Looking to modernize the suspension of my C3-
04-12-2014, 08:26 PM
#21
Melting Slicks
The only thing not mentioned above to ask is what condition is the car in now? And that leads right into the main topic of Rust. In other words most anything can be rebuilt but if the Frame is rusted out then its time to step back and think about what Your plan is. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because Your new to corvettes and might of been told that corvettes can't rust there fiberglass. Have a look at the frame right behind the doors where it turns up for the wheel well. Take an ice pick and try to jab it threw the frame. If it passes this test look around at all the body mounts and around the windshield.
The biggest difference between a C3 and the newer Vettes is the design of the suspension and the stiffness of the Chassis. Each era of Vette gets a stiffer and stiffer chassis. The Suspension designs allow for good cornering yet a decent ride. A C3 can be made to corner very well, but trying to get it to have a plush ride is going to be a challenge. There are people who have put the softest springs etc to make a crusier and don't care about cornering only to be disappointed. And then there is balance. The factories spend millions in engineering to come up with a balanced car and we think we can bolt on a couple of parts and achieve the same thing just isn't going to happen.
On the good side though is that these cars respond great to suspension changes. You can take a modern car and do some suspension changes and make it feel different but do the same thing to one of these and feel a real difference right away. There is no reason these cars can not be made competitive on the autocross track, or any track day.
The biggest difference between a C3 and the newer Vettes is the design of the suspension and the stiffness of the Chassis. Each era of Vette gets a stiffer and stiffer chassis. The Suspension designs allow for good cornering yet a decent ride. A C3 can be made to corner very well, but trying to get it to have a plush ride is going to be a challenge. There are people who have put the softest springs etc to make a crusier and don't care about cornering only to be disappointed. And then there is balance. The factories spend millions in engineering to come up with a balanced car and we think we can bolt on a couple of parts and achieve the same thing just isn't going to happen.
On the good side though is that these cars respond great to suspension changes. You can take a modern car and do some suspension changes and make it feel different but do the same thing to one of these and feel a real difference right away. There is no reason these cars can not be made competitive on the autocross track, or any track day.
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Cool bean (02-26-2016)
04-13-2014, 12:31 AM
#22
Team Owner
Here's what I did with my '74:
Stage 1 -
I upgraded the rear suspension with a VB&P mono-spring/Smart Struts/offset trailing arms and installed QA1 single adjustable shocks. The front remained stock. There was a noticeable "seat of the pants" improvement in the ride of the car for not a lot of money (I am not including the trailing arms as part of the suspension upgrade cost).
Stage 2 -
I upgraded the front suspension to QA1 single adjustable semi-coil overs. A little bit of work to install with the stock a-arms (had to do some cutting and grinding). Again, nice upgrade to the ride and handling of the car for a "minimal" investment. Disappointed with the ability to really get the car lower in the front . . .
Stage 3 -
This has been my winter project (that still isn't done). In order to really get the front dropped where I wanted it (but still keeping all of the suspension geometry right), I purchased tubular a-arms, drop spindles and steering rod linkage from TRZ Motorsport. The new drop spindles have required changing the front bearings and brake rotor set-up - the parts have been gathered and I hope to have it done before the fall. This has turned into a pretty big project.
I also added QA1 coil overs to the rear. Started with a QA1 coil over mounting kit and had to fabricate new mounting points for the coil overs and struts. I probably would have purchased one of Vansteel's kits if I didn't already have the trailing arms.
The rearend is pretty easy to upgrade (coil overs notwithstanding). The front is a little different story, though I think you can find threads about what people have done with theirs. I also think that switching to 17" rims/tires can make a difference, as well as upgrading the sway bars. Good luck!
Stage 1 -
I upgraded the rear suspension with a VB&P mono-spring/Smart Struts/offset trailing arms and installed QA1 single adjustable shocks. The front remained stock. There was a noticeable "seat of the pants" improvement in the ride of the car for not a lot of money (I am not including the trailing arms as part of the suspension upgrade cost).
Stage 2 -
I upgraded the front suspension to QA1 single adjustable semi-coil overs. A little bit of work to install with the stock a-arms (had to do some cutting and grinding). Again, nice upgrade to the ride and handling of the car for a "minimal" investment. Disappointed with the ability to really get the car lower in the front . . .
Stage 3 -
This has been my winter project (that still isn't done). In order to really get the front dropped where I wanted it (but still keeping all of the suspension geometry right), I purchased tubular a-arms, drop spindles and steering rod linkage from TRZ Motorsport. The new drop spindles have required changing the front bearings and brake rotor set-up - the parts have been gathered and I hope to have it done before the fall. This has turned into a pretty big project.
I also added QA1 coil overs to the rear. Started with a QA1 coil over mounting kit and had to fabricate new mounting points for the coil overs and struts. I probably would have purchased one of Vansteel's kits if I didn't already have the trailing arms.
The rearend is pretty easy to upgrade (coil overs notwithstanding). The front is a little different story, though I think you can find threads about what people have done with theirs. I also think that switching to 17" rims/tires can make a difference, as well as upgrading the sway bars. Good luck!
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