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What is the best front suspension for a C1...Coil overs, bags...stock ??

Stan's Customs

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Messages
226
Location
Ft. Worth, Texas
Corvette
Project 1961....
Greetings all...

We are getting back to our '61 Basket Roller this spring. After lifting the body and examining the frame, it has been back halved in it's life time. It has a notch cut out where the shifter fits...clearance I suppose. One of the x braces is bent a little and the rear shock bar is home made ( flat bar). The front suspension appears to be pretty much undisturbed.....but needs rebuilding.

In spite of all that, the measurements for the body mounts are dead on and the body fits well on the frame.

The steeering box has a gear problem...like a tooth missing internally. The car has no numbers matching anything, though it came with 283, wide ratio muncie, Edlebrock 2x4 carbs and after market intake and a stock non-posi differential.

The original aluminum radiator was sitting in the frame...why i don't know, it has a couple dozen visible small holes. There is no drive shaft, exhaust, brake lines, and the right front inner fender well has been replaced improperly and will have to be redone. Most of the interior trim and exterior chrome, bumpers etc. is there.(cracked windshield and missing top) but really a pretty decent appearing black car to give it some credit....at least at a glance

When you do the math on trying to bring it up to original and nice ...well then it's decision time. I could buy one close to original cheaper and refurb it...if money was no object...he he.. like that is real life. If that was the case I would have been at Barrett Jackson this year ...There was one or two there I'd probably have been happy with...

Soo...I'd like to know what the forum thinks about some of the after market front suspension kits...which ones are a consideration or not, and if they drive enough better than stock to warrant the expense. I know a couple of builders that like the original stuff pretty well ...if done right, and believe that for cruisin' they are adequate.

I guess what I'm really trying to formulate is a build plan......I wake up every morning with a new one. Even though this is about suspension initially...other comments are welcome. The entire drive line is in question at this point... The only thing I know for sure is that it will be black with silver coves and a red gut...and appear somewhat original...again, at first glance.

Thanks...Stan M.
 
Sixty - One questions

Stan, I am presently working on my 61 also. I have the body off the frame, the frame re-painted and ready to start putting parts back on. I am going to use the original front suspension, but I have also wondered about using coil-overs or bags as well. The only reason I wondered about these options was to have some method to adjust the ride height.
I am going to return my 61 to the original color: Tuxedo Black with Sateen Silver coves w/ black interior. Larry
 
there are a few guys here doing projects with an aftermarket frame; the looks of a C1 with the handling of a C4/5 poke around a little you will find their posts
 
10-4 Larry...Sounds like you're on the way..love the black and silver....I'll sure be glad when I get my mind made up and get into the project, I'm stalled till I make a decision.


Like I said I wake up with a new plan every day.. I have planned all winter on rebuilding the stock front end...but the repair work that has been on my frame previously isn't great . So it's not like I'm cutting up a restorable pristine piece and it wouldn't be as nice as I would like when I'm done...without extensive work. So..I took a look at Jim Meyer Racing suspensions and some others.. and started entertaining the thought of some more radical changes. I've got some expensive steering repairs as well as the suspension rebuild. Money wise I'd be half way there on an all new after market disc brake , adjustable coil over, rack and pinion with power steering.....so I'm wondering.....decisions decisions.

Hope some of the other guys have tried some of these after market suspension modifications and can let me know if they like the results.

Are you restoring yours to stock regarding engine, trans, etc. too?
 
Thanks Boss Vette...I'm pokin'..I'm pokin' just haven't poked in the right place I guess... he he. Still lookin'
 
Stan's Customs said:
Thanks Boss Vette...I'm pokin'..I'm pokin' just haven't poked in the right place I guess... he he. Still lookin'

Check my website under project 62,then followthe link to John McGraws photo album,there youll see some photos of a perfect frame and suspention (real High quaility)

When designing my car I wanted the car to be as low as possible,I mean I wanted it to barely be off the ground,so it seams bags would be the best option,fill them up to run on the road and then empty them out to display the car at a show resting the frame almost on the ground,But after speaking to some hot rod guys and some lowrider builders.I had came to the conclusion the bags although real cool for a show car lose too much of ride quaility for my likeings.The ultimate goal for my car is the best cruiser I can build.So I chose coil overs on all four corners.John McGraw suggested to me what to use.I have the ability to tune my suspention once the car is done with adjustable valving,adjustable coil pre load,and then to set the height/stance if I guessed wrong on my spring weights I am able to replace them affourdably.

