rkk69olds

I just finished upgrading my front suspension on my 69 Cutlass. I wanted to upgrade steering, braking and handling within a reasonable budget. Here is what I ended up installing.

Right Stuff Detailing upper and lower control arms. I did not modify them except I put in Moog upper ball joints in place of the ones supplied.

Right Stuff Detailing front power disc brake conversion kit with powder coated calipers and cross drilled rotors. Note:the caliper fitting for the brake hose snaps if you follow the torque specs in the supplied instructions.

Right Stuff Detailing front and rear brake line conversion kit. Note: the rear line from the master cylinder to the rear end is actually two pieces joined with a fitting. Not a big deal, just an FYI.

AGR Steering Box 292117. The first one Summit sent me had a mismachined pressure side flair and leaked like a sieve. This was frustrating as I had to obviously remove it and get a replacement. The box was out of warranty as I ordered it first as I collected my parts. Both Summit and AGR were very accommodating and honored the warranty and actually sent me a replacement before they received the bad one back.

BMR Front Sway Bar SB008R. This bar is thicker than OEM and can interfere with the idler arm so make sure you check the clearance.

QA1 Economy Pro Coil System GE401-10550B. Notes: I had to drill out the lower control arm shock mounting holes to accept the set up. Easy modification. Also I recommend the thrust washer kit and the spanner wrench to make adjustment easier.

Proforged Steering Rebuild Kit 116-10013. Nice powdered coated kit with easy adjustment for Tie rods. Does not include steering arms so you need to order them for the disc brake conversion.

I just had the alignment finished and the car handling is significantly improved. I am very pleased with the results including the braking. Only issue I have to address is a lack of vaccum. I have 15in at idle, but when in gear at low speeds I don't have enough for the booster. I need a vaccum pump and am looking for advise.

Suggestions on a vaccum pump?

I will post some pictures of the finished product. Total cost was under $1800.

Thanks

Mr Nick

That sounds like a nice amount of new parts for the price. I may go with coil overs up front if/when I decide to change out what I already have.

Did you use factory alignment specs? (I hope not)
What are you running for wheels/tires?

As for the vac pump, I would try a vac reserve canister first. A lot cheaper and no noise or wiring involved.

rkk69olds

I am pleased with the results for the money. As for the alignment specs, that's a great question that I never asked the guy that did the alignment...I will ask. Wheels are 15" Keystone Classics with Goodrich TA Radials. Wheels are tires are my next project and am thinking moving up to 16 or 17s. I like the American Racing Torqthrust line, but have not decided.

Thanks for the advise on trying a canister first, I will do that and see what happens.

RetroRanger

Sounds nice Ill bet it handles a lot better. Do you have a rear sway bar as well? When I added one to my car (1" bar) it made another nice improvement in handling

joe_padavano

The steering arms are the same for both drum and disk spindles. You don't need to order anything. Reuse your old ones (powdercoat them if necessary).

Mr Nick

Do the UCA's have a few degrees of positive caster built into them? Are they shorter than stock and are you using tall upper and/or lower ball joints? From the factory these cars have a backwards camber curve, meaning as the tire travels upward the top of the tire leans out. It should lean in to keep the tire planted flat as the whole car itself leans over while cornering.

Combine all that with modern radial tires (even more so if you grade to wider performance rubber) and the factory alignment specs are the last thing you want. But you need to know your combo of parts before you can really dial in your alignment.