Stock suspension rebuild
#1
Stock suspension rebuild
Hello everyone. Just bought my first corvette and enjoying it. 1979 L48 all stock. The front end needs rebuilding and it seems the concensus is to get it from Willcox. Read a few posts and they have the best customer service and reputation from what I can see. So the question becomes rubber or poly?
#2
Safety Car
Wilcox is extremely reputable and will give you a good deal. Rubber is very good for the guy that likes cruising. Guys like me that run their car hard will lean towards poly bushings. As far as front end parts. Try and get Moog steering parts. Ball joints , tierods, ect... It may cost a little bit more but it will last. There is many horror stories of guys barely getting 10,000 miles out of some cheap Chinese ball joints. Also find an experienced alignment shop when the job is done. The specs are often posted on here for your driving style.
#4
Racer
I went with poly mainly because of their resistance to gas and oil. The front suspension in my car was totally shot so I cannot tell you how or if it changed the ride. I don't think the ride is rough.
Another thing to consider is that the poly bushing is not attached to the inner or outer sleeve, so when the A-arm moves up and down, the inner sleeve rotates inside the bushing. The bushing may also move around inside the outer sleeve. I don't think that matters from a handling perspective, but it does mean that you can torque the bolts down when you install them.
If for some reason you had to disassemble an a-arm, you could reuse the poly bushing if you can get the outer sleeve out without damaging it.
Another thing to consider is that the poly bushing is not attached to the inner or outer sleeve, so when the A-arm moves up and down, the inner sleeve rotates inside the bushing. The bushing may also move around inside the outer sleeve. I don't think that matters from a handling perspective, but it does mean that you can torque the bolts down when you install them.
If for some reason you had to disassemble an a-arm, you could reuse the poly bushing if you can get the outer sleeve out without damaging it.
#5
Pro
Hello everyone. Just bought my first corvette and enjoying it. 1979 L48 all stock. The front end needs rebuilding and it seems the concensus is to get it from Willcox. Read a few posts and they have the best customer service and reputation from what I can see. So the question becomes rubber or poly?
#6
Thanks for the input guys. On a side note, found out why the trans dipstick didnt go all the way back in. Someone broke off the bottom part and didnt bother to take it out, they just put another dipstick in. The joys of buying used cars.
#7
Safety Car
Now the big question, how the Hell did someone break a dipstick ?