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Looks good man hard to tell the drop by that pic tho (atleast on my phone ) how does it drive now with the upgrades?
The phone does make it a bit harder to tell but with a bigger screen it is definitely lower. By how much I'm not sure.
It rides much better. In fact, because I haven't done the front end yet, I can feel how sloppy the front is compared to the rear. I'm hoping to do the front sometime next week.
Dave, if you happen to go out to the LKQ in Daytona please let me know.
I will let you know Jim. Luis & I haven't had a chance to get out there in awhile. We will keep an eye out for a pull-down for you.
Just FYI, I talked to the guy at the tire shop last week and he said that it could take upwards of a thousand miles for new front springs to fully settle. Not sure if he knows what he is talking about or not. He told me to bring my car back to get it re-aligned after a thousand miles. He couldn't get the caster angle correct because the springs weren't settled yet.
I will let you know Jim. Luis & I haven't had a chance to get out there in awhile. We will keep an eye out for a pull-down for you.
Just FYI, I talked to the guy at the tire shop last week and he said that it could take upwards of a thousand miles for new front springs to fully settle. Not sure if he knows what he is talking about or not. He told me to bring my car back to get it re-aligned after a thousand miles. He couldn't get the caster angle correct because the springs weren't settled yet.
If it is 1000 miles it sounds like I need to take a road trip.
I was going to go to a car show last Friday but ended up not going. The rear seat belts didn't lock properly when I tugged hard on them. Would have been my daughter's first ride in the car...need to replace those before I take her anywhere.
Thanks, Dave. 3rd gens are becoming harder to find in the yards.
I was going to go to a car show last Friday but ended up not going. The rear seat belts didn't lock properly when I tugged hard on them. Would have been my daughter's first ride in the car..QUOTE]
u mean ur daughters first test drive until she can reach the pedals lol
I was going to go to a car show last Friday but ended up not going. The rear seat belts didn't lock properly when I tugged hard on them. Would have been my daughter's first ride in the car..QUOTE]
u mean ur daughters first test drive until she can reach the pedals lol
definately need some car show pics now
Oh, I don't think SO!!! By the time she is able to drive I hope the car has enough power where I wouldn't trust/feel safe enough to let her drive. I'll get her her own Firebird/TA though!
With that said, she will know her way around cars and be able to drive stick.
If it is 1000 miles it sounds like I need to take a road trip.
I was going to go to a car show last Friday but ended up not going. The rear seat belts didn't lock properly when I tugged hard on them. Would have been my daughter's first ride in the car...need to replace those before I take her anywhere.
Thanks, Dave. 3rd gens are becoming harder to find in the yards.
You're welcome. Yes they are. Sounds like you need to take a trip to the junk yard to find some rear seat belts.
I have added nothing to the car yet. The front end is still stock and it will probably remain so until October. I received Global West delrin bushings though. While I'm there I might as well replace what I can with good stuff.
I have been researching though. Next year I am planning my LsX swap but not quite sure which directions to head yet. I'd like to have an aluminum block but the iron block is just so much cheaper it would be more feasible for me.
I plan to race the car but not that much. I would really love a 91-92 Formula as my race car instead. This car will be my occasional driver with many modern upgrades.
Iron 5.3 can find cheap under $900 be good cheap performance and around 350 ish rwhp good for 12s with supporting mods
6.0 iron are a bit more expensive truck guys realized that there 6.0 are worth more and more people are heading towards do to demand hence increase price , luck to find low mileage for under a $1000 atleast locally in cali might be different by you
6.0 new from respectable builder going to run $3000 and up plus all f body accessories and intake going add to the 6.0 but is a easy 400 -500 rwhp and is very streetable setup mpg will suffer tho in good way
Ls1 drop outs I been seeing them go fairly cheap like 1500 range with auto, 6 speed will be more route I pick so I can spend more on go fast parts and trans upgrades you gain more low end with 6.0 and can always upgrade block in future , which is my plans lq9 with 243 heads aka poor mans ls2 lol difference between 5.7 and 6.0 and same setup is like around 20-30 rwtq but good thing about a complete ls1 drop out or donor is that most of everything you need is there and dont need much more so it was simple choice for me cheaper meet my goals for daily drive ability and more simple as I didn't have to buy extra big item stuff here and there is it all adds up $$
Cam only would be over or close to 400rwhp depending on cam, A max effort 5.7 can tap or get close to 500 rwhp with cnc heads fast intake full exhuast etc
That's my opinion
get that front lowered and post picks lol
Last edited by Zach/90\irocZ; 06-13-2014 at 02:09 AM.
Where are you looking??? I will be going 6-speed but still, $1500 is much less than I have ever found.
