austinseanchris

Just wondering if anyone on the forum here has driven or installed either of these systems on their C3? Is there a drastic change(I would have to imagine)I have a 78 and am comptemplating installing both set-ups on the car. I tried to googlevideo some videos on the sharkbite kits, but only found the video from the manufacturer. I've heard of C3 guys installing new technology suspensions but I guess more/less I am interested in this particular kit.

I'm also concerned as to whether or not old components that were factory on the car or going to bolt right up with the new suspension package? I'm going on a whim and saying that I would assume that it would bolt right up? And lastly, to anyone has installed either of these kits, what kind of hours to install/difficulty level are we looking at here on the install???

Thanks guys!

mtcraigco

I've got both set ups, the car is not on the road yet so no driving impressions yet.

The install was pretty straight forward and the front was very easy, my mechanic had some minor fitting issues with the rear end but that is because the car does not have it original rear end and was from a different year, so bolt sizes were a bit different, nothing major.

I will say the ride height adjustability is huge and it really dropped the car alot.

More info here and updates to come
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...restarted.html

austinseanchris

Outstanding, well keep me posted on how it performs. I have been recently wanting to adjust this height on my 78 as it is and bring it down about 2 inches, but wanna do it the right way. Talk about an expensive way to lower it eh? I know I dont think this sharkbite kit has been out too long but it looks to be a pretty well built kit. Just trying to determine if this major modification is worth the $4000.00(roughly) price tag for both???

barkingowl

I have Steeroids in my '74 & my wife says that the car's turning radius is not that great. I'm trying to see if there's a way to introduce more play into it.

austinseanchris

Uh oh...thats not good...Do you think it could be the way that its set up? Anyone else having these or heard of these problems?

eagle275

I have Steeroids on my '71 vert, turns fine. Glad I got it.

69 Chevy

I just installed the Steeroids power R&P this spring. It replaced the OEM N40 power steering. I chose the Steeroids brand over the others (or even fabricating my own brackets) because of the vast amount of online info Speed Direct has for vettes. And because their design is bump-steer adjustable.

I have a mouse motor with sidepipe headers and didn't even have to remove them for the install. I did have to grind some clearance into the driver side engine mount to miss the lower u-joint set screw.

Steeroids has their own alignment specs, and to facilitate those I installed NAPA offset upper control arm shafts ( to eliminate a lot of the thick stack of alignment shims) and had their mounting holes slotted 1/4" forward to yield the recommended 3+ degrees of positive caster...I ended up with 4.1 degrees. I also fabbed and installed a spreader bar. I have the F41 suspension. Also, I would recommend replacing the steering column lower bearing just on general principle.

After ~250 highway miles, I would recommend this setup in a heartbeat. NO bumpsteer at all. NO twitchyness at all. I can drive with one finger on the steering wheel, over all manner of undulations, ruts, and tar strips with the utmost confidence...a far cry from the OEM setup...and my OEM steering (and suspension) was practically new...so this is an apples to apples comparison.

Yes, the turning radius is somewhat diminished...the steering stops on the spindle are ~1/4" from touching the lower A arm...for my car with P255-60R-15 front tires on 8.5" rims, that means they don't rub the frame anymore at full stop! So it's hardly noticeable.

This has been THE biggest improvement I have ever made to this car in 39 years of ownership...and I do all the wrenching myself.

The only downside is this kit is a bit pricey. But you only have to write the big check once.

I was considering installing the Sharkbite rear suspension but after my less than positive dealings with Dan Hagerty at Vetteworks about my SharkBar purchase, I decided not to.

jeffp1167

I think by the time you have invested thousands in inferior parts you would have been better off just sending your frame off to be setup for C4 suspension or just buy one of those tube frames. I would venture to say even with thousands in mods to refine the C3 suspension it still would be hard pressed to achieve what a c4 does stock.

No, I am not bashing the C3 by any means as I own a C4 and C3 and I have calculated the price of upgraded the C3 stuff verses complete C4 retrofit and the choice is quite simple.

