js2fst

iTrader: (12)

Nice job! I see the trend of gutting out your car and taking the aod out is going out daily drivers are coming in look how many weld skinnies and slicks are for sale now. Alot of people are putting their cars back together or selling them as rollers. I am interested in it I want a daily driven, blown, ac, cruise convertible t.v. and all, lowered, low 10 second car. Not a gutted broken down one. That can't drive on the power cruise.

dochall22

iTrader: (6)

the previous owner said he believed they were eibach sportlines - 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 drop
he wasnt sure b/c it was done before he got it.

i'll get pics as soon as I can. Are the eibach's junk or just to low for 315s?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Both the Sportlines and Prokits share the same rear springs. The rears are progressive, too soft and too low. They start out at 94lb/inch and once they compress down to the point of coil bind, the rate goes up to 160lb/inch. Those springs are a pain in the ***. I would just go to a salvage yard and get some stock V8 rear springs and then remove the upper rubber isolators. That will work much better. If you want it stiffer, put the isolators back in and cut 1/2 to 1 full coil. The height should be the same, but the rate will be firmer.

If you want to try the metal spacers on your current springs first, then try and squeeze them into the more closely spaced coils. This will transition you to the stiffer rate sooner, plus add a little ride height.

dochall22

iTrader: (6)

What is the difference between the V8 and V6 springs? I've heard guys who are looking for the 6ers for the race cars?

slammer454

I only use slam bags on installs. by far the BEST bags out there.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Oh wait. My bad, the Sportlines may be a different rate than the Prokit rears. Your rear springs may start at 80lb/in and then transition to 137lb/in. That's just way too soft. 130-150 is more the range you need.

If you go to this website, you'll see lot's of spring rate info.
http://www.angelfire.com/my/fastcar/suspension.html

Basically V6 springs are softer, so they allow the car to rock and sway more. It's good for drag racing, but not for handling.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

What's so special about them?

slammer454

they are insanely good quality, i've never had one blow out, they're isolated from vibration, and they won't balloon. Plus they seem more responsive then other bags.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

That RE-6 does look pretty good for the rear. It's got a 7.25" stroke with built in bumpstops. I think they are very comparable to the Double Play bags I was reading about. Almost the same stroke, same price, etc...

Of course, if your into high pressures they have a version that handles 400psi and one that handles 600psi!

slammer454, what have you used them on?

dochall22

iTrader: (6)

Here's my goal with the rear :
I want it to look lower than stock but not squat down and rub the tires if I get on it. What do you suggest?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Well, if we ignore the shocks, I would say just get a cheap pair of stock V8 springs (under 30 bucks) and cut about 1 coil out of them. That would give you about a 133lb/inch or so rate all the time.

This is my stance when I had the fat GS-D3's. I also had the spring rates at 150lb/inch and Koni shocks (which also help to slow down the body motion) and I had no rubbing.


If you remove the upper isolator, cut one coil and add 2 metal spacers per spring you will be like me with a 150lb/inch rate and about the same height.

dochall22

iTrader: (6)

What rate do you think is the best for DD / strip car - perfect medium rate? I'm not wanting to be to drag race, but I dont want to lack some performance?
What shocks you recommend along with the 150lb rate setup you had?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

There's no way to say whats the best rate. A 150lb rate on stock shocks rides too harsh for me, but with the Koni SA, it's nice and firm. That shock with stock springs was too soft. It was buttery smooth. Good shocks can make the car ride smoother as well as resist body sway which improves performance. With the Nitto 315's I ran 160lb because of their soft sidewall. Then when I switched to a firmer sidewall I dropped it down to 150lb. So you see there are a lot of variables. I would suggest getting some stock springs and trying what I suggested. That way you can tell for yourself what spring rate you like best. Stock are about 114lb/in. Each coil is worth roughly 19lb. So if you remove one full coil the rate will increase to 132 or so. Keep in mind you can't really have exact numbers because the factory springs are not perfectly 114lb. They vary a tiny bit.

If 132 is still too soft, add 2 metal spacers per spring and the rate will go up to about 150lb. Handling gets better, but you get a stiffer ride. You might be OK with 170, I don't know.

Ride height also plays a part. The higher up you are, the better the ride because you won't be contacting the bumpstop as hard. If you get real low in back, the bumpstop will start to get annoying. You can partially compensate for this by measuring your axle to exhaust clearance and your shock compression distances. If you have room, you could modify the bumpstops to allow for maybe 3/4" more travel. That will improve the ride quality.

