Suspension Rebuild Recommendations
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Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 309
Suspension Rebuild Recommendations
My ‘68 442 sounds like a creaky bed when I go over bumps and is in desperate need of attention in the suspension department. A visual inspection shows dry ball joints with torn boot, springs sitting on bare metal, and dry rotted shock bushings. Looking to do a full rebuild of the front first, then figure out the knocking sound coming from the rear. A few questions:
1) is it generally recommended to go with more modern suspensions (QA1, Hotchkiss, poly bushings, etc) or stick with OEM style parts? I’d love a better ride but want to maintain my car’s value in the process.
2) are there any recommended soup-to-nuts kits available that cover everything I will need? Control arms seem ok and I am willing to press in bushings if right kit only has bushings. Appreciate any input.
1) is it generally recommended to go with more modern suspensions (QA1, Hotchkiss, poly bushings, etc) or stick with OEM style parts? I’d love a better ride but want to maintain my car’s value in the process.
2) are there any recommended soup-to-nuts kits available that cover everything I will need? Control arms seem ok and I am willing to press in bushings if right kit only has bushings. Appreciate any input.
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,225
From: Edmond, OK
OEM parts should be just fine. You can usually source an entire kit to rebuild the steering and suspension components. I bought a kit of rubber bushings from this company 20 years ago when I rebuilt the suspension on my 64 98. As I recall the price was good and they had great customer service:
https://p-s-t.com/'
The only problem with ordering a kit is that the parts would probably be 100% Chinese. You might not have a problem with that though, I didn't. Here's another supplier:
https://www.kanter.com/index.aspx
https://p-s-t.com/'
The only problem with ordering a kit is that the parts would probably be 100% Chinese. You might not have a problem with that though, I didn't. Here's another supplier:
https://www.kanter.com/index.aspx
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 15,409
From: Phoenix, AZ
When I redid the front/rear suspension on my car I used ball joints, tie rode ends, bushings, etc from the local auto parts store. The local store had quality components (Moog, TRW, McQuay Norris, etc) whereas most kits have unknown manufacturer parts of suspect quality, usually from China.
Administrator
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 42,496
From: Poteau, Ok
How you rebuild the front end is based on the intended purpose of the car. Do you plan on road racing, slalom tracks, drag racing, or just plain old cruising? In most cases the stock setups work very well and last a long time. Rockauto and the discount code is your friend if you go the stock route. In addition, the cost of the aftermarket handling kits are really painful on the wallet and some are not simple bolt ins.
CH3NO2 LEARN IT BURN IT
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 5,635
From: Land of Taxes
Do the OEM rubber on everything except the front sway bar brackets and end links. Do greasable poly there. I put early non greasable Poly in my rear end. Its a little harsh and squeaks but transfers more power to the ground with a little less flex. I will put OEM rubber back there with better upper control arms when I swap out the 308 limited to something else...
And I agree buy the best quality parts you can find. chineasium junk has no place on a Muscle car or any car chassis system. Always ask country of origin. Sure wish Spicer made U joints for our cars. They make the best ball joints and u joints.
And I agree buy the best quality parts you can find. chineasium junk has no place on a Muscle car or any car chassis system. Always ask country of origin. Sure wish Spicer made U joints for our cars. They make the best ball joints and u joints.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 157
Did this a couple years ago.......Moog, IMO, is the way to go. The kit is complete and everything fits. Everyone that I've known that has bought a Chinesium rebuild kit has had some sort of issues....
Personally, being the lazy sort and not being a sadist..... I'd have a shop with a press do the control arm bushings....
Under the heading of MAW, replacing the body bushings probably not a bad idea either.....but that list gets pretty long quickly.
Cheers,
Troy
Personally, being the lazy sort and not being a sadist..... I'd have a shop with a press do the control arm bushings....
Under the heading of MAW, replacing the body bushings probably not a bad idea either.....but that list gets pretty long quickly.
Cheers,
Troy
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 309
Thanks for all the input. I have always had good luck with Moog parts so I'll stick with their kit. I've never done an entire rebuild, just ball joints here and control arms there. Looks like there is some redundancy in the Moog kit with the master bushing kits out there (ie. control arm bushings, sway bar links, etc.) so I'll start with the Moog kit and go from there. And yes, subbing out the control arm bushings to a local shop is a no-brainer.
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,802
From: Northern VA
I've never seen a Moog "kit". I just buy the parts individually from RockAuto. Note that most of the listings for Olds sway bar bushings are wrong, so measure your front bar and just order the right size bushings.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 309
Getting all the parts together now and thinking of replacing all bushings including body bushings. I want to make sure I don’t get over my head as I’ve never had to replace body bushings. Is that something that can be done without a lift?
Phantom Phixer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 5,530
From: Apopka, FL
Replacing the body bushings will contribute to a better ride quality . And it's a "no brainer" with body-off restorations . However I would think long and hard before doing it on an assembled car . A broken bolt or a spinning caged nut will quickly turn this job into a nightmare .
Last edited by Charlie Jones; Oct 6, 2018 at 05:28 PM.
Administrator
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 42,496
From: Poteau, Ok
Bought the body bushings from Yearone and reused the old bolts. I changed mine on a lift with a pair of screw jack to raise the rear body a bit. Used an impact and the bolts just spun out with no issues. My car has no rot or major undercarriage rust.
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,802
From: Northern VA
Eric was lucky. The reality is that unless your car is completely dry and rust-free, you WILL spin at least one of the cage nuts trying to get the body bolts out. Of course, once that happens you have to cut holes in the floor pan to repair that. One possible way around this is to drill small holes in the floor pan above each body bolt and liberally soak the threads with penetrating oil before trying to change the bushings.
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