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Dale Smith (aka buick1) [ View ] [ dlsmith1@comcast.net ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ] Indianapolis, Indiana (317) 849-4284

My Buick, 142" W.B. sits on 90's Vette front and rear suspension. 29" & 31" tall tires on Vette wheels, so plenty of rubber to cushion the ride.. Vette glass leaf springs, and Vette shocks, and factory sway bars. It handles fine, tracks great, sways very little on the on or off ramps, but SHAKES the heck out of me when it hits a sharp bump. Lets say a pot hole 1" deep or a highway bridge expansion joint that has settled more than when new. I run 30 pound tire pressure. It is NOT bottoming out either. What part of this could be stiff shocks?, or is it the nature of the suspension? It seems as though the suspension doesn't react fast enough thus softening the blow. My question is what part of such should I blame on the shocks? Comments welcome, Dale Indy

Comments

Posted by Rods & Customs by Leon  -  05/08/2007 09:24 PM Dale, I think the problem you having is the weight vs what the setup was designed for, I don't know what year you Buick is but Im sure it's much heavier than a vett. The added weight causes the springs to be more loaded and the factory type shocks may not be firm enough. I would start by trying new shocks...If that don't work you can try replacing the leaf with coil overs. Other than looks, you can benifit by that with spring weight selection Rods & Customs by Leon [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Highlands, Texas Charter Member since May 2004   Posted by Streetrodder007  -  05/08/2007 09:33 PM What is the profile dimension of your tires? I dont know if you have big rims, but low profile tires, say 40 or 50 series will cetainly ride much rougher. I think the coilover idea is certainly the way to go also. But make sure you use a realistic shock/ spring ratio that will work for your current weight, not the weight of a corvette. Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006   Posted by buick1  -  05/08/2007 09:40 PM Streetrodder007, as stated in my post it runs on 17" Vette wheels, and NON-LOW profile tires, 29" 31" compared to approx. 25" on a Vette, so if anything such should help the ride. I agree it is time to try coil-overs. What about air ride? Any brand coil-overs that you would suggest I consider? I know where to go for a air setup. Thanks to both of you, Dale Indy buick1 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Indianapolis, Indiana   Posted by Streetrodder007  -  05/09/2007 05:51 AM I have had good luck with QA1, their is many choices, and you can buy them anywhere. Yogi's, Speedway will have a chart to help with spring calculations, Summit etc. Koni is very good to. A nice set is roughly $300 to $400. Good luck. Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006   Posted by orphans2  -  05/09/2007 02:49 PM Dale - I got the same problem in my 34 with the Vette rear. You sure don't want to be holding a coffee or a pot of soup when you hit one of those bumps. My car is probably a lot lighter than yours (3450 lbs) but have been told by a Corvette specialty shop that the roughness is not surprising due to the type of car and weight over the rear. Vette rear's designed for fiberglass cars with little weight over the rear axle. My 34 is all steel and the axle is below the rear seat, which puts more weight where little existed in the original car. I am currently using standard vette shocks along with the laminated glass spring. On some bumpy roads it can seem like a riding on a pogo stick. The last time I spoke width the Air Ride people they did not have a set up for the Vette rear at least not my year (1981). So fabrication may be in order. Also it is my understanding that coilovers may not work with out modification because of clearance. There is a company who makes brackets for coilovers on Vette rears. The company is Flat Out Engineering. I have yet to check into the kit and pricing. Their telephone number is 1-714-639-2623. They are out of Orange, CA. Let me know how you solved your problem. orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001   Posted by buick1  -  05/09/2007 03:37 PM ORPHANS2, Good info you have provided, THANK YOU. I have kind of felt all along that such was the case. I will explore the info you have given. I talked to Air Ride in Knoxville, and it is very do-able, so now just need to find the time. Dale Indy P.S. I have a billet piece under my rear suspension that allows me to adjust the spring rate of the plastic spring. It allows me to move in and out the pivot point of the spring, closer to the gear means softer ride, and of course moving it out stiffens the ride as there is less spring to bend. Nice piece and I am going to move one more pin hole closer to the center section to see what happens. Have you seen the piece I am talking about? It is used in Trans-Am racing, and can even load one side more than the other. buick1 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Indianapolis, Indiana   Posted by orphans2  -  05/10/2007 01:36 PM Dale - No, I have not seen the piece that you are referring to, but would be very interested in something like that. I currently have to adjust the bolts at each end of the glass spring to soften or stiffen the spring rate. Since that is a pain the a$$, I usually keep it mid way because I occassionally drag a Mullins trailer and I don't feel like always making the adjustment. I rarely have anyone in the rear seat as two door chopped sedans are a bitch getting in and out of for rear seaters. Bob orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001

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