im currently building my 68 olds cutlass s convertible and i want to upgrade the supsension, brakes & handling to handle more like a modern car

i came across the QA1 Pro-Touring kit at summit..link http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ha...utlass-cruiser

anyone have any experience with this? or can someone recommend a better kit?

 

try performance suspension technology for kit prices. they sell suspension kits with poly-graphite bushings or original rubber. forgot what I paid for my kit on the 67 but car hasn't been on the road since I put it all in. good luck

 

Coachtek, that is a great price for all you get! While may 442 is stock my '69 el camino has the hotchkis g-body tall spindle upgrade, sway bars, lowering springs, rear control arms, and 17" wheels. The tall spindle was the single best improvement for handling/ride I did. Money wise a bigger pill to swallow though.let's see some pics!

 

A-body cars are burdened with horrible suspension geometry from the factory. They have horrible camber change during suspension travel, the control arm angles mean they have a roll center several inches beneath the ground, and they have bump steer. This means you'll be experiencing understeer badly when you push the car. The bad news is that it isn't something you can adjust your way out of using factory parts. Thus, you can go for the cheaper symptom-reducing fixes, or you can go for the expensive problem-reducing fixes.

This being said, a lot of the sloppiness you feel now is could be from old bearings and worn parts in general.

Symptom-reducing suggestions include new rubber, bigger sway bars, poly bushings instead of rubber, boxed rear arms and rear sway bar, better shocks, bigger tires.

Problem-fixing suggestions include changing spindle height, either through taller spindles or taller ball joints, necessitating different front upper control arms. This will reduce the camber change at suspension travel, making the tire grip better and thus reducing understeer. The taller spindle height moves the roll center upward.
Poly bushings in the entire car helps stiffen everything up. Sway bars are good - the bigger, the better. They counteract roll as well. From there on it gets more and more expensive, with the added effects of course.
The cheapest and most easily felt change is the jeep grand cherokee steering box swap. I'm told the car will handle like a new one.

I bought and installed UMI tubular A-arms, they made a MAJOR difference in the feel of my car. They had tall ball joints and poly bushings.

If you want to educate yourself, join the pro-touring.com forum. A Hotchkiss guy as well as Mark Savitske (author of How To Make Your Muscle Car Handle) frequent that board, and it's full of tips and tricks. Remember to search for "A-body".

 

Also consider a quick ratio steering box. Do a search on this site for options from rebuilt factory units to using one from a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

I put an ATI box in mine and have been quite pleased with it for 3 years now. Simple bolt in.

 

what model ATI did you get and where? Thanks

 

Call Marcus at SC&C, trust me. He's one of the nicest and most knowledgeable people out there making these old cars handle well. I have his Stage II Plus kit on my 69 Cutlass, along with other upgrades, and it handles great. One place not to cheap out on for sure, shocks. I have Edelbrocks on mine and they are smooth but harsh over quick bumps. I'll probably swap them out next year.

 

Oh yeah, http://scandc.com/new/catalog/11