on my second set of Toyo Proxes 4's on my '04 GTO. I love them. Until they're worn down pretty far they generate very low noise, offer loads of grip once you get them broken in a little, and don't wear out too quickly (although quick enough) for a Z-rated tire with a 300 treadwear. I'm a fairly aggressive driver, and they generally last me about 12-14 mos. on a 3800 lbs. car that gets driven daily, and driven hard.

Also, I have the Transgo shift improver kit installed, along with a Corvette servo. Before the suspension got worn to the point of being dangerous, it would easily bark the tires on the 1-2 shift. Of course with the rear suspension being pretty much shot at this point (127k very hard mi. on the stock parts), it just steps a little sideways at best, and if you're not careful will go into a skid.

Also, I remember seeing what our cars stock weight distribution is and a list of what stock components and some aftermarket weigh (although I don't remember where). Improving weight distribution to as close to 50/50 as you can get is going to keep the car far more balanced in handling situations. This is something I'm trying to do with all 3 of my cars as their builds progress. Biasing more weight to the rear is a huge advantage in terms of acceleration, as long as you can bias more weight to the rear without simply adding more lbs to the overall curb weight.

[ssms5411]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

With the tubular K and upper/lower arms and batt. in the rear, windsheild res. removed and fiberglass hood, front bumper suppport, egr, all under neath plastic, evap, heat sheilds, misc. stuff and 32mm front sway(10LBS) its pretty light, but will add 50 LBS once the turbo goes on. I also add a 14:4 steering R&P so it handles very well, I forget sometimes and take corners at 30-40 MPH and will fish tail it around. LOL I also still chirp 2nd and 3rd even with the 315's , damm sumuttos suck for griping so I'm looking for something that grips. I like the highway doing 80 and just swaying back and forth, its so responsive, I love it. I found some foriegn tires on ebay Ventuga's or something for a fair price and have a 280 thread rating , if I can find the Toyo's with a 315 tire and they have a 300 tread rating i would go with them. Michlen's 315's are crazy in price $300+ a tire. With my subs out I think my car should weigh between 2800-2900LBS.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

The Toyos are going to run me $585 mounted and balanced, plus an alignment, from my local Chevy dealer. I used to run Goodyears, but I will NEVER go back, and I even tried a set of Falkens on it for a while. I couldn't get on it at all with either of those brands. I'm running Kumhos on the car right now, and they've been an excellent tire for the past 3 years. I put them on there about 4-5 mos. before I bought my GTO, and they still have a pretty decent amount of tread left on them. I just wish they still offered that style.

Luckily enough my Firebird is a Y87 car, so it has the quick ratio steering box. It takes a little getting used to when switching back and forth between cars. The GTO's steering isn't quite as quick, but has a good feel when you want to hit some winding roads. And I can't wait to get the 'Bird out and go tear up some turns with it.

Unfortunately, I called SLP yesterday to see why I hadn't gotten my shocks and springs yet, turns out that they're on back-order until the end of next week. So I'm definitely a little upset, especially since my birthday is this coming weekend, and I had wanted to get everything buttoned up and drive it. Oh well, gives me more time to get everything done right the first time and not have to rush.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Well, the rim are back from powdercoat, and I am very pleased with the finished product. I can't wait to get the tires mounted and get them put on the car. Unfortunately I still have to wait on the shocks and springs to get here.

I've gone ahead and started working on changing out all of the bushings and getting the sway bars, panhard rod, and driveshaft installed, so that when the new suspenders get here I can just stick them in and get it on the alignment rack.

I'm considering doing a write-up on changing out the bushings, as I think it would probably be helpful to some of the others out there that may consider doing this on their own. I'm far enough into it that I wouldn't really be able to provide any pictures, but I can at least give an idea of what goes into it, and some tips and tricks for changing them out.

[ssms5411]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Nice , post some pics.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

If I had thought about it when I started, I would've snapped some pics as I went along. But, at this point I'm far enough along that the best I can do is do a thorough explanation of how I went about replacing everything. Once I get finished with the rear of the car I'll do some sort of a write-up of how I went about completing the work.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

So, I've finally managed to get everything installed and get the car back on the road. And I must say, the difference is amazing. I couldn't be happier with the way the suspension turned out. The SLP shock and spring package work beautifully to provide a ride that is firm without being uncomfortable, and the Eibach sway bars do a great job of minimizing body roll. There is a little more feedback than most would prefer (largely due to the urethane bushings), but it's still easy to live with for a daily driver. The amount of lateral grip the car has now is astonishing, especially when compared with the OE suspension.

There are a few notes that I'd like to make, things that I feel are important for anyone who may plan on doing a suspension overhaul. First of all, if the work is something beyond your skill level, leave it up to a professional. It's easy to mess up things under there and really make it worse. Second, as far as the front shocks are concerned, make sure to buy a new set of upper shock (strut) mounts and shock isolators. Your stock ones will likely be beyond the point of being reused, and they're not that expensive to replace. If you attempt to disassemble your shocks on your own, make sure to use the proper spring compressor. Also remember that you will need to reuse the dust cover (sleeve), and the jounce stop assembly from the front shocks. As far as I've been able to tell, they're not available from any aftermarket supplier nor the dealer. I spent a lot of time and money only to find out that these must be reused. MAKE SURE NOT TO DAMAGE THEM!

