I'm having VetteBrakes Front Mono-Spring installed tomorrow. There was no instruction sheets with the parts.....So will be doing this install in Braile....Are there any special precautions or problems to encounter during the install that I should know of before ripping the whole front end apart?....Also have the shock tower spreader with upper and lower A-Arms......ball joints. BIG QUESTION......After install of this system.....How low to the ground will I be able to slam the front end down....I don't paln to drive around like this....Only during shows....I want the front as low to the ground as possible. Hopefully by the time I leave out the front door tomorrow, I'll have some input from all you experts out there.... :seeya Cappy

 

:cool:

I want to hear how much better it drives/steers.

 

Desertdawg,
Sure will post with results.......That's if I don't put the parts in upside down :D ....Hope someone post before tomorrow with instructions before I really muck this thing up.....I'm good at that. I'll get some pictures posted with the car slammed to the ground...... :seeya Cappy

 

:cool: Wish I could be there while you are doing it. I am also interested on how it goes and handles.. Good Luck!

 

Make sure you get the proper shocks!
Shocks that are valved for coil springs will make the monospring perform poorly. Suggest you get the properly valved Bilsteins from Vette Brakes.


:eek:

 

That spring will be a great advantage for you. Set it loose for the drags and tight for the autocross. :cool:

 

8T1-7T9 BIONIC VETTE-It's not to hard installing the VB mono-spring. You will probably spend more time cleaning. You will need to get a front-end alignment after you lower your vette and Buy some good shocks. I plan on replacing the upper control arm in the future to get even better cornering. Good luck!
Dan

 

vettedan,
Thanks for the picture. Right click SAVE/PRINT.....Sure will come in handy during the install......I have custom car show coming up next week Saturday....How far into the weeds will this system go?.....Last year I won first place....and I wanted to have the extra UMFFF....to put me over for this years show....I have the Bilstein Sport Shocks....The Rear Smart Struts....and the Shock Tower Spreader....The guy helping with the install is the Alignment Specialist for the shop we are doing the work in and the car will be aligned soon after she comes off the hoist.....Thanks again guys for the replies....Aloha :seeya Cappy

 

I finished installing VB Perf Plus package and Steeroids R&P steering system a week ago and am having it aligned as we speak. This has been the best upgrade on my vette. It steers and rides completely different. One thing I really love is the adj. ride height. I have 255/60/15 on the front and from ground to fender lip is 26" w/no rubbing. I may go a little lower. Another things is the squating that I experienced on launching is completely gone. Cornering is also greatly improved.
The most difficult part of the project was taking the old parts out. I had trouble breaking ball joints loose. The solution was to buy a set of pickle forks from Harbor Freight and try diff. ones until I got it right. As a safety precaution wrap a chain through the coil spring and around the lowere a-arm. This will keep the spring from flying loose and taking your head off. Like other who have installed this kit, I spent more time cleaning and painting before installing new parts.
If had to do it all over again I would still install it myself. The next sus. project will be offset trailing arms.
Good luck on your install,

 

ditto Shawn Cake on the Bilstein Sports. Don't waste your time with anything else.
See the archived Vette Improvement Program article by John Greenwood on suspensions for the science of setting ride height without messing up the geometry.
When you lower the front, you should shorten the rubber snubber about 3/8" to maintain full suspension travel. I suggest getting new ones and cutting to the original profile only shorter.

 

VB recommends that the rear heigth be 1/2" higher than the front.

 

yes please post pics and troubles...... :smash:

Rod :cool:

 

Well the removal of the old parts went without a glich.....However, the Bilstein Sport Shocks on the fronts had the bolt holes out of aligment with the holes on the lower A-arms...I had to cut slots in the Bilsteins so the bolts would thread straight into the holes.....seems the guy doing the welding on the lower A-arm bolt block is doing too much crack......the system's all in, except for the Smart Struts going in tomorrow....alignment was done right after the install....Slammed the nose down all the way...one finger clearance between fender and front tire....drove her home in the Mother Freaking Rain.....after cleaning and painting under the car.....Hey, if you guys ever need rain.....contact me....my car makes rain...soon as the nose clears the garage doors......All day it was nice then when I was ready to leave....the sky openned up.....I really wanted to do some fast laps around the island.....how many laps around before the wife calls me home for dinner?......I'll post some pictures later....if someone has posting capablities, I'll e-mail you the pictures and you can put-em up here..... :seeya

 

If you slammed the front end, you are bouncing off the rubber snubbers. See my previous post.

 

flynhi,
It's down as low as I can get it without backing the nut off the bolt....You say I'm riding on the snubber?.....If I cut the snubber down I can go lower?......I'll check this out tomorrow......would like to take another inch off the height...I may end up rubbing the fender.... :seeya Cappy

 

Cappy,

I can post pics for ya. Just give me a call and let me know you sent them.

 

Sorry guys for not getting back right away.....Computer went on the blink and a friend of mine came over and waved his magic wand over it and it started working.......Seems I lost IEXPLORER for a while there.....never did figure out what happened or how it fixed itself :confused:
Today we installed all the Biltstein Sport Shocks....never could get the Smart Struts on since it appears the rear leaf spring has to be removed. It was getting late.....so we are going to hold off till we change out the rear pumpkin to a 3:73 and do the entire rear end while we have everything out.....I took the car for a hard run around some ninety degree turns and my body felt the G's however the car remained flat like it was attached to rails....I have the front down as low as I feel comfortable with...will drop the back when we install the longer bolts....How in the heck do you remove the old bolts off the leaf spring?....Looks impossible with out removing half of the rear wheel assembly. Since we were short on time I really did not have the luxury of cleaning and painting much under there....I'm having a hard time choosing between a 3:55 rear or a 3:73 rear gear.....I want the 3:73, however the 3:55 will give me less RPM's out on the highway :confused:
Thanks for the replies and as soon as I take some pictures and E-mail to Maurice....he'll get them posted up here. :seeya Cappy

 

Cappy, Go with the 3.73s. How long can the highways be in Hawaii? You gas mileage will suck but what the hell, it's only money. Rod :cheers:

 

All in favor of 3.73 say aye........AYE

 

AYE!