OK guys I am building my new old 67 SS, with 383 and T350. It still has all the stock suspension components and a 10 bolt at the rear.

This build is just for cruising and street fun. I was wondering what the best upgrades would be to look at for better handling and more aggresive stance looks.

I am going to go to 4 wheel disc brake set and want to know what else I should do when I have the greasy side torn up please. I haven't seen a full post on this so if there is just point me to that. I am looking to spend an average amount of dough on this, the boss(read my wife) has to buy in, so keep that in mind.

I want it to handle better, but want to keep it looking original too.

Thanks in advance,
Mike & his 67

Check out Hotchkis TVS:
http://www.hotchkis.net/6769_camarofirebird_tvs_system_small_block.html

Not a bad price and the handling is good!

May not be totally origional, but a rear sway bar does wonders for cornering and takes about 45 min to install @ about $120 or a bit more. This helps to flatten out the car on corners for those days when you just got to rip up a good country road or the hills in S. San Fran area.:D If you don't have a front sway bar, this would be the time to put it in too.

Class67 thanks, I like the looks of that kit. Has anyone installed it? and have opinions on it? I wanted to lower the car so the 2" front and 1.5" back sounds good for stance. Would stay with stock spindles front when doing the disc brakes then? My stock stance is just way too high, the car may have had a 396 in it back in the day. Springs were on the list too and that kit has them so that is a whole all around kit.

I was looking into rear spools too, my axle is a 10 bolt (not sure on 8.2 or 8.5 though yet). I definitely want to go posi, prolly 3.73 gears I am thinking.

In somewhat order of importance:
g-mod
upper control arms
both of the above
lowering front springs
front swaybar
solid body bushings
lowering leaf springs
subframe connectors
adjustable shocks all the way around
lower control arms

You can stay with stock spindles depending on the brake kit (I used Wilwood and it fits the stock ones).
I heard a lot of good things about TVS on this site.

Class67 thanks, I like the looks of that kit. Has anyone installed it? and have opinions on it? I wanted to lower the car so the 2" front and 1.5" back sounds good for stance. Would stay with stock spindles front when doing the disc brakes then? My stock stance is just way too high, the car may have had a 396 in it back in the day. Springs were on the list too and that kit has them so that is a whole all around kit.

I was looking into rear spools too, my axle is a 10 bolt (not sure on 8.2 or 8.5 though yet). I definitely want to go posi, prolly 3.73 gears I am thinking.

We install and sell a lot of these kits and everyone is very happy with them. You do not have to do the entire kit. Doing the kit minus the sway bar still gets great results and a nice ride and ride height. Save quite a bit of money also.

BTW, we have Hotchkis at 20% off, tell the wife that!

For your 4 wheels disc brakes we have factory style kits with everything you need for only $950 for the complete kit. Wilwood kits start at $1850 for our exclusive Total Car G Machine Packages which gives you everything you need to do the conversion

Sorry Frank, I would sent him your way in my first post but could not remeber if you were a dealer or not.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/PROTC/HPIM0170.jpg
do the guldstrand mod (free) you can use the stock control arms just replace balljoints and bushings with poly or delum. buy some springs and a good sway bar. throw an iroc gear box on it. do a good alignment and and you will be set. reuse your stock spindles and do a baer brake upgrade. here check this out. http://www.guldstrand.com/gtheory.asp
Barry

Sorry Frank, I would sent him your way in my first post but could not remeber if you were a dealer or not.

Appoligize to him not me, LOL! He is the one that was going to spend 20% too much!

Seriously, thanks for all your support!

I was checking out your site and the GP one, but can't see how to find and price parts Frank?

BTW thanks to all here for the help!

After checking the Guldstrand then a link to Pozzi Mototsports, there was noted problem with 2" drop spindles and tire clearance with 17" wheels. I have 17" wheels so I am thinking that I should stick with the drop springs in the TVS kit, which seems to have more positive affects then going with drop spindles? Any input on this guys?

