Tear down starts next week! Bad news on the 455 though, may have to go with a running low compression big block for now.
I can’t believe summer is over already. I pulled the engine back in June. The stock suspension followed shortly after. I finally got around to start installing the shiny new parts this week. All I can say for now is the quality of this Ridetech stuff is outstanding. Even the directions are crystal clear! (Yes I read them...) The only modification I had to make so far was drilling the shock hole out on the frame to 3/4”. Easy enough. Some pics from the last few months:
Amazing stuff you got going on ! Can’t wait to see the finished product. How many degrees of caster are you aiming for on the StrongArms?
Thanks for the validation, Andy. The math behind the equipment is where I am least confident right now. I may need to pick your brain on setting preload for the coil overs.
Is it possible to get 7-10 degrees from the Ridetech Arms? Or is 7-10 attained with something extra ?
I can't comment on the RideTech arms specifically, but there are aftermarket arms out there that do allow that much.
Hey Lon, Yup, they are an old beat up set I got from George King 10 years ago. They have been used abused and brazed. I wet sanded them and sprayed them with VHT header paint. I’ll use them temporarily until I can afford TA shorties.
Louie, just a heads up, those headers (same as I had) will limit any lowering of the front end due to ground clearance. As far as caster, more can be gained with Using an offset slug to position the UCA further to the rear. You can get them from Ridetech (I use the #3 vs the standard #0). Add shims to the rear UCA mounting point, with longer bolts if needed. I was able to get ~7 deg., 8 deg. would be better. Note: this will do two things 1-move the tire towards the rear of the wheel well unless you can position the LCA (ball joint) further towards the front, and 2 - the UCA rear will be very close to the headers, ding as needed can help some.
Thanks for the heads up, Cray. I will have to jack the ride height as much as I can for the time being. What are you running? Got the BB frame pads installed tonight. My goal is to have the front Baer kit finished this weekend.
One good/affordable way to address an initial stance that is too low is to use spacers on the coil springs until you have the ground clearance issue resolved... then remove them. You will need to make sure you have the allowable travel range needed with the shocks.
Louie, Having installed that same Ridetech Stage II coilover suspension on my '71 GS, one suggestion I have it to paint or maybe just clear coat the inside portion of the spindle. After only a few months and maybe 100 miles I was shocked and disappointed to see that the spindle is covered with surface rust. Here is the pic I just took while the rotor is off. Good luck with the build! You're making great progress
One more thing... You may consider grinding down the steering stop to improve the "Just slightly better than a school bus" turning radius. You can see in the pic below the stop hits the lower control arm. Ridetech told me they had never heard of this... REALLY?! Maybe yours is different but I know for a fact those are the stock steering arms. Good luck.
I used this paint from Eastwood for my spindles, so far so good: https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-brake-gray-aerosol.html
Thank you both for the tips! I’m out in the garage now getting the booster ready for paint, perfect time to spray the spindles! Happy Friday!
