67 lemans suspension

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firstpontiac

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I am doing a budget restoration on a 67 lemans, and need to upgrade the suspension; new coils, sway bars, shocks, and will probably use poly bushings on control arm/A arms. Any suggestions on kits? Belltech and BMR have affordable sway bar kits, and Eibach has affordable progressive rate springs. Want to stay in the budget but not waste money. Thanks!
 
I've had two cars with Eibach suspension (springs and sway bars) and was very happy with the performance of each car. I don't know the cost for the Eibach sway bars vs other manufacturers but what I would advise is to consider that each manufacturer may have taken the time to engineer their components as a system for each chassis.

I would be hesitant to mix springs from one manufacturer with sway bars from another. I don't know how much difference (if any) that would make, but I'd look into it before buying.

Anyway, my bottom line opinion is; Eibach is quality. You will be impressed by the performance if you go with them as a complete system. Unless the extra cost is exorbitant, I think it would be well worth it.
 
Fun anecdote;
The last car that had the Eibach system was my 1988 Mustang LX 5.0 HO. I had the shocks and struts replaced and got a call from the tire shop asking about the suspension. For the Fords they had a circumference tape with two marks, one for stock, one for GT front sway bars. My bar was much larger than the GT. The mechanic said; "I guess we should put in the performance struts then?" and I said; "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

The system dropped the car about 1 1/2", it had a nice, mean stance all the way around. It was great on a smooth road but you felt everything! I used to joke that I could feel it when I ran over a dime. It stuck to the road almost as well as a go-cart. The coast of California is well known for it's strong gusty winds. Most cars sway, but not the Mustang. I had to look out at the grass and trees to tell if the wind was blowing hard.

That was a fun little car.
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Thanks for the input. What do you think of tubular non adjustable A arms, do they do much more than the factory arms with new bushings?
 
are you going road racing? You did say you have a budget, stick with the stock arms and poly bushings.
 
firstpontiac said:
Thanks for the input. What do you think of tubular non adjustable A arms, do they do much more than the factory arms with new bushings?
Click to expand...

You can "box" in your a-arms for less flex and money yourself with plate steel if you are on a tight budget.

Doug in P.R.:cool:
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I'm with Mel on this. What do you intend to do with this car? If you're going to compete with it then you'd better increase your budget. If you want a tight street performer that you can drive hard once in a while, good springs and sway bars with the stock arms will do very nicely. You might not even be able to tell the difference beyween the two.
 
Good street performance is all I'm after, I'll stick with the stock arms. One more question about rear sway bar installation. I plan on boxing my factory lower control arms. Do I just drill for the sway bar bolts or is there anything else that should be done, like spacer sleeves inside the control arm?
 
You need spacer sleeves so the arm doesnt collapse as you tighten the bolts. I installed a bar on a 68 and got some pipe with a inside diameter a little larger than the bolt. I cut the pipe to just fit in the arm and then drilled the holes in the arm.
 
Ok thanks. And will the coils pry out when the car is up on stands, or will I need a coil spring compression tool? Should have member id of firstbuild instead of firstpontiac.
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Not sure if you asking about front or rear, front will not come out without tool, rear come out when shock is removed.
 
Fronts will come out with a pry bar if they are short enough or old and worn, you will tell when the a-arm is lowered all the way safely and slowly.( and if no one added stiffer springs)

A trick is to tie 2 coils with strong tie wire or something simular before you release the the ball joint with the jack underneath . ( if youve done this before)

As Mel said , to install, you do need the compressor. ( which can be rented)

Do eveything slowly cause the spring is a gernade when compressed.

Doug in P.R.:cool:
 
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