I basically bought a rolling 90 shell for all it's suspension and plan on having my 82 frame converted. I vaguely remember what driving it was like before and when it is done I will let you all know how the car feels.

dboz

Good advice.

jeffp1167

I also wanted to add if your car is some sort of "must keep stock" you could go the tube frame route and keep your stock rolling frame. The upside to it all is taking the tube from and right from the start having a much more rigid base to start with that benefits even more from aftermarket parts, the ease of hub bearing verses c3 complicated ones, forged aluminum lighter suspension parts, lighter weight front spring system, no bump steer issues, no turning radius issues etc etc.

For like what 3,500 to have your frame modified and maybe find a rolling c4 for 1,000. Or go the route of selling your rolling frame to recoups much of the investment especially if it is a rust free one. The positives far outweigh the negatives and will give you c3 a real inprovement guaranteed in all aspects and give you the confidence it can be driven everyday and handle with the best cars out there.

I highly doubt resale value would be hurt in any way since any buyer would most likely enjoy this modification. You can upgrade to far better brakes then a C3, nice urethane bushing kit will certainly add many years of fun driving,.

Sorry but to me all these C3 upgrades are simply band aids .... Just save your pennies and go for the big enchilada and for get about the .49 cent tacos.

austinseanchris

I have to say and agree that this does seem like a more logical idea for improving the handling of a C3, however, the only problem lies that I'm not that mechanically inclined. By the time I purchased a frame for a C4, went to pick it up(wherever that may be) and pay someone to lift the body off my C3 frame, convert everything over to the C4 frame, it would cost me a fortune! I'm sure there would have to be some "modifying" as well which yields more $$$. If I had the knowledge and shop to do something like this, sounds like an outstanding idea, but when you have to pay for labor, I think youd be talking major bucks? I'm far from stock as far as the conversion would go, but think I'd still come out cheaper keeping the original frame and buying all new guts so to speak...?

austinseanchris

David,
I tried to do some digging and found your recent post from April of this year where you and Dan "had it out" so to speak. Not taking sides for either, but as with you, I would be looking for the least amount of problems possible. And not to worry, I've had a similiar problem with a company out of California and I did the same as you: Posted a topic warning other forum members to "buyer beware" if dealing with them only to get bashed by them.

My question is, does Dan's company Vetteworks manufacturer these Sharkbite Suspensions? The reason I ask is b/c I've really only seen SpeedDirect selling these set-ups? I tried navigating their website, but its sooooo slow...?

69 Chevy

I think he is only a dealer for SpeedDirect products. Here is a quote from Volunteer Vette Products where I bought my Steeroids:

Yet SpeedDirect still offers Dan's Sharkbars on its website. It's getting so bad we don't know who's telling the truth anymore!

I would have bought direct from SpeedDirect if I had known that forum members get a discount...I think 10%.

If I were you, the question I would ask is, "Do you have the product I desire on the shelf and ready to ship?" Especially if you have already torn out your OEM parts and now the car is immobile waiting for god-knows-how-long for the replacement parts to get to your door.

That's what happened to me with the Steeroids. Volunteer Vette Products does not stock them, only takes orders shipped direct from the factory (SpeedDirect). But SpeedDirect in Texas was waiting on the rack & pinion rebuilder in Arizona to furnish more racks...in fact, my rack came directly from the rebuilder and the other items came from SpeedDirect. So what was billed as a 3 hour procedure turned into weeks of my car being up on jackstands in the middle of my garage clogging up everything else I needed done. All the while I was left in the lurch cause nobody informed me of the delay.

I hope you fare better.

BTW, I tried my darnedest not to bash Dan and Vetteworks. I just showed what he said, or promised, or what his instruction sheet said. And then the fact that that's not what I got. Just your basic show and tell. I let the forum members draw their own conclusions.

mtcraigco

With respect, I find it very hard to believe that sending my frame off and having it retrofitted would cost less than the $4k +/- that I have in my steeroids and sharkbite set up.

Not to mention the entire hassle of "sending my frame off"

To each his own, but that's not the way I personally would go about it, nor did. Even if it does end up handling better, too much hassle for me, and I really don't see that kind of conversion coming at anywhere near $4k.

