What's up guys,
So I finally put all my research into a functioning product. After reading rx2mazda's thread on putting the adjustable KYB AGX's on his car, I got to thinking about having a rear coilover setup on the Omni to help eliminate rear end squat during launches at the strip using the same struts. So, I started my research, but won't dabble into what I found and bore you with numbers.. I will say this though, I bought some corner scales and weighed each corner of the Omni, and, since I'm only focused on the rear, concerned myself with the ~400 pound corner weights. From there, I guessed how much the trailing arm, brakes, hubs, rims/tires, etc. weighed and subtracted that from the sprung weight (how much weight is being supported by the rear suspension) to get a rough estimate of what springs I wanted. I came up with about 300 pounds, but I'll get to more later in the thread for which springs I actually went with. Anyways, on to the parts list I used with pricing and locations.
PARTS LIST
- Two(2) KYB AGX adjustable shock absorbers (P/N KYB 741033) $85.23 EACH from Summit Racing
- Two(2) 5" Coilover Sleeves (P/N A1-12451) $15.53 EACH from A-1 Racing Products
- Two(2) Spring Coil Over adjusting nuts (P/N A1-12460) $12.87 EACH from A-1 Racing Products
- One(1) Spanner wrench (P/N PROZ902) $9.95 from A-1 Racing Products
- Two(2) 8" Landrum Coil Springs 275lb/in (P/N Y8-275) $55.99 EACH from Summit Racing
Total Price NOT including shipping: $349.19
Now for a little side note, I chose 275lb/in rated springs because I wanted to have a controlled depression of the springs that will also slowly push the transferred weight back forward toward the front tires. With the adjustable dampening of the AGX's, I will have a little bit more fine tuning. Your spring choice is ENTIRELY up to you, but as a tidbit of info, STOCK GLH springs are 135lb/in rated. Also, you will need to find coil springs that have a 2.250" INSIDE DIAMETER should you decide not to go with the springs listed above.
Now I know this is a cheap alternative to bolt on kits that Rich and Cindy sell, but I'm pretty cheap and I only want this as a drag setup, nothing more, nothing less. So put your matches and gasoline away, take your flames somewhere else.
Since it is cheap, there are two things about this ensemble that will need to be addressed before you can throw it together.
- The coil sleeve isn't exactly a smooth fit for inside the spring, so you will have to either dremel out the inside edge or grind the inside perch of the spring until the sleeve can slide in with ease. You ONLY need to do the part of the spring that SITS ON THE ADJUSTING NUT, not the inside coils. The inside coils clear the sleeve without a problem, it's just that first coil. This was probably the most time consuming part, but wasn't difficult by any means. There is still PLENTY of meat left for the spring to sit on the adjusting nut.
- The sleeve itself isn't a tight squeeze over the shock body, so you will have to make a spacer of some sorts to go in between the shock body and the sleeve. I accomplished this by cutting a rubber floor mat from AutoZone into a strip and wrapping it around the shock body, using electrical tape to secure it. The sleeve then slipped over the shock body like a glove.
For the last bit of this project, you'll notice that I didn't list anything about the top parts of the coil over setup. Thats because your stock L-Body stuff will slip right on top. The only thing that you can't use from your stock L-Body top parts is the tightening nut, but don't fret, your new KYB AGX's will come with a fancy new one. You'll see in the final pic below that the rear end is a little high, that's because I haven't adjusted it yet, but you get the idea, it will go lower.
Finally, PICS!!!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Keito