I usually search alot on Craigslist mostly but alot guys try to up charge for the the 6.0 talk to guy other day wanted 4000 for used long block I wanted to slap him lol
Yea 6 speed your going to pay more as trans alone go for that much but usually at least $2 - 3k so full ls1/t56 will atleast be around 3-$5000 range
Auto is much cheaper alternative tho and price I said was for auto not 6 speed
Seems like you want basic low mileage ls1 engine and maybe upgrade cam and t56 I probably just spend more on a good low mileage drop out , I went cheaper route because I knew I wanted to rebuild engine so I wasn't to worried about running or not just wanted a undamaged block for a good foundation
Better fit probably be
a low mileage 5.3 with zo6 cam and t56 and tune be good for 300ish to rear and manage 30 mpg highway and would be cheap ,5.3 can be found cheap atleast 500 found one at local junkyard locally here but you have to go any chance you get to see and snag it up once you see it because it's gone before you know it
just got to be patient search and go out to local junkyards that carry newer cars
Last edited by Zach/90\irocZ; 06-17-2014 at 07:21 PM.
It has been 9 months since my last post. Man how time flies.
Anyway, I just got started on the front end of the car. Was able to get the strut off with no issues. I began to remove the spring but I wasn't happy with how my internal spring compressor was holding onto the spring so I started to remove it. Unfortunately, it looks like as I was tightening down the spring, the top threads of the spring compressor must have been rubbing somewhere because they were damaged. As soon as I realized this I quit for the day. This is as far as I have made it. Will continue with that hopefully tomorrow.
I also removed part of the front end of my car to repaint. Probably since 2005-06' I have had this replacement green panel and haven't bothered to paint it. Will finally handle that issue as really my engine bay is the ugliest part of the car.
Excuse the rusty water spray you see. My radiator sprung a leak not long ago and it shot all over the place. Why is it rusty you ask? Well, I haven't been taking care of it as I probably should have. I've been telling myself for quite a while, "why fix this or spend the money on that when I plan to replace everything?" Will probably be a couple years before I'm able to do what I want with it.
So tonight I'm still trying to get these springs off. I'm using the internal spring compressor and what a PITA it is to get this on correctly!! Maybe its just me. Will be ordering new end links, sway bar bushings, and moog ball joints.
Will post pictures tomorrow if I make any progress at all.
I gotta say, it has been a while since I worked on the car but even when I'm stuck and frustrated...I love it! I can't wait to drive it and feel the difference but just being able to work on it is satisfying. Glad I don't live up north!
I've been very busy lately so haven't even touched the car.
I gave up on the spring compressor. Just too much of a PITA to get it on correctly. This isn't how I had hoped to do this but I have read a lot of people having results with just a chain with a bolt through it. Bought a 3' wrecking bar and will give it a try tomorrow during daylight.
If your trying to take the sprint out just get a long pry bar and lift up, it will come out of the pocket. Some people will probably say "that's dangerous" but it's not that bad. Lift straight up on the bottom of the spring and it will come out in between the k member and the ground. I've done dozens of springs that way with no issues.
Decided to just leave the front springs in there for a couple of reasons. First, I think the new springs are for a v8 which would make my ride quality extremely harsh. Second, my ride height looks fine to me. Hopefully the new struts don't cause the front end to sit up higher.
Anyway, I finished the driver side and will do the passenger side tomorrow. Will be a couple of weeks before I can take it in for an alignment.
Decided to just leave the front springs in there for a couple of reasons. First, I think the new springs are for a v8 which would make my ride quality extremely harsh. Second, my ride height looks fine to me. Hopefully the new struts don't cause the front end to sit up higher.
Anyway, I finished the driver side and will do the passenger side tomorrow. Will be a couple of weeks before I can take it in for an alignment.
No it would make it more harsh spring rate are comparable even softer rate then iroc springs that's with prokit ...sport lines are bit lower spring rate
I run 900 lb up front with lighter engine and Its not harsh at all
It has so do with the strut and shocks you run there's a major difference from autozone to even the lower end kyb agx or lower version
Best comparison is comparable to ride quality of most modern cars with rout euro tuned suspension but not as stiff
Rememberdepending on how long your rear springs are in it would settle more
Also installing newer shocks might raise height a tad depending on how worn out they where
Also keep in mind that depending on gas level takes account on rear ride hight and also if there's passengers I'll say get a full tank and throw to people in and see if there's a major difference in height
Breaking a lot of tools working on the car. What the hell?
Strut mounts in. Ignore the dirty engine bay, the loose red wire, and anything that takes away from it. Will all be cleaned up once suspension is done.
Zach, I'm running lo-tek springs. Regardless if I was running pro-kit or sportlines it is stiffer than the v6 springs(lowered). The v6 springs are what the aluminum block(lsx) guys are running(similar to as opposed to v8 springs.)
I'm not worried about the rear of the car, it is the exact ride height I want. Then again, I did change the springs in the rear...and damn did it make it harsh back there.
