black84z28

i have been researching alot lately and i am looking into a good set up for my 84 z28

so far i replaced the shocks/struts with tokico 5 ways


what spring will bring is the following:

new wheels: ,looking for atleast a 17 inch wheel to fit the 13x1.1 inch c5 brakes on my car

brakes:c5 brakes with upgraded rotors and z06 calipers...not so sure about the brake pad i am using as of yet....anything is an improvement over the stock 10.5s/drums i have on the car

suspension:...spohn is going to love me!

subframes of course
lower control arms
adjustable panhard
lower control arm brackets
strut tower brace
front coil over set up
tubular a arms
tokikco 5 ways adjustable shocks/struts
wonder bar
adjustable torque arm for t56
lowering the rear with prokit springs( understand they have a better rate than the sportline springs)

tires:
i would like to be able to run the car on street tires and still be able to compete pretty good...i was thinking kd/w's?...good choice?

steering gear box is old and i will replace with the new flaming river box......stick with a 12:1 ratio?


the motor set up will be a ls1/t56 i am going to transplant with a 12 bolt rear...atm with the 305/700r4 the car weighs 3280 with a full tank of gas so its not a heavy pig


any add on ideas such as:

what type and who's cage?....could i get away with a kenny brown cage?
harness?
other safety?
brake cooler?
power steering cooler?
oil cooler?
diff cooler?


anything else that i may have missed?....remember when adding stuff that this will also be a street car

black84z28

anyone?

roy

SOunds like you got your hands full with that list.

TAF Motorsports

iTrader: (10)

$$$ IMHO , You will probably spend more on mods on a 3rd gen Than you would a a 4th Gen. Unless you are dead set on using a 3rd Gen.
And the old Rule K.I.S.S.

BULLET99Z28

iTrader: (9)

u will not spend more modding a 3rd gen, the rear suspension is identical, only difference is the strut front end, and if strut front ends are so bad, why is porsche still usin it, u can also convert 3gens to rack and pinion. My irocs also handled better than my 99z, but my z rides better and has less interior noise

TAF Motorsports

iTrader: (10)

Re-read his post. Look at the list of his Mods. incuding LS1 t56 swap been racing f-bodies 2nd, 3rd and 4th gens for over 25 yrs..... never said anything was bad. Handling is relaitive to what your ultimate goal is... Like I said "IMHO". It's your money

trj20

If your going racing before you spend a dime you need to check out which racing organization you want to race with? And is it all out racing you want?Or just a track car? Solo car? If you start with your list that I see you will snafu yourself with at least one organization. Thats the SCCA. Your car would fall into AS (american sedan). There rules for mods are very limited. Then theres an organization known as NASA. They have 3 pony car classes. One is the CMC (camaro/mustang challenge) American Iron very much like SCCA's american sedan class but more liberal with the rules and then they have AIX which is the run what you brung heavy money class. At any rate sit down and decide what you want to do before you open your pocket book. AND READ THE RULES before you spend your money. Check out www.scca.org www.nasaproracing.net www.asedan.com and do some research if you truly are going racing. Have fun.

black84z28

the whole point of the car is too be able to rip corners/daily drive and hit a road course here and there...i am going after a well handling/pro touring type of car




i am not looking into joining any classes of racing...i wanna join the local mfba guys when they rent road america...and i wanna have fun!....as of right now my car handles decently...it doesn't body roll too much where i can notice...but stock bushings and suspension DO HAVE TO GO...it is 22 years old and upgrading will only make the car more fun




suspension wise it is about the same for 3rd gen vs. 4th gen...but the money i spend on swapping the ls1/t56 over would cost as much as building a good sbc 335-434 with a good trans behind it....so....the reason for me going ls1/t56 is for one...great motor...its lighter than an iron block sbc.....



my car atm with a full tank of gas weighs 3280lbs...that is with the heavy 15 inch wheels and fll interior....so its alot lighter than any 4th gen....with an ls1 and other things i am doing the car should be able to hit under 3100 fully dressed...

