[64speed]

My car rides like an ox cart. I have complained on here many times and gotten every answer in the book from shocks to springs to bushings. My current setup is the hard polyurethane not graphite control arm bushings. Hotchkiss springs and bilstein shocks. It's all been replaced in the last two years and it's awful. I am considering rebuilding everything with all moog parts and steering stuff while I'm at it but someone told me in another post that if I just go back stock it will be lower in the rear cause that's the way they left the factory and I don't want that. I either want it level or a slight rake. It's perfectly level right now and has a good stance but the ride is beyond terrible. I mean it rides like it's got a solid front axle or something. Any suggestions? Is starting from scratch the best plan? The bushings are already cracking so I know they have to go. I can literally feel every bump in the road through the steering and the car rattles like a paint can. Smooth interstate it drives fine and handles like it's on rails but it's not worth the round town shakes just to keep this handling. Also the previous owner but sway bars front and rear as thick as I have ever seen. Any suggestions appreciated.

[Sirrotica]

Air ride, and keep the stiff swaybars would be my suggestion. Your shocks would also probably be reused.

Herb Adams recipe for the Trans Am was the largest swaybars with compliant springs. This recipe is to keep the wheels in contact with uneven road surfaces while keeping the body as level as possible to keep the front end geometry from changing while negotiating a turn.

Air ride is easily adjustable to keep the body where the driver feels he wants it to be while still being compliant to uneven road surfaces. Easily adjustable for varying loading, just flip a switch to change it even if you have 5 adults in the car with a trunk full of whatever.

The system I'm talking about isn't an air bag inside of a conventional spring, it's only a air bag by itself. Air bags inside of a conventional spring only raise the spring rate and will result in a very harsh ride.

Air ride isn't a cheap substitution from conventional springs, it is infinitely adjustable and offers the most compliant suspension. Notice the new RAM trucks are offering air suspension on their HD trucks, as do most over the road trucks that have air suspension on the tractor as well as the trailer. Air ride can handle a light or heavy load while isolating the vehicle from rough road surfaces.

I have a K3500 shoveorleaveit dually that I converted to air ride and the difference is night and day over conventional springs. I can still load it as heavy as I can, within reason and ride in comfort loaded or unloaded. My next street car project (84 GP) will definitely have 4 corner air ride. Not cheap, but effective.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nk...N+KIT+CHEVELLE

[64speed]

I would love to have air ride but that's not in the budget right now. I still gotta figure out how to pay for the engine I plan to build

[tempest1964]

From what I understand, air shocks were a factory option in '64. Why not install air shocks with separate feed air lines. This will allow you to achieve the slight rake you're looking for and if the ride isn't perfectly level you can fine tune it with the 2 separate air fill lines.

[Goatracer1]

DO NOT try to raise the ride height with air shocks. Over the years I have fixed too many cars people have done that to. The shock mount will crack and break. Usually the upper one. On one Mopar I saw the shock come into the trunk.

[Scarebird]

I would use 65 442 springs (64 was a 330 small block, 65# lighter) - Olds had much better handling than Pontiac A's. My 71 is running 442 spec springs - drives very nice with Konis.

[64speed]

Scarebird I would ideally like it to have a slight rake or at least sit level. Can I achieve this look with the Oldsmobile springs? Someone said put station wagon springs in the back

[HJones1313]

You mention you have the biggest sway bars you've ever seen.....take them off and drive a couple of miles. The ride difference just may be enough for you to keep the suspension as-is, and just put stock sway bars back on it. Just my 10c worth.

[brut4s]

I'm running the Global West springs with QA1 shocks and Del-Alum bushings in the original A arms in the front but haven't done the rear yet. The ride is much improved not overly stiff. Also running 15" tires that maybe what helps the ride.

[rohrt]

Originally Posted by HJones1313

You mention you have the biggest sway bars you've ever seen.....take them off and drive a couple of miles. The ride difference just may be enough for you to keep the suspension as-is, and just put stock sway bars back on it. Just my 10c worth.

x2

I also have a huge 1.25 sway bar on my bird with the Hotchkis springs. Someone recommended to just disconnected one side. The springs are so stiff I could hardly tell I disconnected it at all.

Also just try pushing up and down on the fender with your body weight. See how much movement you get. Then do the same on another car for comparison.

[Rick Jones]

I rebuilt two Firebirds. The 1975 suspension is stock(all new stock bushings)except for the Pro-touring aluminum body mount bushings, G braces, subframe connectors and 17" wheels/50 series tires. The 1971 is completely stock (all new stock bushings).

I prefer to drive the 1971 because it has less road noise, smoother ride and still corners like a dream.

Rick

[64speed]

Someone said the stock springs would give me an a$$ down look so does that mean I need to order station wagon springs for the rear?

[Scarebird]

No, it would be easier to cut half a coil off the front spring. You don't own a station wagon so forget those springs.

[The Champ]

When I restored my '64 back in the early 90's, I ordered the correct stock spring for my car from Ames.

While they were correct, I didn't like the rear being lower. I heard about using station wagon springs, but didn't like the idea of going overboard with raising the rear end.

What I ended up doing is ordering a custom made set of rear springs from Coil Springs Specialties in Missouri. I asked for a set that would raise the rear end .75".

I measured the height from the ground to the bottom of the wheel well before the spring change and after - and I got exactly what I asked for - .75" lift.

They were a little more expensive than stock springs - but not a huge difference. IIRC, my stock springs were about $80.00 and my custom springs were about $100 (back in 1995).