JerseyRodder

I've just spent the past hour or so going through the posts in this section. I must say I'm more confused than when I started. I am thinking of doing the complete suspension/brakes/steering on my 84 T/A. Is there anybody offering a complete kit if you want to replace pretty much everything with aftermarkert stuff that is designed to work together? What should be upgraded? definitley brakes. Ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings, Control arms? Sway bars? What determines the biggest wheel/tire combo you can put on? Just the wheel well size or will anything else be a factor? I'd like to upgrade to better disk brake setup. Is the rotor size you can go to only determined by the wheel size? What's the deal with the 1LE brakes and suspension conversion? Is that better than going with a Baer or some other aftermarket kit? Whats everybodys dream setup? This car is not an everyday driver. By the way, I like super handling with a drag strip trip once a year. Not autocross, not a drag car. Somewhere in between I guess. Anybody have the title of a good performance suspension book? Thanks. ---Rich

ws6transam

Check it out:

'84 Trans Am. 1.05 g sustained lateral acceleration. 1.27 g peak lateral acceleration.
Stock WS6 springs, stock WS6 swaybars. Koni struts. Herb Adams rear shocks. Spohn panhard bar.

http://www.ws6transam.org/glateral.html

You dont need to replace everything right away.
Start with a used WS6 suspension, weld-in subframe connectors, rebuild your whole front suspension with greasable eurethane bushings, add new struts, rebuild your steering box, replace the rear shocks, panhard bar, and lower control arms.

Get a performance alignment. Push in your camber as far as it will go, which is probably zero degrees camber, maybe -0.5 degrees.

Then start modifying at your lesiure if your handling isn't good enough.

JerseyRodder

Sweet!! You can't beat data right there in black and white. Is there anything you would do different if your were starting over? Where there any gotchas during install? Any of those parts or manufacturers **** you off? I might just have to use a very similar setup. Nice ride and thanks for the info. ---Rich

ws6transam

Its not so much that I would have done anything different, but today there are many more options out there for your car in terms of suspension. First off, back in 1999 there were only two performance brake options out there. Now there are at least six. Same thing with subframe connectors: In 1999 there were only three or four options and now there's dozens.

In the year 2005, I'd start with basic suspension rebuild with all MOOG problem solver parts. I'd get a quick ratio steering box and have it rebuilt. Or, I would just toss out the whole K-member and recirculating ball steering geometry and get a tubular K-member with power rack & pinion from a fourth-gen car. I'd convert to coil over shocks to save more weight, and switch to aftermarket lower A-arms.

Then, I'd put in the subframe connectors and a new set of rear lower control arms with POLY bushings. I used rod ends, and they burned out in only 3,000 miles. Now they rattle badly.

Oh man, there's at least three or four different directions I'd go in suspensions now. I'd love to try them all, but time & money dont allow that kind of play.