The TVS kit is great for what it is but don't forget you still have to do something with the geometry whether it be the Guldstrand mod, ATS spindles, SPC control arms or some other option. First gen F body suspension/steering geometry is lacking and you can improve it considerably. The TVS kit does nothing to address the geometry.

Don

I'm in the process of giving my '67 RS/SS (missing drive train) the pro-touring treatment. My front suspension is AFCO front spring spacers (http://www.afabcorp.com/AFCO_Dynatech_USbrake/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=A&Product_Code=20191&Category_Code=ct_coil-access), AFCO 550 lb./in.coil springs (http://www.afabcorp.com/AFCO_Dynatech_USbrake/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=A&Product_Code=20550&Category_Code=ct_springs-gm-front), ATS tall spindles (http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=ats&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=384548366&Count2=301688790), SC&C upper control arms (http://www.scandc.com/spcarms.htm), SC&C lower control arms (http://www.scandc.com/spclowerarms.htm ), Bilstein shocks, a third generation IROC steering box, the Lee adapter kit for the box and a Hotchkis front sway bar with new tie rods, pitman arm, idler arm and SC&C billet tie rod adjustment sleeves.

For the rear I'm using "Carl Casanova Spec" Flex-A-Form composite leaf springs (http://www.flex-a-form.com/) and Bilstein shocks.

I've installed GW solid body bushings and Hotchkis subframe connectors.

This entire setup as above will run you about $3,800 (roughly $2,400 front suspension, $400 steering, $600 rear suspension and $400 for the SFCs and body mounts) and provide about as good handling for the twisties as you can get out of a stock subframe. You also pretty much need to run C5 brakes with the ATS spindles, which in turn pretty much require 17" front wheels. I'm cheap (so far) and use C5 wheels (which you can get all day for about $400 for a set of 2 - 17 x 8.5s and 2 - 18 x 9.5s) with bolt on adapters (about $300).

The AFCO adjustable spring spacers are just that - put the car together, see where the ride height is, figure out how much you need to raise/lower the front end, do the math, adjust the spacer and you're there.

The SC&C control arms aren't strictly necessary, you could use the Global West del-a-lum (or is GW delrin?) bushings in stock control arms and save $600 or so. The aftermarket arms are nice because if you use an alignment with a lot of caster (as you should), the aftermarket arms tend to keep the wheel more centered in the wheel well (or so I've been told).

You could also skip the ATS spindles and simply do the Guldstrand mod, which would save you another $900 or so and avoid the necessity of going to 17" wheels on the front (but big front disk brakes are pretty nice too).

The setup described above won't look stock, but will perform well. If you want a more stock looking setup, use the factory control arms with the GW del-a-lum bushings and your factory spindles with the Guldstrand mod. It will look much more stock and save about $1,400 off the total bill. If you REALLY want to look stock, do the Guldstrand mod by cutting the upper control arm mounting points off your subframe, trim them to the Guldstrand postion and reweld then to the subframe.

Now some folks will tell you that once you've spent $2,800 on the front suspension you might as well go to an aftermarket front subframe. Don't believe them, unless spending another $3,200 to $4,200 is "might as well" territory. Been there, done that.

Well here is my setup. Up front I added a 1 1/4" sway bar, Hotchkis 2" lowering springs, Energy suspension bushings, and LS1 brakes using the stock drum spindles. On the rear I took a set of 5 stack springs and made them into a 3 stack, also used all Energy Suspension bushings.



http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x316/firstgenguy/george155.jpg

Picture of the ride height.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x316/firstgenguy/george188.jpg

George.I looked at this LS1 brake conversion on David Pozzi's site.Will the 12in version fit under my 15in. cragers.Anyone??Thanks.

Im not for shure if they will fit or not. I have a 17" rim up front.

George.I looked at this LS1 brake conversion on David Pozzi's site.Will the 12in version fit under my 15in. cragers.Anyone??Thanks.

Pretty sure the answer is NO.