My 88 GT needs some work...namely front brakes for sure, rear drum rebuild wouldn't be a bad idea, and some rear shocks. And then of course the ball joints are in rough shape. Since I need to address the ball joints and the rear shocks anyway, I was thinking of refreshing some of the suspension. I would eventually like to do MM rear lower control arms, sway bars, etc. but those may be for a later time. May or may not do caster/camber plates right now.
Anyway, I've seen a ton of different coil spring choices out there and they all seem to be lowering springs...most seem to be a decent amount of lowering. I definitely don't want to slam the car or have it too low. I think the only springs I've seen that are relatively stock height are the Moog ones and lowering springs that aren't too low seem to be the Ford B & C springs. I was kind of leaning towards the Ford C springs, but I've heard the MM road and track springs are good (albeit lower). I'm not racing the car, but I do like to have a bit of fun and throw it around turns. Also, the hatchback has a surprisingly decent amount of room, so I like to carry band equipment at times. I do have an F150 for that, but parking that in downtown Atlanta and squeezing in tight alleyways is a pain. So something that can withstand a bit of weight is good.
I'm considering two options (or a variation thereof):
1) Go slow and retain the stock springs for now and maybe order a set of KYB or something relatively OE and not too expensive for the rear. Focus on the front disc brakes and rear drum brake rebuild and get it stopping. Maybe some Timken wheel bearings. Give it some time and see how it goes. A consideration is whether not those ball joints are shot or can still be driven on for a bit. Afterwards, save towards a nice set of springs and better struts/shocks all the way around (maybe front coilover), some MM lower rear control arms, rebuilt front lower control arms with new ball joints, or maybe some MM tubular a-arms with coilovers. Eventually other stuff like sway bars, etc.
2) Since I need to replace the ball joints and also do the rear shocks, go ahead and order a nice set of decent coil springs with a mild lower, some Bilstein struts/shocks, polyurethane isolation mounts (or is rubber better?), all the brake stuff, and rebuild the front control arms with ball joints. This knocks a lot of it out at once and the Bilsteins might be a nice ride, but I doubt I would be doing coilovers and tubular a-arms anytime soon. But I doubt I really need coilovers and tubular a-arms.
Anyone have experience as to a solid choice for springs that aren't too low might be? Has anyone used the Bilsteins with the Ford C springs and have thoughts? My instinct has been to just fix what needs to be fixed and save for future work. But it sure would be nice not to have to pull everything off again for a while.
Anyway, I've seen a ton of different coil spring choices out there and they all seem to be lowering springs...most seem to be a decent amount of lowering. I definitely don't want to slam the car or have it too low. I think the only springs I've seen that are relatively stock height are the Moog ones and lowering springs that aren't too low seem to be the Ford B & C springs. I was kind of leaning towards the Ford C springs, but I've heard the MM road and track springs are good (albeit lower). I'm not racing the car, but I do like to have a bit of fun and throw it around turns. Also, the hatchback has a surprisingly decent amount of room, so I like to carry band equipment at times. I do have an F150 for that, but parking that in downtown Atlanta and squeezing in tight alleyways is a pain. So something that can withstand a bit of weight is good.
I'm considering two options (or a variation thereof):
1) Go slow and retain the stock springs for now and maybe order a set of KYB or something relatively OE and not too expensive for the rear. Focus on the front disc brakes and rear drum brake rebuild and get it stopping. Maybe some Timken wheel bearings. Give it some time and see how it goes. A consideration is whether not those ball joints are shot or can still be driven on for a bit. Afterwards, save towards a nice set of springs and better struts/shocks all the way around (maybe front coilover), some MM lower rear control arms, rebuilt front lower control arms with new ball joints, or maybe some MM tubular a-arms with coilovers. Eventually other stuff like sway bars, etc.
2) Since I need to replace the ball joints and also do the rear shocks, go ahead and order a nice set of decent coil springs with a mild lower, some Bilstein struts/shocks, polyurethane isolation mounts (or is rubber better?), all the brake stuff, and rebuild the front control arms with ball joints. This knocks a lot of it out at once and the Bilsteins might be a nice ride, but I doubt I would be doing coilovers and tubular a-arms anytime soon. But I doubt I really need coilovers and tubular a-arms.
Anyone have experience as to a solid choice for springs that aren't too low might be? Has anyone used the Bilsteins with the Ford C springs and have thoughts? My instinct has been to just fix what needs to be fixed and save for future work. But it sure would be nice not to have to pull everything off again for a while.
