[imposter]

i was told coilovers are not really good for the street with the potholes and such that is why i stayed away

[old66tiger]

Who told you that?

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[imposter]

a few people, are they wrong? i thought the adjustability of them would of been great as well

[old66tiger]

When it comes to ride quality, there are several factors at play including the springs, shocks, mount type, sway bar stiffness, tire size, etc. My 66 GTO rides a bit firmer with my updates compared to stock form. But it handles like a newer performance car. I had speed tech suspension with QA1 shocks that made the car ride very stiff. The Ridetech parts are much nicer quality and the car rides much nicer. The coil overs that Ridetech sells are purpose made and are not a hybrid design. As a result, the shocks and springs just flat out work.

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[Nicks67GTO]

Well over the last couple days I got my Proforged tierods, centerlink and idler arm in. I also got my engine/clutch/tranny re installed. Im shortening my transmission crossmember to accomodate the boxed frame but didnt have time to finish today. im going to get it tomorrow morning. I decided to reuse the original isolators and make the corssmember work. I dont think the crossmember will be overly pretty but it will work and be adjustable up and down, to alter pinion angle if necessary. Im no longer on vacation so this is going to start moving a little slower....

[Nicks67GTO]

Well over the last few days I got my...

Modified cross member installed and it seems like its going to work great! I also got my brake lines and booster back in, headers installed, clutch linkage in, new 6an aeroquip socketless fuel return line in and the rest of the old fuel line re installed plus a bunch of nicknack stuff like wire harnesses and starter.

Here's a couple pics of the crossmember. I wanted to reuse the stock Pontiac tranny cross member mounts but I had to shorten the cross member because I boxed the frame. I think it turned out ok. Here's a few shots. I had to narrow it by 4" and then I put a backstrap on it for strength where I made my cuts and welds.

[Nicks67GTO]

Heyohhhhh...look what was on my doorstep when I got home from work this morning!!!

New Ridetech smoothbody HQ shocks with 16 position rebound settings. Bret Volkel Ridetech President made me a deal on PT.com when I was asking for feedback on them. Here is what he said....

How about you try them and write a review? If you don't like them, put that in the review and send them back for a full refund. When you call the shop, ask for Darren. I'll share this offer with him.

I'd say one of the reasons you've not seen any feedback yet is because the harsh weather all over the country has kept everyone's cars inside. The HQ smoothbody was not released until later last year...sale took off during this winter, but many of these cars possibly have not hit the road yet this spring.

Bret Voelkel
President
RideTech
Air Ride Technologies, Inc.

How can I pass that up? I basically get to try them out as long as I review them on the PT.com board. It made my decision easy. It was between Varishocks and Ridetech HQ's. If I run these and hate them, I can send them back for a full refund and go to the Varishock but from everything iv'e heard, I probably wont be sending them back. SWEET!

[old66tiger]

Nice. They are a top notch company to deal with.

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[imposter]

jealous i bet those will fit through the lower control arm hole let me know

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by imposter

jealous i bet those will fit through the lower control arm hole let me know

Will do, although I think I will probably mount them on top anyhow.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by imposter

jealous i bet those will fit through the lower control arm hole let me know

Well I installed the HQ's today. I talked to ridetech and they were pretty stern that I should be mounting these through the lower A arm hole and not on top of the spacers. It could have messed with available wheel travel. I had to get the die grinder and carbide bur out and do just a hair of clean up on the SPC lower A arm and spacers. Maybe a minutes total grinding on each lower arm. The HQ's just wouldn't fit through. I probably took out less than .080 total between both sides on each arm. I really just cleaned it up and they slid right in from the bottom. Mounted up with grade 8 hardware and that was it!

[Nicks67GTO]

SPC uppers and Ridetech HQ adjusters.....



All back together...




Well I took the GTO out on the first shakedown drive. I haven't even gotten an alignment yet. I just used a level and made the front wheels level and pointing straight. I probably logged 15 miles. My first impression....this thing handles awesome and was/is worth every penny iv'e stuck in it and every hour put tward it. Here is me initial reaction to the short drive I took it on today...


-I can now make a full left turn where I couldn't before with my old jacked up frame.

-I have no ackerman shudder on sharp turns where I had it pretty bad with my other frame

-It feels like its glued to the road and I don't even have an alignment in it yet. Against my better judgement, I took some pretty hard corners and a long sweeping left hand run down an interstate, it never felt out of control and it felt like it had a lot more in it if the tires would hold.

