I know I'm going to get flamed, but I need sugestions.

I have an '85 GS with a chevy V8 and T-5 trans.

I'm going to do a GSL-SE suspension and brake swap soon. I'm going to use TOKICO blues for my shock/sturt needs. What springs and combonation of sway bars would you recomend? I'm going to replace the front suspension bushings with poly and the rear I'm going to replace with rubber.

Also given the same tire, do you think there will be THAT much of differance in handeling between the stock 14" and an upgraded 15" or 16".

 

nice, any pictures? personally, im going with eibach springs. their spring rate isnt as high as racing beat's. and come highly recommended by some friends. as far as sway bars.. no clue in that area..

as far as rims, i would go nothing bigger than 16" looks ways, but fuction.. i dont have experience with different rim sizes on handling. but im sure you motor would have NO problem spinning any rim you choose

 

Springs shouldn't matter, given that the weight is going to change very minimally.

I would change to 15" wheels if only because it seriously increases your options for tires. 14" performance tires are few and far between.

Keep in mind that as you make the sidewall shorter and stiffer, the car may respond quicker (which may not be what you want if you have typically sloppy steering) but it will also be less forgiving once you've lost traction.

Or you could put 13's on there, some race 13's *will* fit over GSL-SE brakes

 

If you want more pics. pm. me.

 

ooooooooo mine doesn't look that nice.

 

very beast man. if you dont mind, e-mail me some straight_into_concrete@hotmail.com

by chance is that the car they have on grannysspeedshop.com?

 

Why would you get flamed?

Oh, I see now.


It Depends on how much weight is up front. Id your swap with the regular Iron, or did you use alot of aluminum parts like WinnipegGSL did? I have Tokico Illuminas, Eibach Pros, and a Racing Beat front swaybar, all riding on polyeurethane bushings. I was quite happy with it, and I will be testing it out with 3X the power I previously had pretty soon.

In your case, I recommend you go with the Racing Beat springs because they are stiffer, and would better dampen your slightly heavier ride, but that's my 02 cents.

YES. The Taller Rim will give you greater handling, but the smaller rim will give you better stright line accelaration. depending on the sidewall profile.

 

It's a shame how good that looks in there..
<bows head in confusion, mind wandering>

 

LOl Directfreak. Yeah it's a shame, since a Ford engine would look soo much better what with being smaller and lighter and the distributor nowhere near the firewall/hood latch and the fact that with a double-sump oil pan you can turn the crossmember around 180 degrees and the engine fits in there like Mazda designed the car for it....

 

I have to agree. I am a Ford man myself.


I *still* would rather see the V8 in a nice Z car over and FB though, but that's just me. I can appreciate the effort to make it work.

My Brother is interested in this, and alrwady put his deposit. I have seen it in person and they are the most flawless replica Cobras I have ever seen. (And I see alot!) I tell him to get it with a 302, mid's 12's guaranteed from the factory. 35K turnkey as pictured.




Add a 100 shot of NOS, and he's set. Better drivablilty than having to put a Big-Block too.

 

Screw that EFI, we wanna see four 48IDA's on a 289 Hi-Po just like an early road racing Mustang! Hmm, $800 bucks a carb times four carbs plus a hideously expensive manifold.... maybe not!

I used to think a lot about a Chevy 2.8l V6 with a pair of turbos strapped on under the hood of my FC. The 2.8 is a VERY small engine, due to its pushrod design, 60 degree bank angle, and low deck height. If you think a 302 looks lost under the hood of an RX-7 just imagine an even smaller mill in there!

Then I found out it had been done long ago although in a Datsun 510. Power apparently bordered on the absurd.


- PJ (Remember, F40s are 2.8l also... )

 

Thanx for the suggestions.

My car isn't the one on Grannys site, those valve covers are just more common than I thought.

I also prefer seeing a good v8 swap into a Z, but they're hard to find cheap and in good condition on the east coast. The Rx-7 only cost me $150, it had the common dead engine problem. So I brought it back to life with ATF and two batteries. I already had a GSL-SE so I decided to do the V8 swap into the GS.

Again thanx, and keep 'em coming.

 

Naughty naughty...They mounted an MSD coil horizontally .

~T.J.

 

I'd LOVE to have a 240z... actually the friend of mine who is looking for a 1st-gen would much prefer to have a Z but, well, old Japanese cars worth buying are hard to come by! I wouldn't mind a 12A swap into a 240z though...