BCaywood

So, ive got a few questions. I bought my bird ('95 3.4L) for $1000 about 3 years ago. Ik, you get what you pay for, that low for a bird cant be good, but the car i had at the time wasnt much better, an '87 Cherokee Laredo that would overheat within a block and had a gigantic hole in the drivers side floor (which the sellers managed to cover by tucking the carpet into the trim very tightly) so i figured i couldnt really go wrong. I was surprised that all of the electronics in it still worked, besides the passenger window, which was annoyingly stuck up, but had enough of a gap that would allow anyone in that seat to get soaked. The main issue seemed to be the suspension, which seemed quite low. The guy said he hadnt lowered it so i didnt know what to think, untill i took a test drive. It was completely collapsed. But I was 16 and it was a Firebird, so i bought it.

Since then ive been both annoyed and overjoyed with my car. On the upside, it came with a cat-back exhaust, tho i cant remember off hand weather it was magnaflow or flowmaster. Supposedly thats all the guy had done to it performance wise, everything else was just to fix it. It also seems to have slid off the road into a pole, due to there being a dent in the driver side, right infront of the rear speaker, so thankfully i was able to take out the speaker and push it out. Its still cracked and creased from sitting like that for so long. also, the little panel on the sail panel by the window was poped out. It also seems to have taken a hit in the nose, due to a half inch gap between the bumper and the hood. Im slightly concerned about possible frame damage. The car is full of little problems everywhere. but just when it starts to annoy me, it turns around and earns my love again. partly because with the exhaust and the way it will burn out, no one believes me that its a v6 untill i actually pop the hood. i dont know what to make of it.

But a couple of things have interested me about it. First, i noticed last year when i was replacing a squeeky power steering pump in it that it was bone dry, no coolant whatsoever. But it didnt show any sines of it, no gauge reeding or hard running. i even drove it across two countys when i moved it, pegged all the way (but thats a diffrent story, trust me, it wasnt because i wanted to) but still no sines of being without coolant. so, we filled it up and thought it was fine. well, the next day, i went to pick up my gf who lived a few towns away and it overheated on me and i was barely able to pull it into a gas station to let it cool off. and then on the way back it shut itself down it got so hot. since then it hasnt really been driven, lack of funds

but about a week before it happened, me and my brother were in it and he wanted to see what it would do. so, i found a long deserted country road, yay indiana, there are lots of them here, and let it go. Keep in mind that its a v6, and the exhaust is supposedly the only modification, plus its an auto. But when i let it go, it completely pulled up the front end, not off the wheels, but definately off the suspension. Neither of us were expecting it and were both pretty scare. I just dont see how it was able to do that. would the collapsed suspension do anything to effect that?

Im just looking for some input here, im really not sure what to think of this bargain firebird. one moment, while its doing a 25ft burnout, i love it, but the next when it bottoms out over a bump, im not so sure. by the way, on the topic of suspension, i mean it when i say its bad. theres only 6 inches of ground clearance, and the drivers side is a half inch lower than the passengers side. im guessing it sat on flats for a long time. and when i hit so much as a resessed drain grate, it will bottom out

94Firebird93

I know this isn't an answer to your problem lol, but where in indiana are you from? I have a 94 3.4 but no country roads around here only being 3 miles from downtown heh. Does your car get low as hell if you were to sit on your hood?

1320Chicken

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like shocks and springs are shot. It's letting weight transfer too quickly and not absorbing any of it like it should. Does it bounce?

AmDWs6

how about a complete suspension change?

i'm sorry but i have to say with a car like that you'll be changing way more than shocks & springs.

BCaywood

i live up north, were its really flat, and in the middle of nowhere. ill admit, im from southern indiana, and theres not a lot of good flat roads. but yea, it bounces like no other. and the suspension feels like theres nothing left at all. not only will it bounce and bottom out easy, but i can lift it up pretty far to. i was underneath it disconecting the radiator hoses or something, i cant remember exactly off hand, but i was able to push it up a lot easier than i feel it should be. Plus, at lower speeds, like around town speeds it wobbles side to side, especially from a stop. my uncle used to be a mechanic and said that all my bushings are shot

BCaywood

Anybody? Any ideas why it might be wobbling so bad? Is it the bushings or what?

7beast

iTrader: (30)

start with some new shocks all around first

BCaywood

Ok, any recomendations? I see a lot of people using qa1's, but I also know they're drag racing. Also, I saw on another thread that someone commented on the qa1's nd said that they were conterproductive for good handling. I don't want to set it up for drag, I'm looking for auto-x and road corse

FormulaColy

Most people are either going to tell you BMR/Stranos lowering springs with Bilstein shocks, or if you wanna go for broke, some Konis. A friend of mine just installed some BMR springs with Bilstein HD shocks and the improvement is very noticeable. The handling is much better and it actually reduced some of the sag and body roll, so if you're not looking to get into drag racing i would say this is your best starting point.