-The Ridetech HQ shocks/SPC springs must really like each other. I have the 24 position shocks at 12 clicks in the front and 8 in the rear. The ride quality was super smooth and much better than the Bilstiens/stock springs I had before. I think I can make it better with some tuning after my alignment.

-The aluminum body mounts/SC&C isolaters were not noticeable at all. I heard no squeaking, the ride quality was great. In fact much smoother and quieter than the stock springs/bilstiens/rubber bushings.

My only issue right now is ride height and this is where coilovers would shine. I'm off from side to side by about 1/2" in front and 1/2"-3/4" in the rear. Iv'e swapped rear springs around and that did nothing so it cant be a rear coil spring mismatch. I looked at the front springs and they are now sitting in their pockets in the frame correctly. I loosened everything up, removed swayabars and shocks and cycled the suspension. There is not a bind anywhere. Its smooth as glass and well lubed. The suspension is just off. If I get a 1/2" spacer in the rear for the driver side rear, I think it will clear most of the problem up. If i'm within a 1/4" side to side i'm calling that a victory for a 45 year old car.

Any other suggestions on where to look on my suspension for ride height discrepancies? I did find that the driver rear spring is compressed a half inch farther than the passenger side but i swapped springs around and that did nothing.

all suggestions are welcome.

[old66tiger]

Left front of the car is heavier by design. Battery, steering box, steering column, brakes...I had to adjust my left side coil over up to get the car level.

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[Old Blue 66]

That back tire looks to be fat and fits nicely in the wheel well. What size tires/rims & backspacing are you using back there?

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

Left front of the car is heavier by design. Battery, steering box, steering column, brakes...I had to adjust my left side coil over up to get the car level.

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I believe its a 2:1 ratio in the front too when spacing things out right? So i'm thinking i might just stick a 1/4" spacer in there and see what happens?

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

That back tire looks to be fat and fits nicely in the wheel well. What size tires/rims & backspacing are you using back there?

275/60/15 BFG tires on a 15x8 wheel. My back spacing might not be the same as yours since my rear end was narrowed 3/4" per side from a stock 67' GTO width. It does fit well and hardly ever rubs. I had to give the rear inside lower corners of the wheel wells that mates to the trunk a little tap tap taparoo with a 2 lb hammer because the literally stuck out like razor blades. I was hammering corners yesterday and they didn't rub.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

275/60/15 BFG tires on a 15x8 wheel. My back spacing might not be the same as yours since my rear end was narrowed 3/4" per side from a stock 67' GTO width. It does fit well and hardly ever rubs. I had to give the rear inside lower corners of the wheel wells that mates to the trunk a little tap tap taparoo with a 2 lb hammer because the literally stuck out like razor blades. I was hammering corners yesterday and they didn't rub.

Wow! Im having difficulty with a 255. I cant imagine what a 275 would look like tucked in like that. Pretty cool.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

Wow! Im having difficulty with a 255. I cant imagine what a 275 would look like tucked in like that. Pretty cool.

Maybe 66 and 67 have different wheel wells? I have an inch to the frame on the inside and probably a half inch or more to the outside wheel well before contact.

[imposter]

the convertibles have a bit of different inner wheel well it has a rib in the center i have 255 on mine

[Nicks67GTO]

Well I got my ride height pretty close. At this point im about 1/4" from side to side and it changes depending on how level the concrete is and how the car stopped. If I stop the car and measure it, then wiggle the car side to side the ride height might change by 1/2" depending on how it settles. Anyhow I had to make a plate out of steel to match the SC&C spacers I got with my A arms to make it happen but in the end its ok and I think i'm done messing with it. Here are the spacers you get with the SC&C spec'd lower A arms. The one I made out of 1/4" plate with a sawzall, hole saw, drill bits and a dremel tool/carbide bit is pretty obvious....





I also go my alignment all setup in the car. It took the guy about 2 hours to get it right and he used to set up Indy cars from my understanding. He took it out and drove it made some changes a few times and the job totalled about 2 hours. I'm glad i didn't try to do it....

Here are the final specs....They are spot on to what SC&C recommend. SC&C gave 3 specs. Street. Street/track. Track. After talking to Marc I went with the Street/Track setting. I am VERY happy with the end result here. It was a ton of research, work and money but the car handles like a champ even with the 15" wheels and 60 series tires on it and rides smooooooth. Iv'e heard the 18's and modern tires make a massive difference as well. I'm pretty excited for that to happen later on.