I wish you and your 61 the best of luck,I am out of town on buisness now or I would have told you what coil overs I used.

I am a person who belives a car must be built 90% on paper prior to even setting one wrench on it. If it take you anothe 2 months to plan it so be it. it will shorten the build time by years.

Good luck and search some of the post by John to get some good information on a tube frame conversion
 
61 Project

Stan, I've had this car since 1971! It sat in my dads barn for 31 years before I brought it home to work on. Getting married, having kids and working kept me from working on it, but now it is in my garage where I can work on it. The motor that was in it was not original, it is a 1956 265. I will not be using the motor but I will be using the 4 speed trans. that was in it. I have a few 327 motors & I will be using one of those. This car will not be a matching # car by any means. I am re-doing it for me to drive on Sundays. Good Luck with your project. Larry
 
Thanks guys for the post...

IH2Loose...Correcto Mundo, Planning, Planning, and then of course Planning. Very nice setup and I would be curious about the coil overs. I'm envious!! Unfortunately that route is a little rich for my budget.

I am hoping to see some projects where the original frame was utilized. Maybe narrowed a little with a 9" rear (4 Link?) and coil overs all around. That is still a little antiquated and maybe not enough of an improvement over stock to warrant the expense. That's what I'm trying to determine right now.

With everything this project needs that's about the budget will allow unless I put it off another year. I've just gotten over the purchase price...and have put the project off a year to overcome that. So I'm gettin antsy...ready to get started...but I'm not going to hurry the thing...if it takes another year , it just does.. However I would like to use the car before I'm 60... We are hoping to build this car for another 20 grand or so and .....well that"s a pretty tight budget for one of these.....even if you are in the garage business.
 
"I guess what I'm really trying to formulate is a build plan......"

Stan,

You might find some of the information in the Project Planning article, which appeared in the December, 2004 issue of Corvette Fever, of help. There is also a two page listing of component sources for these projects.

Rich Lagasse
 
I would give Jim Meyers Racing a hard look. I installed his rack and pinion setup on my 57 Bel Air and all I can say say is WOW! I love it and the install was as easy as it gets. Wasn't the cheapest setup out there but was certainly the finest as far as quality fit and function.
 
Thanks Rich...I went to Corvette Fever's web page ..no archives. Guess I'll try and give them a call and see if they have old issues for sale.


Hi Karl...I started this thread after seeing Jim Meyers site and his suspension kits. Looked pretty good to me...hence the inquiry. Your summary was Wow! That's a pretty positive thumbs up...I'm curious about the way these suspension kits drive. I'm assuming you really liked the steering...would you describe what you liked about the feel of the set up.

I'm also assuming that the kit was easily adjustable..even though they ( Jim Myer) said that the car would sit 2 inches lower initially with the C1 kit. Did your '57 sit lower and could you raise it if you wanted to?

I don't know what a complete C1 stock front suspension would be worth..surely it would help a little in reducing the cost of one of these replacement kits. The thought of 8 bolts in and out for a new front suspension is very tempting.....if it drives as good as it looks, seems like it would be hard to beat.

The complete Jim Meyer C1 kit soup to nuts... including shipping, with coil over shocks (the upgraded ones), disc brakes, optional sway bar, rack and pinion steering, Iddit steering column, and the complete steering linkage set up was $3800-$4000.

Not cheap but not ridiculous either...especially if it drives real well.....I don't guess it gets any easier to install, if it does I'd really like to see that one. It just boils down to whether or not it's $4000 better than a new rebuilt stock suspension. ( less the cost of rebuilding the stock set up and the money from the sale of the old parts...)Sounds like you believe it was for your '57...correct?
 

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