One thing I ran into with the sway bay kits, is that Eibach sends them with shorter length endlinks that are for use on a car that has been lowered. If you're like me and don't use a kit that actually lowers the ride height of the vehicle, you will need to make sure to get longer bolts and sleeves, or just buy a set of factory length ones from someplace like Energy Suspension (unless you already have a set of heavy duty endlinks).

I can't think of anything else to cover at this point. Once I have a chance to clean the car up a little, I'll get some pictures and post them.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Well, it's been several months since I got the suspension work finished on the 'bird, and decided to give an update on how it's worked for me since I finished it. One of the first things that's most evident is the lack of axle tramp. It used to be bad enough that I could go from a rolling start and induce wheelhop. Now, the car just plants and goes. the difference under braking is noticeable as well.

The ride is still firm, but it's not unbearable in everyday driving. It's certainly more firm that the FE2 suspension, and there is a little more road noise (the rear upper shock bushings could stand an upgrade as well), but it's certainly compliant. I've driven the car a lot the last few months, and have been thoroughly pleased with the way it turned out.

I've still been reluctant to push the handling to it's limit, although I've been getting a little more brave about taking turns at speed. It literally feels like it's on rails. The one thing I've had to learn to be careful about is being on the brakes too hard into a turn. On more than one occasion, I've induced oversteer by being on them too hard right before a turn, and once ended up being spun 180 when it was a little cold out. Though there is still no hint of understeer, no matter what I try.

The next things on my to-do list now are some more performance upgrades, as well as a set of bolt-in subframe connectors and a shock tower brace. Although they may have to wait as I may start doing some suspension work on the GTO. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will turn out as well as the Firebird has. And I will try to get some pictures of the 'bird posted as soon as I can find my camera.

Here's a list of what's been done to the car-
SLP Eibach/Bilstein spring/shock package
Eibach swaybar package
Energy Suspension chassis package, engine and trans mounts w/ aluminum trans spacer
BMR poly end adjustable panhard rod
GM 1LE/WS6 driveshaft
SLP Firehawk wheels (17x9) with Toyo Proxes 4 (275/40/ZR17)
Minor weight reduction (rear seats and seat belts, spare and accessories, 1LE driveshaft)
Powerslot rotors
Transgo shift kit and Corvette style servo
Free ram air mod with smoothed factory lid, K&N filter, silencer box removed
Ported throttle body
NGK TR5GP plugs

Other mods to come-
OBX headers with custom crossover
Custom catback
Composite hood
Battery relocate
Meziere water pump
Also considering full A/C delete

[ssms5411]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

Sounds like your off to a good start.

[r_simmonds]

Re: Slew of new parts for the 'Bird

I'm planning on trying to figure out how to save some more weight on the car by way of using aluminum, chromoly, and composites where I can. Luckily I have some pretty good connections, so getting small parts made from carbon and/or ballistics grade kevlar is easy. One of my uncles also owns a company that builds industrial equipment (CNC welders, harmonic welders, things like that) so getting parts CNC'd is just a phone call away (he's the one that made my trans spacer).

I wanna try to figure out how to save a few pounds from the headlight assemblies. Also have a design for a shock tower brace using ovalized aluminum tubing or carbon. I may even try to have some lightweight subframe connectors made.

Basically, at the end of the day, power to weight ratio is on of the biggest helps on small engine cars like our V6's. Since the F-body V6 is going to be limited on horsepower because of displacement and lack of aftermarket support, the next logical choice is to minimize losses due to weight and parasitic losses in the drivetrain.

Once I can get money put back for it, I'm gonna have a new shortblock built and basically try to extract as much hp as I can safely and effectively. I'm planning on using the ZZP heads and having them ported. The porter I've been talking with (went to SAM for head porting) runs his own business, mainly working with LS heads, but said he'd be glad to rework the heads for me. He mentioned that the head design is similar in some ways to the LS heads, so he thinks he should be able to get some pretty good flow out of them. Right now the goal is between 350 and 400 at the crank. Although, he's been trying to talk me into upping the compression, running more cam, and switching to E85 (wouldn't mind if it E85 were more accessible and they didn't switch to E70 during the winter), which he seems to think could move it farther up the scale to around 450, and he feels that as much as 500 wouldn't be impossible. Considering he's the guy that did the head porting on the SAM C5R motor a few years ago that made like 920 bhp, and he's done the heads for a few of the guys in my GTO club, I trust that he knows what he's talking about. One of the crazier engines I've personally seen his handiwork on is an LS2 based 403, using ported L92 heads and L76 manifold, running a fairly conservative cam, and running on E85 and making 532 rwhp and 476 lb-ft torque on a street tune. That puts him at around 600 bhp which, especially if you've heard the car running, is pretty wild.

Anyways, I'm rambling at this point, but it's easy for me to get going. I'm a gearhead through and through, lol.