Any feedback and experiences you have is appreciated.

As of right now, I have a new VBP smartstrut bracket installed and I was planning on re-using VBP poly struts I bought some time ago. This would create the following setup:
http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=632

The problem is that the threads on the rod are a bit too rusty for my liking and need to be re-cut. I probably would also replace the poly bushings as they only run $30. So my default option is to have the threads cleaned up by a machine shop and buy new bushings. Total rebuild cost maybe $80.

Question:
My other option is to just buy another pair of VBP rear camber struts, but unless I see a big benefit with the two models listed below, I am not planning on spending the money.

Model 1:
VBP "racing" struts for $250. Looks like the product below except for the "racing grade" spherical rod bearings.
http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=528

Model 2:
VBP HD camber struts for $190. Biggest advantage over what I haev right now seems to be the spherical rod ends.
http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=526


Does any of you have experiences with these camber struts? The car is being fully rebuilt right now and will be used for cruising, some road racing, some strip action.

Thanks, Michael .

 

I have a 78 corvette with 63,000 miles that I have owned for over 25 years with the L-82 4 spd and the gymkana/F-41 suspension. A little background: The front suspension has new 550lb springs, the original 1 1/8 in sway bar with poly mounting and end link bushings, new upper and lower ball joints, tie rods and idler replaced, and poly upper and lower control arm bushings in the original a arms, along with Bilstein heavy duty shocks. In the rear I have a 360lb mono spring with poly mounting cushions, a 3/4 rear bar with poly mounting bushings in place of the 7/16in rear oem bar, bistein sport shocks, and until recently OEM strut rod with poly bushings (which squeaked) and will flex under load changing the camber in hard cornering. I just replaced the strut rods with Mid America's super heavy duty competition strut rods (composite spherical bearing ends) , part # 602-910. I also run Kumho 255/45/17 ZR front and Kumho 255/50/17 ZR on SLP rims. Just before I replaced the strut rods, I did the rims and tires which made an unbelieveable difference in the ride and handling of the car with the OEM struts with poly bushings in place.

I thought of VBP smart struts as a replacement for the OEM struts with poly bushings and spoke to folks at shows that had them, but decided against the smart strut since it was not an original design and would lower my dual 2.5in exhaust under the diffential. The people who had the smart struts like them since the main advantage seems to be they lower the mounting point for the struts and reduce the angle for better camber control under the differential. Since I don't race the car, I decided to go with the super competition strut in the OEM location which would eliminate the exhaust pipe lowering issue.

I was told by Mid America that their super competition strut with the composite spherical bearing ends would stiffen the ride which they have but certainly not in a bad way and they don't squeak. They are very strong and hold the camber perfectly. All of my suspension changes over the last 25 years have transformed the ride and handling of C3 compared to the way it came from the factory. My car handles and drives like a modern sports car. You can dramatically improve any C3 vette with a host of modern updates to the suspension. I have been very happy with them. Hope that this info helps!

 

VBP smart struts here with the heim joints. I also stayed away from the poly due to squeek issues. Heims are greasable and tight. No flex.
I'm very happy. Rides smooth and tight.

 

Thanks for the feedback! I'll go with the VBP Heim units and then post a thread with a summary of all suspension and drivetrain mods made.

 

Heim-joints (NMB's preferred) are the way to go, as the camber struts move in more than one plane during suspension travel. Tho poly works well for control arms and anti-roll bars, IMHO it isn't best suited for such applications as this or in the TA's. VB&P's bracket allows for quick camber curve adjustments, but I much prefer camber lock plates to the eccentrics. Also, unless they've addressed it recently, the bracket's bolt holes for mounting it to the diff are oversized and will require bushing down to eliminate the possibility of movement.



BTW, resist the urge to set the struts parallel to the 1/2 shafts for anything other than drag racing. Even with modern tires you still need some (neg) camber gain, and the most you can get with the VB&P bracket is still a bit less than that historically recommended by gurus such as Greenwood and Guldstrand.