Hey guys I’m restoring my whole front end of my ‘74, bushings, joints, hoses... you name it I’m doing it. I’ve seen a lot of reviews on the forum for shock recommendations. I want daily street car type of ride, able to handle when I want It to but mostly for just driving. I narrowed My list down to 4 options. 1. The Bilstein B6 2. QA1 Stocker Star (both double adjustable and non adjustable 3. Ridetech RQ Series and 4. Koni classic adjustable. Any thoughts or experiences with any of those shocks would be appreciated! I’m well into the “while I’m at it” mentality.

 

I think that the choice is easy if you have a stock suspension with stock springs and sway bars or lag there of in terms of a rear bar.....Bilstein HD's (B4) if you have a base suspension and Sports, if you have the gymkhana suspension. I use Bilstein Sports in the rear with my 360 monospring and Bilstein HD's in front with the 550lb coils....The ride is firm but not harsh.

Not a fan of the Koni's and unless you intend to race or autocross, I would not spend the money for the QA1's or ridetech shocks...just me. The Bilsteins are a deal.....

Here is my suspension from another post:

I posted this on my 78 L-82 4 speed in September...





I have a 78 L-82 4 speed car with the gymkhana sport suspension (67,000 miles) that I have owned for 34 years and I have tinkered with the suspension one part at a time over all those years to achieve the perfect balance of superb handling, steering response and a firm but not harsh ride. Not knowing if you have a base suspension (most likely since most did not have the sport suspension from the factory) or the sport suspension, below is what you need for truly sportscar handling with a great ride for your 78:

Front:

550 lbs front coil springs/1 inch lower than stock-$100
1 1/8 inch solid front sway bar (OEM Bar size)-$200
poly upper and lower control arm bushings-$50
Bilstein HD shocks-$150
Front Spreader Bar-$100
Custom blueprinted/rebuilt OEM steering box- GTR 1999-Gary Ramadei-$300

Rear:

360 monospring-$300
Bilstein Sport shocks-$150
OEM Style Rear Sway bar (not the aftermarket type bars. I highly discourage NON OEM/GM style rear sway bars)-7/16 or 9/16 or 3/4 inch (I have this one replacing the stock 7/16 inch bar)-$200
Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joint ends-$200

Total Cost $1750

This suspension will get you a FAR SUPERIOR suspension than what came on the car when it was new, X3 if the car had a base suspension from the factory. You will need to add 17/18 inch rims and tires (ZR rated only W/Y sub rating) later to maximize the superior suspension setup. I have ultra high performance summer only tires Front-255/45/17 ZR and rears 255/50/17 ZR's.

This car not only rides great, has tons of steering response, but can handle like a modern sportscar!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As for the heim joint adjustable struts...makes the rear end feel more planted since there is much less camber changing under a load and has little to no detrimental effect on the ride quality.....................One of the best value upgrades you can make to the suspension....front spreader bar would be #1

 

I have the QA-1 stockers, non-adjustable. I like them and they're shiny!!!

 

whats your set up? Stock springs and control arms? I do Like the look of the QA-1 too

 

My 71 has similar suspension to what is described above from VBP. I like the Bilsteins Sports. I think dampening is right on the money. Firm but not harsh.

 

I put the QA's on at the same time I replaced my 7-leaf rear spring. Yes, it felt better but not dramatic. I just replaced the 7-leaf with a fibreglass mono spring rated at 340. Feels less harsh but again, nothing dramatic. The fronts seem the same with the original oem Gymkhana springs and again when I cut one coil to lower the front. No drama but I also don't track the car - just a cruiser.

 

I have Bilstein HD shocks all around with 550 lb. springs in front to lower the car an inch and a half. Other suspension parts are stock. I love them and would recommend them without question for a street car.

 

I jusy Noticed that speedway now offers a custom built bilstein shock, made to order for around $135 a shock. Any thoughts?

 

I'm not sure if a custom Bilstein is needed for a C3 suspension but I can tell you that the custom valved Bilstein Sports by Doug Rippie Motorsports for my 10 C6Z06 are fantastic!

 

im sure it’s a similar product because you can put in the valve ratio etc