ammuscleftw

First off I would like to thank Sam Strano for the awsome service. He convinced me to go with the Koni setup and stock springs after i told him what i wanted out of the car when all was said and done. He also made sure i had all the info I needed to get these put in correctly. I have not done suspension on an fbody before but it seemed pretty straight forward. I went with Koni 4/4's and kept stock springs as well as replaced the wheels with Torq thrust m chrome 17x9 front and 2-17x10.5 on the back with Fuzion zri 275/40/17 in front (had new ones in the garage already) mickey 275/40/17 street slicks on the back. Here is my install experience.

My car had 75k on it when this was done and had been garage kept, I had the stock TA springs and decarbons on there. The back was pretty straight forward as posts on here stated, I used the ls1howto site for guidance. The front however was no fun at all The front claimed injury to 3 different ppl including 2 shop guys and my girlfriend.. lol What i recommend is that you have a shop pull off the old springs and mount the new ones if u stick with stock springs or just have them mount the new ones if you went with lowering springs, if you do not have a shop or tools you would find in a shop available. Wrenching these springs down with hand tools and the bolt style compressors i do not encourage. When i pulled out the front shocks and springs i found that the bolt holding the mount on was almost completely gone due to rust on both.. The shop had to cut the whole mount off with a huge cutting wheel. when letting the pressure off the spring afterwards the first one shot off and almost went through a trucks window that was in the shop... the guys hand almost got broken. On the second one a guy got his finger pinched when trying to get the stock shock out of the spring. My girlfriend got hurt holding a wrench when i tighted down a bolt/nut and she was holding the other end and pinched her hand... lol I then tried to compress the springs to install the new shocks but it proved to be to dangerous and time taking IMO. I took them in and had a shop with a compressor machine mount the springs on the new koni fronts. Putting the front together was a real pain and took a whole day to finish with basic tools and jacks. It didnt help that when i got new front mounts one was remaned and one bolt crossthreaded and the metal sleeve came off. I had to use a smaller grade 8 nut and bolt on that one hole to finish mounting it. Both shock mounts and sway bar links had to be replaced. The work took 2 days because of shop runs and waiting on new mounts and cost me 80 dollars in labor for dismounting and mounting the new shocks on the springs, as well as 120$ in replacement parts. Still not to bad at all.

Review: I went with the hose mod in the rear and lower perch in the front with stock springs due to true duals on the car and clearance issues instead of strano springs.
This little drop and the new wheels totally changed how the car sits and looks great. I took it down the street and back (its winter here and i almost didnt even take it out of the garage due to salt and crappy weather) and it rides 100x's better just from that little test. Using the same size tires on front and back on staggered wheels i was hesitant about but it looks great. If I had gone with 305's or 315's on the back i would have had to get spacers or modify the bump stops to have enough clearance and besides that i dont want to give up my mickeys on the back and this is the largest tire of this style they make. I cant wait for good weather to really test this setup and tell you what i find and as soon as it gets nice enough outside, i will get the car cleaned up and post pics before and after the new setup. A world of difference and im so glad that sam did not let me get a setup i would regret.

Thanks for reading

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I have to hand it to the guys who do their front shocks using a rental bolt-style compressor. I would never do it that way. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who has a shop with lifts and a wall mounted mechanical compressor. But if I didn't, I'd find a shop with one and pay them to mount the new shocks.

I have the lower perch, heater hose setup with TTM's on my Formula. You can look in My Garage if you'd like to see a few pics.

ammuscleftw

I agree RevGTO if you have a few bucks to take the shocks to the shop for the spring work i highly encourage it.. but props to those who do this themselves you are braver then I am.. Nice ride Rev! My car looks totally different and i cant believe i didnt go with this setup the first time around. Its not a slammed look but looks how it should have from the factory.

ammuscleftw

Here are some pics of the new setup dont mind the dirty *** car its been in the garage all winter.. lookin for some opinions.. as soon as i can dig up pics of the old setup ill post them.

bene

iTrader: (16)

Looks good! I'll be doing the same thing plus strano bars and SS brake lines.

ammuscleftw

I think a different hood will be my next addition it would really set the car off... I plan on either changing my cam setup or going FI for my next major project as well as tranny and rearend work, u know .. all the expensive crap... I got a chance to take it out and drive a little recently and i see what people mean by it has a fairly rough ride to it with the koni's, even with stock springs. Truth is it handles like a champ and takes the bumps very well but since we have all plastic panels that like to make noise it just seems like it takes the bumps harder then it is. On a well maintained road the car handles so much better and doesnt feel out of control like the stock setup does. Any bumps in the road dont seem to phase the car any. The rear seemed a little bouncy compared to the front at 1/2 turn from full soft and the front seemed very stiff at 4 sweeps from full soft where i had set it when the shock were put on. I stiffened the rear a little and softened the front slightly. It is quite cold here still and i wont get to fine tune it until the weather is better but i am very happy that my car looks good now and not like a 4x4 lol, well worth the money.

