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Old 04-20-2020, 10:02 AM
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Default Adjustable shocks for 73 Firebird stock lower control arm

I am considering new shocks, and think i would like adjustable shocks, i have been looking at QA1, but heard feedback that they dont pass trough a stock lower control arm with out grinding.
Have anyone tried Viking warrior series shocks ? and do they clear the lower control arm, is there room to turn the adjustment knobs?
The car is 99% a street driver.
P.S.: i am not going coilover.

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Old 04-21-2020, 09:59 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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cant comment on viking, but for a 99% street driver, a good budget shock is summits 3 way adjustable, fits in 2nd gen A-arms fine & has the standard 90/10 for drag use, 70/30 & 50/50. they dont have a knob for adjustment, gotta remove & twist, but once you find the setting you like just leave them alone, but pulling a shock on a 2nd gen takes all of about 3-5 minutes.

i use them for a entry level drag shock when at the track then readjust to 50/50 for majority street use. also PTFB sells the same shock in their entry level GT suspension kits geared towards auto-cross & they do a pretty good job for handling performance. at $50ea they are a nice shock.

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Old 04-21-2020, 11:15 AM
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Did not know summit had their own branded shocks that fit firebird, i will have to look into that, thanks for the tip.

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Old 04-21-2020, 12:42 PM
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they sell them as "drag racing" shocks but they are fine for street use & PTFB sells the exact same shock for auto cross/street use. i confirmed this when my friend bought the PTFB GT suspension kit & i bought the summit drag shocks... same exact part #. they are made by another company for summit.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...model/firebird

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Old 05-09-2020, 09:17 AM
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After an unhealthy string of late nigth browsings trough forums and jegs/summit . i landed on Bilstein B6 front and rear shocks. Rock auto had a great deal on them with low shipping cost overseas.
cant see any complains or negative feedback on these shocks, not adjustable but if they are "dailed-in" there should be no need to tinker with them.

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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
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Old 05-22-2020, 08:15 PM
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Just installed the Bilstein B6 front and back, a good improvment in handling and comfort, so far, only driven about 10 minutes, as i discoverd that my front shocks is not seated in the upper A-arms... Never checked this as i assumed they where installed correctly,. Orderd new proforged upper baljoints as i will be using a pickle fork to dislodge the upper ball joint from the spindle and re-seat he spring. plus there is a rip in the grease boot on the upper ball joints. Tried a prybar and a hammer on the spindle, no chance. one upgrade leads to another fix, but it's all for the better in the end.

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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
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Old 05-22-2020, 08:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djustice View Post
Just installed the Bilstein B6 front and back, a good improvment in handling and comfort, so far, only driven about 10 minutes, as i discoverd that my front shocks is not seated in the upper A-arms... Never checked this as i assumed they where installed correctly,. Orderd new proforged upper baljoints as i will be using a pickle fork to dislodge the upper ball joint from the spindle and re-seat he spring. plus there is a rip in the grease boot on the upper ball joints. Tried a prybar and a hammer on the spindle, no chance. one upgrade leads to another fix, but it's all for the better in the end.
you mean the spring is not seated in the upper frame pocket? the spring doesnt seat in the upper A-arm. you said shock but then spring?? are you sure its not seated right?

you shouldnt need to use a pickle fork & ruin the ball joint, aside from the boot being bad you should be able to use the BFH method, you might need a bigger hammer or a more solid hit in the right place, the force of the spring should break it free without damaging the ball joint. ive done this countless times without an issue & without a pry bar.


Last edited by 78w72; 05-22-2020 at 09:03 PM.
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Old 05-22-2020, 09:14 PM
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Bilstein products are very good stuff. I've been running some of their shocks on my BMW track (road course) car for many years. And yeah, it doesn't make any sense to install adjustable shocks if you don't foresee a need to be regularly adjusting them. If you plan to dial them in to a preferred setting and then never touch them again, all that means is that you should have bought a proper set of non-adjustable shocks for less money.

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Old 05-22-2020, 10:05 PM
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Yes i ment springs, and they migth be installed upside down, i will have to look at both ends when i get it out. I orderd proforged upper balljoints already along with insulators for the coilspring top. Hope to quiet down spring noise, but i guess it wil be less noisy when it is seated correctly.
My idea was to have adjustable shows to dial in A good setting for allround driving, but reading up on it A bit more i settled on bilstein B6, not dissaponted. But the spring install is bad, i ned to fix that asap.

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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
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Old 05-23-2020, 09:55 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djustice View Post
Yes i ment springs, and they migth be installed upside down, i will have to look at both ends when i get it out. I orderd proforged upper balljoints already along with insulators for the coilspring top. Hope to quiet down spring noise, but i guess it wil be less noisy when it is seated correctly.
My idea was to have adjustable shows to dial in A good setting for allround driving, but reading up on it A bit more i settled on bilstein B6, not dissaponted. But the spring install is bad, i ned to fix that asap.
do you have a pic of the end of the spring? or what youre seeing to think they are not seated right? of course a person could install them backwards but the way they are flattened on one end, i would think/hope they were put in right, the flattened end wont sit in the lower A-arm right at all. what can happen more often is the top wont be centered in the frame around the tabs correct. just curious to see what youre seeing before you go through the trouble of removing them... but if youre replacing the ball joints & adding the insulators then that doesnt matter.

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Old 05-23-2020, 11:48 AM
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I dont have any pictures, but when lying under the car looking up into the spring seat i can se the coilspring end disappering up in trough the middle of the springpocket hole, and not lying in the pocket on both sides.

I fond a picture of a chevelle spring pocket and have crudley drawn what i see. see attached photo

It will creek and pop sometimes when going over speedbumps or when loading - unloading the spring, and you can also see where the paint on the spring is rubbed off due to it not beeing centered and hitting the the frame/spring seat overhang.

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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
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Old 06-24-2020, 01:31 PM
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Well this draws out lol, i have recived proforged upper an moog lower balljoints and metro insulator pads.
I have been really worried aboout the springs beeing bendt out of shape once i get them out after sitting wrong for atleast 7 years.
so a new order was placed, ridetech won me over on youtube searching.
ordered up new springs:
"Coil Springs, StreetGrip, Front, Blue Powdercoated, Chevy, Pontiac, Pair
(Mfr. #: 11172351)
1 ART-11172351 is expected to ship on 07/08/20."

I'll be expecting miracles in handling and comfort now

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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
  #13  
Old 07-10-2020, 07:34 PM
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The Ridetech streetgrip springs are in with new upper and lower balljoints plus Metro spring isolators, and i am still alive.
Coils springs make me pucker..
just a few miles drive back home after installing them and there is again a noticable difference, gone are the creak and pop of the old eibach springs hitting the frame pocket.
I had to bend the metal tabs in the frame pocket that aligns the spring with a crowbar to get it to seat .
but man o man did the lower balljoint on driver side not want to move, seized on the spindle, no pickelfork, propane torch, hammer, 5 lbs sledge made any difference. a colleage helped me, and he rigged up a series of socket extensions trough the upper balljoint spindle hole and clamped a balljoint press under the lower controlarm and rattled it out with my newly bougth milwaukee high torque 1/2 " impact (1100 lbs torque) the series of extentions was about to fail when it finally came loose!


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Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
-469 ,Butler 310+ Eheads, Hurricane intake portmatched by butler, Butler roller 230/236 @0.50 112 LSA, Johnson lifters, pypes 2 1/2" exhaust, 3.42 yukon duragrip lsd, holley sniper efi, hyperfuel efi tank +++
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