so I have just finished doing my coil over suspension on my 89 Shelby Daytona. im very pleased with how it rides with 350lb springs up front and 400lb springs out back. besides the obvious of needing wider wheels and better tires what should be the next step to making this car handle better.
Upgrade the bushings in the rear, then do the sways and braces.
Lindenwold, wow...haven't been down that way in forever. central NJ shout out...although the bushings, bars and braces are necessary - with a nose heavy G body layout and coil-overs already done: I'd get that thing corner balanced, find someone with some scales down there if you can. I think you'll find most of what you want in the set-up, since a little poly can't completely overcome 60/40 weight distribution. anywhere you read about it, most of what you see will say it is the first thing you should do after the coil-overs. coil-overs are on my list for the next project and that is all I remember seeing when I searched it recently, can't expect you'd find much different.
Good info on the bushings. As far as the swaybars what can be done. I have read about making end links work on the front but cant find what ones to use. the scales i have been wanting to do that but i havent found anybody around here. Nice to see another jersey tmer. Do you ever get out this wqy or go to atco at all
haven't been that far down in probably over a decade, but yeah wanted to represent...you're probably going to have to travel some to find someone with scales. either way, looking forward to you posting up your results!
You did coil-overs before control arm bushings? Not there's anything intrinsically wrong with that, just a different progression than most people.
I think you need to ask yourself what your goals are for the car. That will play the largest part of what your next steps should be.
2 of the best parts you could put on a G-body are front and rear strut/shock tower bars. Fronts are easy to find. The rear can be had from CS Racer (Chris Still), or you can custom build one. Adding these will make the car a lot more solid. You'll notice the difference right away.
Another part that you should get is an adjustable panhard bar. You've got coil-overs, which means you can adjust the ride height. Because of the design of the rear suspension, when you lower the car it shifts the axle off center. To correct this, the adjustable bar is needed. Not only that, but the stock part is not exactly strong.
I really never put thought into the control arm bushings. The springs and shocks struts were all original and we dont have any real options for upgrades when i bought the coil overs. It just took me a year to put it together. I did measure the rear to make sure it didnt go out but im not slamming it its about a half inch lower then stock. So the bushings do make a big difference i dont know why i over looked it. Newb i gues and my goals are just to make a super fun car that can run with most people. This is good advice keep it coming.
When you go to get the control arm bushings (or pretty much any bushings for your car: polybushings.com! I don't say that just because Johnny is a T-M vendor or that he's a nice guy (both are true). His products are simply the best out there for our cars.
Your alignment is very important for the handling of your car, as well as traction. The factory settings are CRAP! At the very least have 0* camber and 1/16" total toe out in the front. Most people run around -1* camber and around 1/16" total toe out, or in depending on preference. The toe out will give you a "snappier" turn-in.
For the rear, you don't need a lot of either camber or toe. If you do have any toe in the rear, make sure it is toe in. This is for stability at speed. If you were auto crossing the car pretty much exclusively, then some toe out would help it rotate on tight courses, but for the street I don't advise it. Also, make sure the thrust angle is as close to "0" as possible. You don't want the car "crabbing" down the road.
Get a good alignment with the suspension you have currently (if you haven't done it yet) and you will immediately notice a difference in the car handles. BTW, a little under the table money to the alignment guy will get you pretty much whatever you want normally.
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