Hey guys, I love my LeBaron but the suspension to very old and tired (feels like i'm driving a waterbed). I'm looking for something to upgrade the suspension to. Something more stiff that might improve the handling and road feel. I've heard about Daytona HD springs? If anyone might have any info on what I can do to make this car less of a floaty boat I'd greatly appreciate it as I can't seem to find much info. Thanks in advance!
struts and shocks. depending on budget. will get ride of float.
sway bars will make it feel more planted during agreesive driving.
and shock tower front AND REAR brace will help give it a more solid feel.
when things come off, replace bushings with poly. depending on budget.
whats your budget will give you the best idea for what to tackle first.
Budget isn't a main concern. I'd just have to do a bit at a time and not all at once. That way I don't kill my bank account. Struts and shocks are at the top of the list. Is there anything out there that might stiffen it up a bit more concerning front and rear springs? Like I said I couldn't really find much.
There isnt much. Really your best bet would be to find a "performance" TM in a JY and rob its springs/sways and use new struts. Or find someone parting one. A Shelby Z, CSX, ect. I believe you can get BC coil overs but they are not cheap. 1500 a set i think...
A k frame from an 89 and up car would go a long way. The dual pivot k frames are far superior to the stub strut designs.
I just installed the underpinnings from a 1989 J body LeBaron coupe under my 1986 konvertible. I am reusing the KYB struts I had on the 85 when it was totaled. I have it documented on Turbo Dodge as I cannot find an easy way to insert images here. You might also take a look at the rear sway bar, mine was broken as is the 89 one.
So Daytona struts will work on my car for front and back? What years of these cars should i be looking for? That sounds like the best bet for me right now.Originally Posted by ShadowFromHell
Yeah that's a little hard to do around here because of lack of old Dodges around here. It'll definitely be something I'll consider in the future though.
Pretty much any Daytona strut will work. Although I would double check the interchange on the knuckle. I think that some of the cars had a thinner knuckle where the strut bolts up in 84. If that's the case, you'll need the new knuckle and strut. If you could find a 91+ GJPetc. body car to rob, that would be nearly ideal for you. Super easy 11" brakes can be made out of that combination and you get the bolt in hubs.
Sorry I meant springs. I'm okay putting a normal/performance strut in there I was just hoping for a bit stiffer spring (especially for the rear) which I guess the Daytona has? All I know if that this LeBaron feels like I'm driving a waterbed down the road.
Also what do you mean by a GJPetc. body? (I'm still trying to pick up on the lingo) It'd be nice to do that in the future sometime.
I'm pretty sure the springs will interchange. I'm not sure how much of a difference you'll notice though. FWD performance sells Eibach kits for our cars which may be something to look at. They'll drop the car some and also be stiffer. IMO most of the springs you'll find on the cars have sagged enough with age that the nominal difference in spring rate is pretty much out the window by now. I do have a high tolerance for cars with a bad ride though, so some may not agree.
The G body cars were the Daytona and Laser. The P body cars were the Shadow and Sundance. The J body cars were the Lebaron convertible 87-94(?). The two door Lebaron coupe was also a J body car. The K cars were the Reliant, and Aries. The E body cars were the extended wheelbase K cars such as the 600, and Caravelle. The H body cars were the 4dr Lebaron GTS and Dodge Lancer. The Spirit and Acclaim were A bodys IIRC. The Omni, Charger, and Rampage were L body cars.
Okay so would I be able to do these springs with the Koni rear shocks and KYB front struts for the K cars? https://www.fwdperformance.com/Store...&ProductID=294
They'll definitely work with the Konis in the rear. I had those on my CSX and they were nice. I would think they would be fine for the front too damping wise. I'd call Cindy and talk to her about it if you decide to go that route. My only concern with flat out saying that it'll work is that there were a lot of differences between the 84 and 85+ cars. I've never done the suspension on an 84 so I'm not positive that were were difference. You could probably cross check part numbers on rock auto to find out too I guess.
I've had severial daytona turbo z's (86) and severial daytona shelby z's
it would seem, not all daytona springs are created equal
of two gunmetal blue 86 turbo z's , one was a crank up window , non rear wiper car - the other was a power mirrow , rear wiper car
I believe the power mirror / rear wiper counts as a "base power group"
and from driving both I think the power group cars may well have gotten different springs compared to the non power group cars as my first , non power group turbo z drove much much differently from the second power group car
the first car felt nice and light and nimble - the second car , eah , definately not so much
to add I found that turbo z's sit lower than a shelby z
this said as I installed the front springs and struts from an 87 shelby that I'd driven and knew they were good
- but it raised the front of the car by about an inch
parked side by side in the driveway the rear of the turbo z also sat lower than my shelby z
also the 87-9 rear axle is much stiffer , and the 87's had the firmest rear piviot bushings from what I've read
the 90 (?) and later rear axles don't fit as the mount was changed resulting in a wheel that will be way way off center in the wheel well
This 84 is beginning to be a pain to try and get the way I want it to. Is Cindy the person from FWD Performance? I'll do some more digging around here in a bit once I get this top replaced. Thanks for the help.
Wow what a pain. Getting the ride I want might just end up being a challenge.
Yes, Cindy and her husband James own FWD.
Making the suspension stiffer in your convertible will also bring out more rattles, squeaks and body flex. If you tighten things at the suspension, it will give somewhere else.
MOOG makes replacement springs for your car. You can look them up on Rock auto and get the part numbers and compare part numbers here: http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com...il_springs.asp
I ran new MOOG front and rear springs with KYB struts on my LeBaron. It made a huge difference. I also replaced all of the bushings, ball joints, etc.
^ very good point
and to add , IF your K vertiable (new word lol) has any rust in the rocker panels you might want to reconsider
every rusty K vert I've seen at the wreckers , sitting on top of another car has been so bent once the doors were opened that the doors have no possiable chance of ever latching again as the cars become bow shaped when the doors are opened
I talking a "door gap" of severial inches
Yeah I'm definitely not going for a super stiff track car. Just something less floaty. Luckily this car has been well taken care of and has pretty much zero rust.
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