Great Googly-moogly
I realize I need to drive the car to allow the strut(and suspension for that matter) to settle but I don't see it settling that much. May need to install the springs as well.
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 03-26-2015 at 03:20 PM.
Reason: spelling, grammer, and adding more info
And I don't feel sorry that u don't have power tools....hand tools may take longer but at least ur in sunshine and warm weather doing it lol...waiting on updates!!!
Would be nice to work on it year round.
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 03-27-2015 at 04:29 PM.
"Pro Kit: 714 lb/in linear front 1 inch lower front
109/177 lb/in progressive rear 1 inch lower rear
Sportline: 700 lb/in linear front 1.6 inch lower front
80/137 lb/in progressive rear 1.3 inch lower rear
So lo tek aka drop zones are around the same rates
Yea with my ls1 swap I didn't have that issue some do some don't just depends not all swap to v6 springs there a very low spring rate around 500 ish but that's my opinion as I like a very good handling car vs looks
For rear the more they compress the more stiffer they get by design "progressive"
With these sportlines and dropzones springs there design to be used with bumpstops but in turn make a more jarring ride trimming the bump stop will smooth ride and allow more suspension travel I assume you have less than a inch or less between your bumb stops
Struts and shocks make a big difference also as they control the bound and rebound and it's even more important when lowering thirdgen as suspension travel diminish quickly idk what shock and struts your running also some brands tend to be stiffer or softer depending on brand and model also I had kyb gr2 in rear and was really stiff vs others
my fear is throw of the balance of the car handling wise with mix match spring setup but if you don't care about small details like that then by all means as long your happy at end of deal
As far as settling it depends I've had mines settle down another 1/4 to 1/2 in also sway bar should be tighten with weight on vehicle will bind suspension and add height to car
Just speaking from experience I've had and experimenting with different setups I'm big on handling
Last edited by Zach/90\irocZ; 03-26-2015 at 09:05 PM.
If your trying to take the sprint out just get a long pry bar and lift up, it will come out of the pocket. Some people will probably say "that's dangerous" but it's not that bad. Lift straight up on the bottom of the spring and it will come out in between the k member and the ground. I've done dozens of springs that way with no issues.
Originally Posted by Zach/90\irocZ
I have to just to pry it out bottom pocket
I wrap a chain or that pull down strap you have loosely for play room and pry it out
Thanks for the tip guys. I got them out prying them from the bottom.
Honestly, wasn't bad at all. I didn't feel like the spring was going to shoot out at all.
Guess they just set it on top and whichever way it ended up was how it went. Definitely not centered, especially not on the new springs.
Aaaand, in. Should be indexed correctly(in between the two drain holes.)
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 03-30-2015 at 04:06 PM.
"Pro Kit: 714 lb/in linear front 1 inch lower front
109/177 lb/in progressive rear 1 inch lower rear
Sportline: 700 lb/in linear front 1.6 inch lower front
80/137 lb/in progressive rear 1.3 inch lower rear
So lo tek aka drop zones are around the same rates
Yea with my ls1 swap I didn't have that issue some do some don't just depends not all swap to v6 springs there a very low spring rate around 500 ish but that's my opinion as I like a very good handling car vs looks
For rear the more they compress the more stiffer they get by design "progressive"
With these sportlines and dropzones springs there design to be used with bumpstops but in turn make a more jarring ride trimming the bump stop will smooth ride and allow more suspension travel I assume you have less than a inch or less between your bumb stops
Struts and shocks make a big difference also as they control the bound and rebound and it's even more important when lowering thirdgen as suspension travel diminish quickly idk what shock and struts your running also some brands tend to be stiffer or softer depending on brand and model also I had kyb gr2 in rear and was really stiff vs others
my fear is throw of the balance of the car handling wise with mix match spring setup but if you don't care about small details like that then by all means as long your happy at end of deal
As far as settling it depends I've had mines settle down another 1/4 to 1/2 in also sway bar should be tighten with weight on vehicle will bind suspension and add height to car
Just speaking from experience I've had and experimenting with different setups I'm big on handling
Exactly my point, these new springs are probably around the 700ish area as you say, and the v6's(which my car is) are around the 500s(didn't know the springs rate for the v6 cars). Much stiffer than my car needs. Will be a rough ride, especially since I replaced my shocks/struts with kyb's instead of higher end units like koni yellows which will handle rough roads better. One day I will upgrade to koni yellows so the ride is smoother.
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 03-30-2015 at 04:26 PM.
I have koni yellow and there sweet and adjustable like agx
Switching your shock setup will get you that smoother ride the pain and no gain got to love it lol all that work just to leave spring in lol I been there
So, my front fenders were 27" high before I did the swap. Now they are at 26 1/4" high. 3/4" drop is not bad considering I still have to let them settle down more.