Tuffguy610

iTrader: (2)

I put lowering springs on the front with my Koni's. My friend and I were very nervous as we watched the bolt style spring compressors bend under the force of the springs. I would probably use them again now that I know all the tricks of the trade to putting suspensions in these cars.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I found that my Koni's on the lower perch were much harsher than my previous Bilsteins. I've adjusted them to where I like them best, at 3 sweeps from full soft, but they still hit the bumps more harshly than the Bilsteins ever did.

I have Bilsteins with 1 coil cut front springs on my M6 car and it hits the bumps and sharp creases much more softly than the Konis.

ammuscleftw

thats where i have mine set now 3 sweeps from soft and 1 turn up from soft in the back.. A little harsh for a daily driver/fun weekend car but it handles like an indy car compared to stock.. I used to have to be prepared for anything when id really lay into the car before (*** end get all crazy and u dont know what the car will do..) not with these i hammer down and the car is very predictable and if it starts slippin its easily controlled.. Sam was right shocks are the most noticable change you can do to your car. Especially a 300+ hp muscle car I have been a hardcore musclecar fan my whole life! I love these cars and you guys that are all doing the same just kick ***! I just wish i could buy more of them and that they never die..

pwterz28

iTrader: (10)

so using stock springs and doing the lower perch with hose mod how much will this lower the car

transwiz

iTrader: (26)

The stock springs with the lower perch and the heater hose mod will drop it 3/4" in front and 1/2" in back.
I also talked to sam a lot and decided to go with the koni sa 4/3 and do the heater hose,lower perch mod.Sam said I would notice the the difference in the stance of the car.I was skeptical at first but noticed right away how much better it looked.The way the car handled was unbelieveable.It was like a whole new car.I was shocked.Sam convinced me to get the hollow sway bar set.I was amazed to say the least.That was the best money I ever spent.Sam Strano spent a lot of time with me talking about what suspension mods would be best for me and didn't try to sell me stuff I didn't need.When it comes to suspension,Sam is the man to talk to.
I also had a shop install my front shocks.I am glad that I didn't have to do it.What A hassle.I would do a ram air hood next.
____________________________________
2000 t/a ws6 koni sa 4/3's,Strano hollow sway bars,ls6 intake,tr224 ,ported BBk tb,317 heads milled + ported +valves,kooks LTs,B&M ripper,k&n filter,mti lid,moded Maf,pac1218 beehive,stock rockers modded by Harland sharp,comp pushrods,melling 295,
ls2 timing chain. 403 rwhp (dynajet),Magnaflow catback,kooks high flow cats,UMI subframe connectors(bolt on).

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

Aside from soreness, I didn't injure myself when I installed my springs. However, when I helped a friend install his, he was holding onto the threads of those screw-type spring compressor when I started running it down with the air wrench. Cut his hand up pretty good. I felt terrible about it, but he didn't punch me (thanks, Dennis!).

I agree with you, OP. Take everything off as an assembly and pay someone to do it. I've done two swaps with the screw compressors, and I vowed I won't do it again. Those things are a death trap.


-Mike

ammuscleftw

x2 on the service from sam... really the best service ive ever had hands down and will buy whatever i can from him that i may need. BTW I havnt had the car out much but my car dropped between 1/2 and 3/4" in the back and about 1/2" in front. I need to dig up the pics from before.. youd be amazed at how much that little drop makes a difference.

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

I'm awaiting sam's springs since they are on back order til April. I just got the Koni's and was planning on doing the whole install myself but after reading this I'm gonna take everything down to Les Schwab and have them do it. For the Front anyway, I'm sure the rear is fine.

ammuscleftw

Rear is cake had it done in about 30 mins or so.. Front even with a shop doing the springs may take a few hours a piece.. also make sure and check your shock mount bolts (the ones under the hood) after mounting the new ones up and driving a little. Mine did not want to settle in real well, i had them tight but they settled in after i drove it a few miles and i tightened them back up.

Redlinez

iTrader: (5)

You could save even more and pull the fronts off and take them to the shop. It's really not hard getting them off. I've done 3 or 4 sets, so I guess I'm used to them now. I used a wall mounted compressor, so much safer and easier.

ammuscleftw

It finally got a little warmer here and i must say after giving the new setup some time to settle in and get some miles on it, i am loving this setup more every time i drive it. It is a little rougher ride then some setups and im sure even more so with aftermarket springs but its a trade off for better handling. Also with any exhaust or suspension changes you will most likely cause some more vibration inside the car so be prepared for more rattles (as if we need them..) and headaches trying to track them down and fix them. The ability to adjust how the car rides is something i thought i could live without but after having it now i will never go back. This is one of the first mods i should have done on this car.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Having just read something you wrote in another thread, it seems you have some room to soften the damping if the ride is too firm. Of course it's a tradeoff, but because you have shocks that don't make you pick just between this setting and that, you should be able to dial it in to something you like best.

Thrilled to hear you are loving the setup. Amazing what some good shocks will do, isn't it?

ammuscleftw

definately an overlooked area.. This mod gave me the most satisfaction out of them all.. The sound of the cam comes in a close 2nd. I do have room to go softer but it was a little too bouncy and wasnt my taste.. maybe this would not be the case on aftermarket springs but seems so on stockers. It is set very close to what i want im just waiting until it stay around 70 outside to fine tune it since im sure it will soften up some anyway.