93 GT Update: custom suspension badassery in the works.

[Baims_91Base]

A car full of win just got a fresh shipment in!

I need to get back to Ottumwa to check out the new parts!

[3X00-Modified]

Gave a go at ordering the shocks through another supplier. Looking at $211 shipped for 2. That link you posted had stellar pricing on a pair, Jon, but they we're showing shipping at over $100... yikes!

Didn't see that... I don't blame you for passing it up then. Did you go with Shockwarehouse.com?

[KFLO 93 GT]

Indeed I did, they don't keep them in stock either - but they said it'd only be 3-4 extra days to get them coming my direction from Bilstein.

Looking forward to adding them to my growing pile of suspension super goodies.

[3X00-Modified]

That's not bad though.

[Barry]

Look into using BMW e36 strut mounts. There beefy and use a normal ball bearing. Way more robust than beretta crap and there standard top hat compatible. I have them on my Coilovers. They come in 3 different variations so you can mess with them to get the camber and faster to what you want on the cheap.

But camber caster plates are best

[KFLO 93 GT]

The goal is solid mounts... I've been looking at Jbody crap as I know a guy who makes nice strut mounts for them - thing is, the Bilstein's I'm going to be using are way heavy duty, track crap essentially - and the strut rod and threads are going to be larger than anything stock.

BMW might be a great place to look as bimmer dudes know that Bilstein kicks ass dot net.

[Barry]

Yes it does. Even my spare tire jack is bilstein haha.

[scd88ga]

Check this out! Interesting...

[weba]

Well that is interesting.

I've been toying with an idea to use Watt-links from Opel Astra with very similar rear suspension.

[ErichZ26]

weba, what would you bolt that too down there?

[Barry]

That's a easy job on our cars. The frame rails are a solid mounting point for that crossmember, just like I used on my rwd swap. It will likely interfere with spare tire well tho. Then tie in at the lower shock mounts.

So that design only really combats toe change as the front bushings deflect or the axle flexes? I would think controlling the camber would be important too. Another tie rod would do that

[KFLO 93 GT]

Well, the Bilstein rear shocks have finally shipped. shockwarehouse.com had to get them from Bilstein, so maybe I'm getting some sweet parts overnighted from Europe?

In other news, the coilover research has cooled off somewhat, I'm waiting to hear back on some potential inserts and coilovers, but I'm growing tired of waiting. I've found that inserts for a 3KGT supposedly have a very similar OD to the ID of the strut bodies I have. But the overall length seems short. Like subframe dragging short.... May have to just order one and see how it really is. Finding measurements from a Bilstein catalog with part numbers is proving difficult, the one I've got doesn't have all of the info - and it's from Bil himself...

Speaking of the strut bodies, I've been trying to figure out what they are really from (not a Beretta) and there is a part number - which hasn't got me far in my short search.

For anyone who works in parts, could I ask you to do some cross reference research on a 736502 strut pn? They are a larger OD than a stock strut, and do not have a steering arm on them at all in "factory" configuration. I wondered if they were a newer Jbody strut, but that is not the case. A photo isn't going to help much as these have been cut down as well.

Photos will be posted when I get the Bilstein shocks.

[Alpinestar10]

Why are you converting stock strut bodys into coilovers and not try to find something with a arm on them to make it work?

[3X00-Modified]

Because he wants Bilstein shocks... Last I checked they don't have a strut type ready shock that would bolt to our knuckles, only inserts for struts.

[KFLO 93 GT]

That and I've already got these HD strut bodies, one of which has the steering arm attached in a lower than stock Beretta location to help out with the steering geometry on my lowered car. The other arm will be placed to match it.