I have yet to install the sway bar end links because I have access to a drive on lift which will make it easier. Also need to take it in for an alignment before I drive it anywhere. That will have to wait.
This also made the car have a slight rake to it. Rather it be even like it was before so it looks like I will be removing the rear isolators and putting heater hose back there. Anyone do this? Where did you get the hose? Pictures?
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 04-01-2015 at 11:45 AM.
Yeas for heater hose I ran at end of coil and about every 2" a 1" wide hose I usallly just use 4 1" pieces of hose and zip tied them to coil I cut the heater hose and half so it's just sitting on top
Honestly I don't even do that anymore I just throw them in with nothing can't really tell a difference
It looks 10 times better with out rake once done
Looks good tho
Upgrade those cute little brakes now lol jk
Oh remember to tighten sway bar with full weight in them so make sure it's a lift you can drive on not one that lifts chassis
Yeas for heater hose I ran at end of coil and about every 2" a 1" wide hose I usallly just use 4 1" pieces of hose and zip tied them to coil I cut the heater hose and half so it's just sitting on top
Honestly I don't even do that anymore I just throw them in with nothing can't really tell a difference
It looks 10 times better with out rake once done
Looks good tho
Upgrade those cute little brakes now lol jk
Oh remember to tighten sway bar with full weight in them so make sure it's a lift you can drive on not one that lifts chassis
Really? Hmmm...I would think the metal on metal may make noise.
I agree, no rake.
Ha, wish I could upgrade the brakes. Unfortunately, I won't be throwing anything else at the car for quite a while.
I will be using a drive on lift when I get to the sway bar.
Lol that is the hard way lol looks good I seen done both ways
Honestly not much noise transfer when driving around the street i can't tell the difference till
Only when I hit a dip going fast where the rear end hops up but it nothing scary loud out the ordinary noises from third gen
I daily drive my thirdgen everyday also no weekend car here
Oh and from you front isolator that's normal mines look like that also when I remove spring it will never center on it perfectly
This also made the car have a slight rake to it. Rather it be even like it was before so it looks like I will be removing the rear isolators and putting heater hose back there. Anyone do this? Where did you get the hose? Pictures?
Looks nice! I'd like to get my cars nose out of the air someday.
Was able to drop the A-Arms off at the shop to have the ball joints and the bushings replaced this morning.
Seems one of the A-Arms was bent and I didn't even notice it. I know the car had been in an accident and was repaired before I bought it but...never knew this. I would think I would have noticed something like this before taking it to the shop but there doesn't appear to be any markings of any kind on the unit for me to suspect the shop did it. The other A-Arm has fresh markings from them doing the work though.
Also, has anyone replaced the factory ones with the Global West Delrin bushings? End up looking like this?
Inspecting the A-Arm they did do though, the ball joint wasn't pressed in all the way.
Was able to drop the A-Arms off at the shop to have the ball joints and the bushings replaced this morning.
Seems one of the A-Arms was bent and I didn't even notice it. I know the car had been in an accident and was repaired before I bought it but...never knew this. I would think I would have noticed something like this before taking it to the shop but there doesn't appear to be any markings of any kind on the unit for me to suspect the shop did it. The other A-Arm has fresh markings from them doing the work though.
Also, has anyone replaced the factory ones with the Global West Delrin bushings? End up looking like this?
Inspecting the A-Arm they did do though, the ball joint wasn't pressed in all the way.
Might be beneficial to get a set of good used A-Arms, unless you really want tubular.
Car is looking good as always! Hopefully we can get a meet with actual third gens in it soon, I'd like to get some photos of all the cars.
Was able to go to the junk yard and pull a good a-arm on my 2nd attempt.
The 1st attempt I couldn't get the wheel off, I had my wife out with me on an extremely hot and humid day, and we went to leave only to find our truck had a flat tire. Ended up buying 4 brand new all-terrain tires for the truck that day.
Had the shop install the bushings and new ball joint for me. I also replaced the tie rods while I was there. Got everything buttoned up over the weekend.
I went to go get an alignment today. Didn't go so well. First, I had to jump start the car...fine...the drive is long enough that it will be charged by the time I get to where I'm going. I also had just enough gas to get there and fill up when I'm ready to head back. On the way there I ran into a train not far from my house and the car started overheating. I was afraid that if I turned the car off there(nowhere to pull off the road) that I wouldn't get it started again without a jump. Ended up getting really hot and managed to pull into a gas station before anything bad happened. I was going to buy some coolant and put gas in the car but I forgot I lent my wife my card so basically I was stranded for 21/2 hours waiting(hot as hell these past few weeks). Good thing I made it home when I did though. We had a nasty thunderstorm come through here and I got the car parked under the carport before it hit. Was definitely one of those "dam, i'm ready for a beer!" type of incidents.
I need a new battery, a new radiator, and another beer. Many more things I need besides those though.
04-28-2014, 07:29 PM
