VBP front rebuild kit--"?"

[jdads2]

Hey guys and gals!
Looking to rebuild the front end of the '81. I have heard great things about Vette Brakes and perfprmance and nothing remotely bad about them so I decided to go with their products.

My question has to do with either getting the poly kit or the rubber kit. The only negative I have heard about either of these kits is that poly can squeek...that would drive me nuts. Even with a beefier engine and exhaust I know I'd hear that squeeking. Has anyone installed the poly kit that can verify or condemn this claim? I'm not looking for a rally car here, I'm trying to get a more comfortable ride but I'm not '72 Caddy either and I don't want to float down the road.

I am also replacing the front springs with the 460# springs and going to the heavier duty 1.125" anti-sway bar.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[cheeseral]

I did this to my Vette last year and used the poly kit and I'm very happy with it and not a squeak to be heard anywhere but the brakes, lol. I also went with the 460's and like them also. The poly bushings come with some white grease to use with them, I used it and have no squeaks.

Chuck

 

[Chris Kennedy]

I use their 550 front springs, and also tried the 460s. I prefer the 550s because they lowered the nose a good bit, and this helped give the car a more tied down feeling (and looks better). On the poly bushings, its a 50/50 deal. Mine do squeak, but I tracked it down to the roll bar bushings and periodically shoot some lithium grease in there to quiet them. All in all I would consider just going with the rubber ones if I had to do it again. You will find some VBP products which work, and others that are questionable. I would stay away from their front composite spring, as it hangs way too low and could be prone to damage.

--Chris Kennedy

 

[jdads2]

Thanks for the input. I've read in other posts about Zip products and their front end kits. I'm going to try and get hold of them and get a price. Chris, thanks for the heads up on the 550 springs. Do you find the ride is severly more harsher than the 460's? This vette is not going to be a high performance vehicle but instead more of a touring car(with a little punch!). I would hate to take it on some nice long road trips and feel beat up after a few hundred miles. Chuck, it seems that if I take precautions I'll be able to keep the squeeking down to a minimum...especially with the new exhaust!

I had posted before about building an L-88 for this vette. I decided against it partly due to the great responses from these boards and I'd rather get a newer vette and perk it up....after the 81 is done, that is.
Thanks

 

[Chris Kennedy]

I don't have a problem with the ride with the 550s, but from your description my recommendation would be to either stay with what is in the car already and simply go to bigger roll bars (these stiffen the ride, a bit, no matter what people try and tell you about only controlling roll) or go with the 460s. I would also go with a mild upgrade on anti roll bars if you go with the 460s, not the full upgrade. Sometimes going with the full rate rollbar in the rear causes the inside rear wheel to lift on corners and spin...this slows you down and hurts control. You can also get a sharp oversteer situation. As to bushings, go with the rubber ones for main suspension, and also rubber for the roll bars (poly is SO overrated, and modern rubber is extremely durable and you will have no squeak problems at all---they are also a bit gentler on the car's 23-year old structure). As to shocks, stay away from the Bilsteins and KYBs, I have tried both, and go for something simple like the Monroe Sensatrac. They aren't glamorous, but they have both a compliant and controlled characteristic that contributes, a good deal, to a ride which is "flat"--by that I mean the car doesn't float, but neither does it skidder and shake across broken surfaces. The bottom line is that the super stiff stuff all these aftermarket places try and sell you is often for image and fine if you only drive on a smooth surface. However, in the real world you often get a skiddery Corvette that's miserable to drive and ride in, and which actually goes slower, since you have to slow down to keep the car under good control. I drive my car in the real world, about 12K miles a year in Texas, often long distance (heat, floods and Houston has the worst roads in the world), so I talk from experience. Lots of guys with these cars drive them only occasionally, in perfect weather, and only a few miles. Essentially, they are trailer queens. My final advice is that if you don't like something, change it---adapt the car to what YOU like, not what some aftermarket operation says you should like. For example, I got Vette Brakes street/slalom package (I think this what they called it), about 90K miles ago. Since then, I have gone down one notch on the rear spring and roll bar, and switched from the Bilsteins, to KYBs and then to the Monroes. The car now is precise, controlled, not "nervous" or twitchy and has pretty neuteral handling.

 

[jdads2]

Well, I ordered the VB and P front end rebuild kit in rubber and the 460 lb, coil springs. They are currently on their way and should be here early next week. That means this weekend I'll pick up a new air compressor to help me along this happy, happy project!

I'll try to take lots of pictures and write a nice little post on how I progress through this job.

Please don't expect a quick start and finish as I am currently in the process of reclassifying my marital status on my tax return for next year...that's right me soon to be ex-wife has requested a divorce. That's when I decided to buy the parts for the vette, I need to find an outlet for my pent up...uh, nerves.

Thanks,