Hi. New member and first post. My name is Johan from Sweden
I tried the search function but it didn´t really help me.
I recently bought a -67, it´s a California car that has been exported here to Sweden and has restored between 2009-2017. It´s in very nice condition. The previous owner have swapped the stock motor to a 468 BBC with a th350 ( i have the stock 326 and tranny on the side but have no intentions of installing them for the moment ).
Anyways. The car has the stock 8.2 rear end, single leaf springs and no traction bars installed. So i think it´s a mess driving around for the moment. I did get one traction bar with the car but the other is missing.
So i have been filling up a cart on Summit and was hoping for some inputs before i push the order button I hope it´s ok.
To minimize body roll i have added the - Hotchkis Sport Suspension Anti-Sway Bar Kit front and rear For stiffer rear- Hotchkis Sport Suspension Lowering Leaf Springs QA1 Stocker star shocks front and rear with current front springs as they are quite stiff I also added the Borgeson 12.7:1 ratio power steering box.
I think i start there. What is you experience with theese parts? Is it worth the money?
We usually suggest to new members with (new to them) 1st Gen Firebirds to order a copy of all the original factory documents that will let you know exactly how your car left the factory.
For instance, dual rear axle traction bars were never installed on cars that left the factory with automatic transmissions (1967's only). I did retrofit my built in California 400 '67 with both bars. One of the things that is the most difficult is to overcome the fact that the factory welded on a reinforcement plate on the top of the rear floor pans to support the front bracket for these bars. If you pull the rear seat bottom out on a factory auto trans car, you will find a reinforcement plate only on the passenger side.
Sorry but I can't comment on the Hotchkis pieces as my rebuilt my rear suspension close to factory stock (except for the 2nd traction bar). I can imagine that rear wheel "hop" would be pretty bad with the single leaf springs and no traction bars along with the big Chevy motor. Now you know why Pontiac retrofitted the axles with those bars.
2012 Mustang Boss 302 #1918, Competition Orange. FGF replacement 2006 Mustang V6 Pony, Vista Blue. Factory ordered. 2019 BMW X3 (Titled to the wife, but I'm always driving it for her. So I'm claiming it) Old projects, gone but not forgotten: 1967 FB 400, original CA car. After 22 years of work, trashed by the guy who was supposed to paint it. I had to sell it. 1980 Turbo Trans Am 1970 Mustang fastback, 351C 4Bbl, auto 1988 Mustang GT, 5 speed 1983 F-150 4x4, built 302 1994 Chevy K2500 HD 4x4, 454 TBI
Is there any other advantages using the traction bar other than preventing wheel hop? I know that the sway bar kit doesn´t allow room for the traction bar.
The OEM traction bars are not going to help with body roll. I can however point out one thing I learned - a rear sway bar has less impact on body roll than the front bar. It may be cheaper in the long run to put your one OEM traction bar back on and just get a bigger front sway bar. Unless you decide to completely change out the rear suspension like you were thinking.
There is a really good website I can point you to put together by a guy who has been auto crossing a 1st Gen Camaro for years. He had a lot of good pointers about 1st Gen GM F body suspensions. It's probably a good place to start before spending a lot of money.
2012 Mustang Boss 302 #1918, Competition Orange. FGF replacement 2006 Mustang V6 Pony, Vista Blue. Factory ordered. 2019 BMW X3 (Titled to the wife, but I'm always driving it for her. So I'm claiming it) Old projects, gone but not forgotten: 1967 FB 400, original CA car. After 22 years of work, trashed by the guy who was supposed to paint it. I had to sell it. 1980 Turbo Trans Am 1970 Mustang fastback, 351C 4Bbl, auto 1988 Mustang GT, 5 speed 1983 F-150 4x4, built 302 1994 Chevy K2500 HD 4x4, 454 TBI
Definitely read Pozzi's website as a great starting point. There all also tons of companies that sell great products, but some will address the inherent geometry flaws in different ways (and some better than others). So, don't jump to quickly getting a system. Do some searching on Detroit Speed Engineering, Global West, Speed Tech, SC&C, and Ride Tech systems. Learn as much as you can about each, and get people s opinions, and then decide for yourself. Really depends on your goals, and how much you're willing to spend.
There are all kinds of amazing aftermarket upgrades readily available. The big question is realistically how hard do you intend to drive the car? Track car, auto cross or just spirited street driving? I have a '68 with Hotchkis rear lowering leaf springs, KYB gas shocks all around, rebuilt stock front suspension, a fat aftermarket front sway bar. Front coil springs have been cut 1 coil. I used a little faster than stock rebuilt steering gear from NAPA. Car drives and handles well on the street with these relatively inexpensive upgrades. Future refinements include Upper and lower control arms and better shocks.
One other thing that should be on your shopping list should be frame connectors. You can get weld-in or bolt-in( the bolt-ins are less permanent and more forgiving if the need to remove them arises).