As to steeroids and sharkworks, I got mine from speeddirect and the entire process was great, also FAST shipping, no complaints here.

austinseanchris

Ok, I'm with ya now as far as how vetteworks comes into the picture for the sharkbite kits. Well I will say, luckily I havent ripped out the suspension or steering yet. This was actually going to be my winter project this year and just trying to do my homework ahead of time before giving the go ahead. Honestly, I would order all parts needed prior to sending it in to the mechanic. I've had far too many instances where I go ahead and give the ok to start work on her and then all of the sudden BAM! I need this part or that part and its 3 weeks on backorder! I've learned over the last 11 years, go ahead and get everything thats needed and then dig in! Seems Corvette parts like to always be on backorder!

Sorry to hear about all your problems. As I said before, I know how you feel as I got promised this and that from a company called AutoPartsDealer.com that never followed thru on their end. As a matter of fact, a fellow forum member went as far as calling the owner of the company and telling him that I posted negative articles about his company online. But much like you did, I only wanted others to know of the bad experiences.

But I definitely appreciate the heads up as far as the personal experiences. Much like you, when someone tells me they're going to do this or do that...then do it!

eagle275

I did not want the hassle of switching to a C4 frame either, and my car handles extremely well with my Steeroids pkg - got it from VB&P, it was my money, my car, and I'm happy. I have driven an F-15 Eagle ( may times in the back-seat - talking about getting it on in a back-seat? Yeah! ) and drove big Peterbuilt "large cars" over icy mountains w/ 40 ton loads, and my car handles as good as anything I have ever driven. BTW, I bought this car in 1984 while still an NCO ( and a couple of wars later ), and have driven many sports cars and Vettes. I will put my new braking system ( VB&P ) AND suspension pkg ( VB&P Performance Plus System Full Kit 1963-79 )
AND Steeroids against anything, and according to my calculations, I still came out cheaper, and if I die tomorrow, my wife can still get a premium for my 71 vert, and she will not have to sell it to the first Charlie-Sierra that comes along. We also belong to one of the best Vette clubs in the area, and people are always wanting us to contact them if we ever wanted to sell. So, she and I are not worried about it, at all. BTW, I have always had good luck with Vetteworks. Dan has been moving into a new building, and that threw him off his game. No matter what he does, he won't make everyone happy, because I saw and read his answers. Remember, this resto works takes time and patience, and if you can't handle it, then stay on the porch if you can't run with the big dawgs. Hooah!

jeffp1167

I bought the 1990 rolling shell for 600.00, sold the dana44 from it for 675.00 .... So there I have nothing invested in all the suspension for my C4 conversion. The car even has the 13" brake setup on it.

So basically I am down to just the cost of having my frame modified to accept all these parts. Heck for what 6800.00 I could buy a SRIII tube frame and that would be the most expensive route and drop all my C4 stuff on it.

so take the 6800.00 and start deducting from that price for steeroids, shark bite stuff and whatever else could improve handling and you will come up with what I did.

But also factor in I could sell my 82 rolling chassis/suspension stuff to recover some of the 6800 invested in new frame.

My 82 frame is in excellent shape though so it is a good candidate for the lower priced frame mod to accept the parts at what around 4,000 so lets use that 4k figure and deduct the price of steeroids etc. from that.

sorry to say .... but the c4 conversion is a win win thing all the way, great looks of a C3 with excellent handling and driving of a c4.

Heck get your steeroids, square tube a-arms, mono front spring, whatever for the rearend and tell me how much it costs to get it to again not even close to a c4 suspension.

eagle275

who the hell wants to go through all that ****? Not me bubba.

mtcraigco

Again, to each his own.

And it's not the $$, I've got about $30K in this Vette so I'm obviously willing to shell out for the good stuff,
(and spend more than the car is worth .....LOL... Hot Rods, no way to make money that's for sure)

Just too much hassle and headache for handling I'm not convinced is better than what i'll get when mine is dialed in.


Yup, everything except for 3 or 4 bolts bolted right up on ALL my stuff, easy peasy!
(and that was only because I had an "other year" bulletproof rear end from Duntov shoved under mine, I don't like breaking parts )

eagle275

I hear that, LOL! Where did you get the rear end & approx how much do they cost? Thanx! BTW, I have a few dollars into mine too. Haven't totaled it up yet. Gonna wait for wife to work a weekend. LOL!