jb78L-82

I can't tell you where to get a PS control valve because my gary R rebuilt box also still uses the OEM PS control valve.

TheSkunkWorks

Excuse my asking, but could you better define "better"? Just saying because not everyone has the same opinion as to what that means.





edit - answer duly noted, thank you.

Bad Bird

Certainly.

No on-centre play (hopefully the blueprinted box fixes this), no wandering.

PeteZO6

If the blue printed steering box doesn't eliminate the wandering, and all else is 100%, a Borgeson box is one answer. It is a Delphi 500 integral p/s box modified to fit the C3. Eliminates all the power assist hoses and control valve. Just a thought.

Pete

7T1vette

...as will a 'blueprinted' stock C3 system....

If yours is a 'street' driven car, the stock system--if in good condition and with proper steering alignment--will not wander the highways.

jb78L-82

Exactly-see my earlier post about ways to eliminate wandering even in brand new C3's.

One area I did not mention that is a important in the overall ride and steering is shocks. Do not cut corners with shocks. The OEM delcos and most mass market shocks-Monroe, KYB, etc-will not effectively dampen the suspension over bumps and road irregularities adequately to minimize road wander and suspension bounciness. I finally settled on bilsteins-heavy duty in front with 550 springs and Sports in the rear with the 360 mono spring-but there are others that will work very well too. Which brings me to springs. Most factory springs are way too soft to keep the car planted firmly-NOT harsh riding. For BB cars, the front springs should be 550 springs with a rear composite of 360lbs. SB cars should not have springs less than 460lbs in front and no lower than 300 lbs composite in the rear IMCO. People who have rode in my 78, C3 owners and novices, cannot believe how well the car rides. I have been in base suspension cars with factory parts that ride like a truck and much harder than my C3 with upgraded parts.

Hope that helps!

TheSkunkWorks

IMCO I'd caution anyone serious about chassis tuning against subscribing to the notion that there are one-size-fits-all solutions of spring rates, bar(s) and shocks for either SB C3s or for BB C3s. Heck, what might be the optimum setup can vary on the same car driven by the same driver on the same track (or stretch of road) on the same day during the same session (BTDT^). Loose sight of this dynamic and one may find it difficult to further improve on their car's ride quality, cornering capacity, balance, responsiveness or drivability by any significant margin.



edit - jb78L-82, please to see post #30 before possibly assuming that I necessarily have a problem with the particular recommendations you've made. That I might not fully agree with your take on the matter certainly doesn't invalidate your opinion.

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7T1vette

I did not read that the OP wants a 'racing capable' suspension. Very stiff and uncomfortable for a 'regular' street vehicle. We need to make recommendations that meet HIS driving needs....not ours.

PRNDL

My 68 "wandered" quite a bit, especially when I hit a stretch of highway that was well traveled by trucks and had some pretty big waves/grooves/ruts - whatever you want to call them. I recall (and there is a post in the archives somewhere describing this) pulling on to the highway, accelerating and having the **** scared out of me because the vette was wandering so much in heavy traffic. I got off at the next exit.

Anyway, what helped a lot was simply switching to a slightly narrower tire. The car came to me with 245/60 which are wider than the 225/70 I change to. Much better control with the 225/70 size.

TheSkunkWorks

Doesn't matter for what purpose one is up to, or from where my background in chassis tuning comes, the same variables are going to be in play. The difference between tuning a cruiser versus doing so for a racecar is only that of where and how much importance is placed on a car's various characteristics, regardless of whether the priority is comfort or generating max Gs.

No, what I'm on about is that no specific set of setup specs, however well intended may be the advice, should be mistaken as being the absolute last word on how to reach one's preferred sweet spot. IMHO such recommendations should be both given and taken as no more than a suggested baseline that may hopefully land the recipient near enough, but not necessarily on that spot.

Bottom line: My intention here is merely for the OP, and/or other viewers contemplating similar undertakings, to understand up front that they may likely find shortcomings in whatever set of kit to which they decide to buy into; whether that decision is based on interweb advice or catalog packages. And, this doesn't necessarily mean that they will have gotten or followed bad advice; just that explicit advice isn't as exacting as it might appear on the surface.

And, yes, we should all keep in mind that it is "his" and not our needs we're trying to meet, myself included.

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jb78L-82

Actually, my intent was not to make specific suspension recommendations for all C3's but to provide basic suggestions for spring/shock settings that will make the car ride and steer more firmly without wandering and bounciness nor was the intent to make specific race recommendations which require detailed changes specific to an individual car.

TheSkunkWorks

Understood.

My primary intent was only to see that the OP and others did too, not to make a personal attack on you. We may not always agree on how to go about things, but I do respect that you're one of the guys who has a good grasp on the subject.

jb78L-82