# Drive Report - Suspension/Steering upgrades complete



## Jeff's Classics (Feb 24, 2010)

I've been posting off and on for almost a year about my suspension, brake, and steering upgrades. Today I finished the last of them (I hope), and got to take the first drive.
I can honestly say that my '68 GTO is now the finest handling and riding muscle car I have ever driven or ridden in. My Corvette handles well but it's twitchy and a little bouncy, and my Javelin is too rough and vague feeling. Both wander a bit too much and require frequent steering input. The GTO reminds me more of a later model car, with a smooth, solid ride, quick response to steering inputs, and relatively flat handling. Now, I've only put about 20-30 miles on it since I finished the latest mods, and I haven't tried to push the limits, but it is a really nice car to drive.
I'll go into the specifics below, but overall I would say that the parts I just put on the rear really made the difference in the handling of the car. When I had just done the front it was noticeably better handling, but the rear seemed to "wallow" around, especially on combined bumps/curves. Much more solid now.


First I did the front suspension. I installed SPC fully adjustable upper control arms with the greaseable delrin bushings, and Howe tall ball joints, upper and lower. The intent here was to correct the caster of the stock geometry and increase high speed stability and handling. Lower control arms are stock with rubber bushings to keep ride comfort. Shocks are Monroe SensaTrac, despite having been warned that I "needed" more expensive Bilsteins or adjustable shocks. I went with a hollow 1.25" sway bar in the front.
Front brakes are Baer Serious Street disks, which allow me to run 15" wheels, currently Cragar SS but I'm thinking of going with Pontiac Rally IIs. These squeak, squeal, and groan a LOT as they wear in, but it is finally getting better after about 200 miles. Baer says 300-500 miles to wear off the zinc plating on the rotors and get quiet brakes.
The steering box, which I just installed this week, is an AGR quick ratio power steering box. I went with their power steering pump, as well, which appears stock on the outside. This combination made a huge difference in steering feel. It no longer requires steering inputs to go straight, and I don't feel like I'm sawing at the wheel to make turns. It's a bit tighter than I expected, but I'm guessing it will loosen up a little as it breaks in. I'm thinking of installing one of these on my Javelin, it's a really nice improvement.

In the back, I installed GM factory style boxed lower control arms with rubber bushings for a smoother ride, and a 1" solid sway bar. Up top I used CPP adjustable arms with their spherical bearings at the frame and and left the rubber bushings in the axle housing for now. I also installed the GM style stiffeners that tie the upper and lower mounts together. As I've already said, this was the icing on the cake for the car's ride and handling. It is so solid, smooth, and predictable now, I can't wait to put on some more miles and maybe test the cornering a little more.
Rear brakes are stock drums, and the car stops straight, true, and fast. There is a little more pedal effort required than I expected, but I could swap to a MC with a larger diameter piston to reduce that later.
As mentioned before, wheels are old 15" Cragar SS with fresh BFG TA Radials. Again, I was warned that I was leaving some serious performance on the table with these tires, but I like the look and I'm not out to win any autocross events.
The goal for me was the best combination of great handling and a great ride, and I think I've gotten what I was looking for.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Later,
Jeff


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