george landis

67 442. Stock suspension. New: upper lower "A" frame Delco rubber bushings (tightened with weight on car), new upper lower ball joints, centerlink, idler arm, tie rods. New stock ratio ,4 turns LTL, steering gear box (tried new 12 to 1 fast ratio, 2.5 turns LTL, gear box and hated it. New: rear rubber bushings, upper and lower, new springs front and rear. Stock ride height. 4 new KYB gas adjust shocks.


New T/A radials, 225/70-15 on 15" X by 7" fronts, 255/60-15 on 15 X 8.5 (4" b/s) rears. Torq Trust D's.


Trying to give enough information to help with suggestions.


Problem: Ride seems fairly standard, but any road irregularities feel like tires have 50 psi in them. They actually have 28 psi. I bought a brand new 67 442 back in the day and I remember how smooth the ride was. It rode much better than this. Is it the gas shocks? Maybe some NOS Delco Pleasurizers? Bigger, stiffer radials emit more of a jar through the chassis? Bilstein shocks any improvement at 3 times the cost?


Thanks,
George in south Alabama

oldcutlass

Bet its the KYB's, Biltsteins may be worse.

joe_padavano

X2. I've gotten good ride quality with Monroe Gas-Matics. Of course, you'll trade handling for ride quality.

oldcutlass

I think I've got Monroe's on mine and was thinking on moving up to the KYB's for a stiffer ride. My car is also jacked up 2"+ front and back though.

70sgeek

I have somewhat similar suspension build under my '72 ragtop - rebuilt stock a-arms with rubber bushings, urethane end links, all new Moog tie rods, c-link, b-joints, etc., 1-5/16 front sway bar, 1" rear bar, 245-60-15 Cobras + bilsteins all around on 15x8 Torq Thrust D's. Steering is a 3.25 L-to-L CPP 500 series box.


with 33lbs @ tire I still get a pretty decent ride even on moderately rough road surfaces. Typical OEM replacement shocks are soft and even though better at surface absorptions you will pay in handling/road feel trade-offs . Tires themselves also contribute to that - I've heard TA's are somewhat harsher than Cobras (these are the most popular RWL tire options for many old musclecars)


Only your personal preference can dictate what the 'better' shocks for your car will be.


I like the Bilsteins over KYB (have tried both on GM A-bodies) - KYB's were good but rough during break-in and then softened too much like typical retail shocks after about 10-15k miles. I have 3k on the Bilsteins currently and they definitely have more finesse than the KYB's even this early on. Good road manners but also tight handling feel for good steering feedback

stevengerard

I have KYBs on the W30 convertible and standard shocks on the Cutlass convertible, the Cutlass drives like a sofa on a cloud, unbelievable ride quality.

george landis

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. Willing to sacrifice handling/performance for a smoother ride. Cornering prowess not a priority. Just want to cruise and enjoy the car without drama. The Monroe 5754 front/ 5802 rear shocks maybe my next ones. Really don't care for nitrogen charged shocks like the KYB Gas-A-just that are on there now. Researching Delco-pleasurisers p/n's. There may be some out there in NOS hordes somewhere. Thanks again to everyone.


George, in south Alabama