1982/1992 Camaro/Firebird Front & Rear Suspension

[Captthundarr]

Rear spring are lowering sport springs From Jegs that I cut a couple of coils off.  Also wacked the front springs to get it low. Spindles are after market can't remember the maker but they require a wilwood brake set up. Struts are QA1 to help with compression at speed. Had to add about 150 Lb of ballast. she was getting rear end light over 160 mph. Hope this helps. My Alignment guy managed to get 8 deg of caster in the front, 0 deg camber and 1/8" toe in per side.

Frank

[Kool Performance]

The 757 Camaro  front suspension is stock.  Move caster adjustment to max.  Viking shocks for the struts, just because I like them.

  Lower the rear trailing arm mount on the rear axle to keep the arms level.  Stock torque link modified to Correct pinion angle.

[Skip Pipes]

Hi Frank - thank you the the pics and info. Reread your build, very enjoyable and insightful. Love your car.

Hi Steve - thanks for the 757 suspension info. I suspected dropping the lower control arms would become necessary. Also, really like your side/rear window treatment.

Skip Pipes

[Captthundarr]

Thanks Skip, hope it helped. The car is very stable according to the wife who drives it. Good luck.

[ducky45356]

I run a Camaro at ECTA events. D\GC  went 180 at last meet. Front is all stock with 2 coils cut off. 12 deg of caster.  Rear end is a hailbrand qc. stock lower arms and triangulated 4 link uppers. sitting on a set of 155# coils from a old strut front end set up.

[revolutionary]

Great pictures of the Kugel Lefevers car and LOTS to see in there. Love the packaging of the steering and the tons of caster.

[Jessechop]

Keep in mind cutting coils increases spring rate. Usually to the tune of about 50#'s per coil. So a 200# spring with two coils cut off is much closer to a 300.

[manta22]

Frank;

"...1/8" toe in per side." 

This makes the total toe-in 1/4". This sounds like a lot- unless you have lots of compliance it would be preferable to go to zero toe-in.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Captthundarr]

Hi Neil, Been awhile, hope you are well. There is compliance in the stock parts. As I don't drive the car I can only rely on what Amy tells me and that is that it " takes nothing to keep it straight and ride like on the highway". In car video confirms that she holds it straight that's all. Me and my front end guy did a little experiment with the car on the rack. We hung about 220 lbs. (my fat azz) from the front end and watched the readout. Toe went almost to zero. Who'd thunk it....

[Peter Jack]

Hi Neil, Been awhile, hope you are well. There is compliance in the stock parts. As I don't drive the car I can only rely on what Amy tells me and that is that it " takes nothing to keep it straight and ride like on the highway". In car video confirms that she holds it straight that's all. Me and my front end guy did a little experiment with the car on the rack. We hung about 220 lbs. (my fat azz) from the front end and watched the readout. Toe went almost to zero. Who'd thunk it....

That sounds like bump steer rather than compliance. I'd be correcting the linkage rather than compensating for incorrect linkage geometry.

If your front end guy isn't a racer he may not know about bump steer because it isn't a concern with production cars. Why, I don't understand.

Pete

[SteveM]

Related, but slightly different.

Several years back, I remember seeing an article in HRM, Car Craft, or something like that, of a 3rd Gen Camaro like we are discussing which was set up and held some records at Bonneville.  If memory serves me, the car was medium blue in color, and was set up with a straight front axle.  The records it held were with older-design engines like "Stovebolt" 6 cylinders and such.

I remember thinking that it was odd to see a Camaro like that set up with a straight front axle. 

Are there any good reasons to run a straight axle in a Camaro, and does anyone else remember or know of the car?

Steve.

[SteveM]

Nevermind - found it.  It's the Harris & Wester Camaro.

http://www.superchevy.com/features/sucp-0705-1988-chevrolet-camaro/


The article indicates it is set up with a 4" drop axle.

Steve.

[salt27]

It also has a solid mounted 9inch.

[kiwi belly tank]

Actually Steve, I don't see any good reason to run the factory Camaro suspension on the salt if rules permit a change, none of it has desirable geometry.
I bet that thing ran like it was on rails.
  Sid.

[SteveM]

I was secretly thinking the same thing (no bump steer, no funny geometry changes), just a simple, straight axle.

Re:  Solid mounted rear axle /  suspension = I don't have my rulebook handy, but my mind thought that compliant suspension was a requirement in Gas Coupe type classes.

Steve.