[Guest]

SS Clones:
Finally got those parts out of their boxes and to where they belong - in my 96 SS "MOLASSS"!I was beginning to feel like a packrat or a squirrel harvesting nuts for the winter with all those beautiful (some very expensive) parts in a neatly stacked pile over in the corner on the garage floor. Between work, shopping for the "right" parts, and waiting for various distributors to get their sh** together and send the parts, it took about 3 months to get everything together and ready for installation.

Here are the upgrades performed: Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks (1104/929), J&M Extended Length(non-adjustable)control arms, HO front and rear swaybars, Moog ball joints(uppers and lowers, Energy Suspension (ES) body bushings (all 16 - top and bottom), ES front control arm bushings, ES Endlinks(black), AC Delco 41-943 platinum spark plugs, MSD Superconducter plug wires, Moog "Problem Solver" idler arm, Moog tie rods and center link, and Hotchkis Tie rod sleeve.

Boy, it feels good to be finally done! Took me about 5 days to install everything, working about 7 hours each day. Being my first time I went REAL slow and careful. After the final step - the visit to the wheel alignment shop I took the long awaited "spirited" test drive on some isolated windy farm roads to try her out. Yes, the difference between the stock and modified suspension is amazing! It's as good as I'd hoped for - no "boaty" turns and the ride is firm, but not too firm. And I'd not "chip my teeth on a cup of coffee" as someone once described the ride with Bilstein 1104/929's. The ride is excellent! Like I said, firm, but not too firm. That was my goal for these upgrades - firmer, more responsive handling, and a lower, more aggressive stance in appearance. The car's fender lips dropped .75" in rear and 1.25" in front - all sit just atop the top of the stock tires. Very nice! Low, but not too low.

I'd like to send out a MASSIVE thanks to all you guys (and gals) who posted advice at the SSforum and NAISSO forum for the suspension modifications described above. Also for the various emails I received from those who were quite generous and supportive in providing detailed, copious explanations and notes for the many questions I had along the way. SS PEOPLE ARE COOL! I look forward to continued corespondence with many of you, and will try to return the favors where I feel my experience would benefit others. The next "spirited" drive's for you SS Crew.

John
96 DCM SS
"MOLASSS"

 

[Guest]

Seriously, how much was all that? Monetary amount I mean.

 

[Guest]

All the suspension parts I listed were around $1500. I shopped the various parts houses extensively on the web and found that prices vary sometimes greatly between places. I feel that I found some good deals for most of these parts. Although, the HO swaybars are very limited and I could only find them at one place so I had to pay premium $ for these premium bars. Those alone were $439.00 not including shipping ($35.00) As I said, I'm quite pleased with the new feel and appearance of the SS.

 

[Guest]

wow lol

I think I'm going to go with just F body sways. I'll probably get everything else identical except for the springs. I'm thinking about going with Hotchkiss springs instead, or maybe just an entire Hotchkiss set up? Hell, I don't know. I don't even know what a Moog is or what it does. LOL

 

[Guest]

John:
Moog is the name of a parts manufacturer, like Hotchkis or AC-Delco. After just completing this big project of upgrading the entire suspension myself, I would offer the following advice to anyone who's thinking of doing it too: research, shop around, and BE PATIENT! Order the right partsthe first timebecause it's a pain in the arse to return them and get the retailer to credit your account. Then you gotta deal with postage fees and more waiting. Many times the parts are not in and they put you on hold infefinetly. You gotta keep calling back for updates on your order. Just tring to let you know what to be prepared for when it comes to actually getting the parts you've decided on. In the end I finally got all the parts I ordered, but it did take a long time for certain companies to fianlly send the parts I had ordered weeksearlier. Read all you can about suspension mods. Don't just jump into it - "There's a lot riding on your tires!" I'm out, good luck. Look at the suspension and steering linkage parts listed below. That'll give you a good idea what you should think about replacing if you're going with the lower springs, shocks, and beefier swaybars.

 

[Guest]

I'm on the suspension warpath lol

Thanks for your help.