A good bilstein or SA adjustable Koni shock will help the car from squating as it slows down the body movement compared to the stock DeCarbon shocks.

So you see, there's a lot of variables.

slammer454

I've used them on trucks primairily, a few cars (mostly imports and j Bodies) and even an BMW sedan. they have allworked flawlessly, not one complaint of a blow out or malfunction. They simply make good bags.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Definetely air. The hydraulic setup would work with the coilovers, but you'd need a minimum of 2 extra batteries in the back for a 24v source for the pump to work quickly enough. Since your alternator wouldn't be able to charge them you would need to either charge them at home with a 24v charger or buy a street charger which costs $345. So the costs AND the weight keep going up and up. There are issues concerning leaky lines, having to bleed the system, the smell of the fluid, needing to rebuild the cylinders every year or two, plus needing to check the lines regularly. It's a bit of a headache to me.

Air is so much cleaner, cheaper and lighter. I went back and worked out all the details that made me look into an alternative in the first place. My first front bag mount using the sleeve was a bit too complicated. As I got further in and measured things more I figured out a simpler way to do it. Post 144 and down.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...=803631&page=8

About the only thing I need to figure out is exactly how long an extension I need for the pipe piece. I'll know that once I get it together and mounted and run the suspension through it's full travel. There is some wiggle room as far as mounting the bag a bit higher or lower or compressing it more at ride height, etc... so I'm sure everything will fit just fine.

jetlag

iTrader: (32)

Yes they are, I wish someone would buy my brand new ones for cheap..haha

caliswangin916

iTrader: (3)

air is not cheaper than hydraulics if you do them both the right way. i would not go with a cheap air kit. you really will get what you pay for. either setup will have problems if you don't do it right(ie cheaping out).

hydraulics do not leak unless you cheap out. buy quality parts for less problems especially when you only use it for a basic up and down.
i had a a setup in my 91 camaro for over 3 years and have never had to bleed it. oil comes out when you disconnect hoses. parker hoses and fittings will keep you from leaking, they cost more than the chinese stuff. checking a line is no big deal..like checking your tire pressure.

i rebuilt my cylinders once in over a 3+ year period. i was playing with the setup much more than just raising and lowering over bumps.

my first hydraulic setup went 8-9 months no leaks..no problems till it was stolen. then i went and bought a cheaper kit that hit the market and had problems with it the first weak with leaks, parts breaking,ect. you will have problems with airride setups as well if you're on a small budget. i haven't checked airride prices lately but i doubt you could get a quality kit for less than $1000 before your bags and mounting hardware. within the past few years(i think), i've notice airrides using parker hoses. these alone will run you about $200. well worth it IMO.

jason--you telling people that they can air up their bags with a cheap walmart compressor is ridiculous. if i see a bump or roadkill...i want to go over it within a second...not wait five minutes for one bag to air up.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I never said that. I think you should re-read what I said.

You can do an air ride with just bags. You don't have to have any other parts and it makes it super easy to tweak your ride height. It's very much like steel springs in that you can't adjust height on the fly.

So just bags are cheaper than a full air setup as well as hydraulics, but more expensive than regular springs. It's an interesting middle ground that no one really talks about.

When looking at full air and hydraulic setups it still seems air is going to be cheaper. I'm thinking $1500 or so for a full air setup (no fancy digital controllers). I should also point out I would never install a standard hydraulic kit. I was wanting to do a hydraulic coilover setup. So the coilovers can add to the cost. Mainly I don't like having the extra batteries, weight and a street charger. In my opinion, I prefer an air setup.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I just wanted to add this article on how to clean an SMC valve.
http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f125/s...how-to-237585/

caliswangin916

iTrader: (3)

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...ion/index.html

for a camaro setup, it would take pretty much everything in this kit. price was around 2-3k i think a couple of years ago. depends where someone could cut corners such as buying parts from a forum. minitruckers always have stuff for sale. i would definitely go this route and change out the components for any better parts available now that wasn't around when this kit was assembled.

airride will have to have a a good size tank which will take up space unless there is a superfast compressor i don't know of. chances are you'd need two compressors, this will take up space as well.

here's a price list. http://www.ridetech.com/wizard/resul...t&model=Camaro