[stobin]

Hey thanks Colin. I'm real happy with the way it's coming together so far.

[rohrt]

WOW that looks awsome!

[Chief Wanabee]

What do you plan to use for frame-to-body bushings?

[stobin]

Just planning to use the rubber bushings. I replaced them in 2004 so they are in great condition.

[Big Injun]

Global West produces first rate products...and it is a great plus that Doug is a class act!

[stobin]

That is true, Doug is a great guy and always willing to answer my questions. I did decided to order new rear springs today. I am having Coil Spring Specialties wind me a custom set based on the previous ones I had. I sent the springs to them and they mapped out the specs. They were 131 pounds. I ordered the new ones to be 175 pounds and 1/4" lower. It will handle better, but still retain a decent ride.

[6 Grrrs]

I dealt with Doug when buying all of my stuff. Great guy to deal with and very knowledgable. I need to call him and let him know how happy I was with their products/service.

[stobin]

Today I received more parts for the Grand Am. As I always have used Mcleod clutch parts, I purchased Mcleod's blowproof scattershield, SFI LS flywheel, and Mcleod/Wilwood 5/8" clutch master cylinder. The scattershield is heavy, but worth it since I blew up a clutch once before and saw what happens to the bellhousing. I already have a 3/4" Wilwood master for the the hydraulic T/O bearing set up that was installed in the car, but this new set up will reduce my clutch pedal effort. The 12" clutch and disc are my parts that I had previously installed on the Pontiac 455, and will be re-using those parts since they are in perfect condition. The plan is to lighten the flywheel from 30lbs. to about 23lbs. I had this done on the Pontiac, and it worked great on the street....revving very quickly. My garage is starting to look like a speed shop. I have parts all over the friggin place , so if the swap doesn't work out, I think I can open a parts store instead??

[stobin]

Haven't had a lot to post lately but here is a little update and cool pictures. Global West is finished with the front end coil-over fabrication. I went out to them on Tuesday and delivered the rear end. I decided to go ahead and have the rear frame modified for coil-over suspension. I cant afford to buy the shocks and springs right now, but they are doing the fab work so that I can buy those later. In the meantime I will put the Bilsteins and traditional rear spring back in. I will get the frame back to the powder coater soon, and should have some pictures to post then. The only cool thing I can post now is the fact that I got to meet Paul Michael Glaser of Starsky & Hutch today at the Grand National Rodster show. To be honest, the only reason I went to the show was to meet him. It might sound a little lame, but hey, those two guys were my idols. Starsky & Hutch was a HUGE deal for me at the time. I was able to get a picture with him, and he was great to talk to. He was very approachable. Sometimes when you get to meet someone you really admire, you get disappointed. I am glad to say I was not disappointed.

[stobin]

Well it's been almost a month since I had anything worth posting, but today I finally was able to get the new modified frame back home after powder coating. Just as a recap, The frame was initally sent to Rob at No Limit Engineering to receive all of the extra bracing and boxing that I wanted done. Rob did a great job on the frame. It then went to Global West Suspension to have the front suspension modified for the long travel coil-over kit that I decided to install. Doug, Paul, Eric, and Amy at Global West were fantastic to work with as usual, and I highly, highly recommend anyone to call them for future upgrades. I had already had a QA1 hybrid coil-over kit installed, as well as all the suspension pieces they offered for my Grand Am, so this a real big upgrade in my eyes. I hope this new set up will allow me to dial in some great handling, as well as allow the ride to be even better than it was before. This is a BIG car, and it would be great to be able to hang with smaller and lighter Pro-touring cars. As a side bonus, GW had my rearend as well to mock up the rear for coil-overs as well. I wanted to pull the trigger on the rear coil-overs, but money was tight. To thier surprize and mine, the rear coil-overs fit in the stock locations, and no modifications or relocating was required for the coil-over shocks to clear the rearend housing. So for anyone with a '73-'77 A-body out there, you can bolt them on. For safety sake, GW did weld in some extra beefy steel plate in the stock upper shock mount area.

[stobin]

Some pictures of the bracing that was done and frame boxing. Also pictures of the modifications done to mount the long travel coil-overs.

[redlinepontiac]

ive been looking for a coilover solution for my 73 GA, is global west going to offer something for 73-77s? ive emailed them twice with no response.

[stobin]

In addition to the existing hybrid coil-overs from QA1 you can buy now, GW used my car as the template for this long travel kit. Doug is putting the finishing touches on the instructions. I don't know for sure what their timeline is on the release though. It may be better to call them directly. I would speak to either Paul, or Eric regarding the release date. If you need help with any questions, just send me an email. Thanks.

[stobin]

I was able to get a few things done today on the frame. Installed the front upper control arms. I included a few other frame pictures as well.

[stobin]

I decided to go with the QA1 double adjustable coil-over kit for the front. I wanted to be able to really dial in the ride and handling. I am a mountain biker, so I have some experience having the same adjustments on my bikes to dial everything in. I had 550 lb. springs on the previous coil-over set up which worked well, so I stepped up slightly to a 600 lb. spring. The springs are 10" long, and the shocks are 17" long.The car was very streetable before, so I hope this will be a good starting point since my intention is to autocross and road course the car from time to time. Eibach spring colors only come in in silver or red. I chose the silver. The spring hats are at the powder coater to be done in black so I have a little contrast.

[stobin]

I have been busy with work and other important things lately, but I got a chance to make some progress on the suspension. I was able to hang the rear suspension. I am re-using the Global West rear lower control arms, and have installed the new GW upper rear control arms as well. I will be getting the rear springs and shock in soon.

[cdrookie]

cant believe i missed this thread, unfortunately now i want coilovers! whats the specs on the tires and rims? and do you have any before pics? i'd like to see the stance with the previous spring rates.

[stobin]

I run a 255/45/18 front on 8.5" wheel, and a 285/45/18 rear on a 10" wheel. The spring rates wont make any difference regarding the ride height. You can set that with the coil-overs. I dont run a coil-over in the rear yet, just standard springs that are about 1" lower than stock. There are some pictures of the car on my profile. I never ran the springs too low, so there was more room to lower it if I wanted to.

[cdrookie]

stobin

[stobin]

I finally dedicated a full day to the car. Most of what I got done was boring little detail stuff, but it is the little details that make certain projects stand out. I was able to run all of my fuel line and battery cable through the boxed frame rail. I only plan a short run of hose in the rail, then connect the braided line to -8 stainless hard line for both pick up and return. The Racetronix fuel pump harness I am re-using is also completly hidden inside the entire frame rail from back to front. I drilled two small access holes to feed the harness into the frame. Both holes allow the harness to pop out directly next to the alternator in front, and fuel tank harness in back. I also had to tap the access holes in the front suspension pocket to mount the custom upper A-arm bump stops. I am using 10 point stainless ARP stainless fasteners for a clean look. See pictures.