Front Suspension rebuild recomendations
 

I need to rebuild the front end on my 77. It seems the various Vette parts suppliers put together pretty good kits (ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings and such). Is there any kit that's better than the rest or am I better off buying individual parts?
Thanks

I like the Van Steel kits, good Moog parts.

https://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?f...p=3011&ID=2991

I like Van Steel (just got my new spring from them) but if you go to rock auto you'll be able to get all the same moog parts for about $300.
M

I just redid my front suspension with Moog chassis parts when appropriate, and Energy Suspension poly bushings for the swaybar and control arms. (Actually an SPC adjustable upper control arm, but I also have the poly bushings for the stock arms). Rock Auto is the way to go, as you know exactly what you get, though you can also get everything from Summit or Jegs. I also spec'ed turnbuckle tie rods with jam nuts, vs. the clamp-style of the stock C3.

What are you doing for shocks and springs?

Avoid the middle man if you want to save a few bucks. Your local auto parts store can get you the mood parts, but you have to talk to them to make sure they know what they are talking about

I installed Wilcox Deluxe kit 4+ years ago. Great price and quality.

If you have any interest in upgrading your suspension now is the time to do it. Honestly everyone should replace their upper controls with newer units that have geometry corrections in them to make the car handle better at interstate speeds.

+1 for Rock Auto. I got all moog parts for my front end as well as the energy suspension poly bushings for the entire front end, all for a lot less than the kits cost.

+2 for all Moog parts from Rock Auto AND Poly upper and lower control arm bushings which will eliminate a ton of front end slop^^^^^^^^^^^. One of the best upgrades I did for the front suspension was energy suspensions upper and lower poly control arm bushings...use blue loctite on the bolts and all will good.....

A little bit off topic but I think relevant. I overhauled my front suspension last year and in the process decided to clean up the frame. Had all the radiator stripped out as I am in the process of rebuilding and customizing the car. Anyhow, the frame on my car has always been supper clean and rust free, but on very close inspection I noticed small cracks in the steel on the shock mount towers, if you can call them towers but I guess that you know what I mean. Cracks were only on the passenger side. I welded them up but as a precaution I fitted a strut brace to spread the load. I use an electric fan so clearance was no issue, I do not think you can use the mechanical fan with a strut brace but if nothing else I would strongly suggest that you get in there and check yours out for any cracking. Hope this is useful information.
Pete

Speeddirect front spreader bar on my 78 L-82 4 speed with a mechanical stock fan fits perfectly.....

https://www.speeddirect.com/index.ph...3-spreader-bar

+2 on the Willcox Deluxe Kit. They frequently run weekend sales - https://willcoxcorvette.com/willcox-special-sale

Great information, I used the VBP unit on my car, as you can see this particular design goes right in front of the water pump. Not a lot of clearance there so I was unsure if a mechanical fan would fit.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...226168347.jpeg

Van Steel.
All Moog parts.

All the parts in our SU01 branded kits are Moog and/or Federal Mogul (which owns Moog). I will not install any other kit in my shop.

https://willcoxcorvette.com/catalogs...year=28&q=su01

Good deal on the deluxe kit for $299.00

While in appearance the upper joints don't look exactly original, the imported so called "correct" ball joints are 100 percent junk....

Willcox

Please tell me more.
Thanks

Likely referring to the tubular upper control arms that are available at various vendors. They are stronger than OEM and allow us to get the camber where it should be. The OEM arms are not so good for that.

If you are considering replacing your arms with aftermarket I am going to assume that keeping the car stock is not a concern for you. At the very least you may want to consider going to poly bushings, it will make the car handle a lot better.

:iagree:
OP,
The important thing to consider is to get the best quality parts.
In the suspension kits it is the quality of rubber and the quality of the associated components in the kits.
Wilcox’s kit looks just like the Moog/Federal Mogul kit I received through Van Steel.
I don’t think you could go wrong with either kit.