i will be buying a 4th gen...i need a donor car
plus as a fact....why wouldn't i wanna mod this:

trj20

Sounds like you love the third gen. If I had my choice the better starting point is a 4th gen. You can fit larger wheels and tires under a 4th gen. Its more liveable as far as ride quality if you don't get to crazy with the spring rates and the weight balance is closer front to rear. If you like the third gen best I'd start with a 92 model year chasis. The tub is more reinforced. When gm was getting ready to introduce the 4th gen they did alot of the tub reinforcing tricks in the last of the third gens. Used more bead rolled panels to stiffen them up than in the earlier third gens.

black84z28

i can fit big tires under this car...i was planning on a 315 but that is scraped for a more cheaper 275...i will be using a 4th gen rear for the time being and 4th gen offset wheels...i can do just as good as the 4th for parts


my friends 2000 rides alot more rough then my car...my struts/shocks can be made to ride nice and soft or harsh and stiff...i like the harder/stiff ride quality...feels more responsive and there when i want it

i am sticking whith this car because i own it, its paid for of course...and its has one of the cleanest 22 year old bodies i have ever seen...why buy another car?

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Back in 2000 I was planing on building my 100% stock '85 IROC, but in 2001 they started offering 0% five year loans on new 4th gens, so I traded off my old friend of 16 years. It was hard to do with a sharp new paint job, but I'm glad I did.

As mentioned above, the 4th gen is a much better starting point. You can get there with a 3rd gen, but it will take more time and money. The IROC-Z was a good handling car, but I did notice a lot more flex in the chassis than what I have now. The advantage of the 4th gen front end (not having struts) is a camber curve that is hard to beat.

On the plus side, 3rd gens are slightly narrower, which is an advantage if you're going to autoX. And like you say, it is paid for already, which is an advantage if you're going to keep it stock. But if you're going to build the car, you would put less money into a 4th gen. JMHO . . .

black84z28

the car is getting a cage and subframe connectors and other bracing they offer...the car will be pretty stiff..as for the camber/caster issue they do sell adjusting plates so that is not an issue either


i am just not the biggest 4th gen fan tho...i could have bought a 99 z but i passed it up because i have the car i own currently...i believe the 4th gen would cost alot more because they are more $$$ on the market currently...



keep the suggestions coming

Cal

iTrader: (1)

"tokikco 5 ways adjustable shocks/struts"

I think you would be a lot better off going with Koni SA's (Single Adjustable) shocks/struts.

As trj20 said, you need to take a good look at the rules before you do too much, unless you don't know what type of racing you will be doing, in which case I suggest you start with F Stock autoX.

black84z28

i am not planning on racing any class ...i just wanna join the mfba guys when they rent iroad america..

trj20

I remember when I said the exact same thing. Then after one season of open tracking, the speed addiction worsened and I had to go racing. It is an addiciton. Sometimes I think drugs may be cheaper.

black84z28

i hear yea...

fast377

iTrader: (52)

black84, Im actually doing the same thing to my 91z28 right now. LS6/T56 swap, tubular kmember, control arms, coil overs, race rack, full cage, along with some custom aero work. Most of the suspension stuff I am getting from pa racing. They actually have a road race option for the kmember beefing it up a bunch. Plus their prices are decent. I havnt decided on brakes yet though, Im trying to get a friend of mine to fab me some spindles so I can use my 14" rotors As far as the cage goes, the best way to go is have one custom made. Off the shelf ones are fine, but usually dont fit as tight as they could.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

3 words ... brakes, Brakes, BRAKES

RA is a brake eater ...

2003torch

"c5 brakes with upgraded rotors and z06 calipers"

Calipers on C5 and the Z06 model are the same except for the red paint, save yourself some money.

Speedpup

Throw some Wilwoods SL6/ST on the front if the fit. Car looks clean