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Suspension overhaul checklist

RareGMFan

RareGMFan

New member
OK, so I'm about to finally replace all the grossly worn out suspension parts, and want to make sure I didn't miss anything, plus I had a few general questions. What I got so far:

KYB GR2 struts (had these sitting and waiting for over a year now :o )
Vogtland springs (will be purchasing shortly for $190 shipped off eBay)
Monroe strut mounts (had these for some time, too)
Adjustable camber bolts (also had these for a long time)
Moog outer and inner tie rods (just bought off Qwuicklynx)
GMPP front and rear sway bars (just bought off Qwuicklynx)
GMPP trailing arms (will be purchasing soon)

Keep in mind I'm not really looking for much of a drop, so I don't mind the "almost no difference" Vogtlands. I don't want to mess with mount spacers, or shortened dogbones, etc. nor am I interested in spending the money on AGX'. Control arms were replaced with really low mileage ones from Ed Morad, so the ball joints and bushings should be good to go, and the axles were replaced with ZZP stage IIs at the same time.

Now for the questions. Is there anything else I should buy to make this a complete assembly that can just be bolted right in? The only other thing I'm looking at getting are the spring insulators. Are these necessary? I've read that some springs don't require them, and can actually cause noises if they're installed. Also, I see listings for upper and lower insulators on the fronts, but only lowers on the rears. I presume the rears don't have upper insulators? And, there seems to be a little bit of debate on whether Vogtlands require anti-pogo washers, or not. Was wondering if those with this setup have some input. Thanks in advance for any info.
 
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Like Matt5112 said, get all the rubber. Otherwise the springs will be metal on metal with the rest of the strut and will make noise. The insulators are cheap. Don't know about the top/rears insulators as I did the GR2 strut plus assemblies in the back. Maybe they are part of the rear mount.
Don't forget the bellows to shield the strut shafts from dirt. I think I had to order them separately. But since you have the GR2s already, you can check in the box.
 
I have gr2's with vogtland springs the cars rides pretty good , I would also get anti pogo washers , you don't want to be boucning over bumps
 
You can reuse the rubber parts from your old struts (bump stops, dust boots, etc).

I used anti-pogo washers with my setup (Vogtland/AGX), and I didn't have any bounce. I never tried it without them to see if there would be a problem,
 


You are correct about the spring insulators. The front has them top and bottom, but the rear only has bottom ones. If you don't want to pull your old strut assemblies apart to use the old ones, you will need front and rear spring insulators, dust boots and bump stops. I agree with Matt about the MOOG sway bar end links for the front and rear, but you might want to add the MOOG sway bar bushings for the front since they are polyurethane and will help to firm things up. Check out the condition of your front control arm bushings before you pull it all apart. If you are doing everything else, it is a good time to replace the control arms. I noticed a better feel from the front when I replaced mine. The old bushings were worn out and sloppy. Also check on the condition of the lateral arms on the rear suspension.
 
NoBoost91 said:
I have gr2's with vogtland springs the cars rides pretty good , I would also get anti pogo washers , you don't want to be boucning over bumps
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How long have you had your set up? Did you ever try it without the anti-pogos?



Silver GTP said:
You are correct about the spring insulators. The front has them top and bottom, but the rear only has bottom ones. If you don't want to pull your old strut assemblies apart to use the old ones, you will need front and rear spring insulators, dust boots and bump stops.
Click to expand...

Yes, the goal is to basically have the new parts completely assembled so as to drop out the old set up, and directly bolt the new one in. Anyone by chance have a number on the bump stops and dust boots? I'll look them up on Rock Auto, but I'm always paranoid about ordering the wrong parts with the dizzying cluster of results that come up when looking for these kinds of parts. This is what I have for the insulators:

KYB Part # SM5467
Upper Spring Seat Insulator; Front Upper


KYB Part # SM5437
Lower Spring Seat Insulator; Front Lower
* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 2 business days


KYB Part # SM5440
Lower Spring Seat Insulator; Rear Lower
* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 2 business days


KYB Part # SM5470
Springseat w/ Insulator; Front
* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 2 business days

BTW, that's what I mean with confusion with part numbers. Why is there a 2nd number for front insulators at the end of that list (SM5470), and why does it not specify upper or lower?



NoBoost91 said:
I agree with Matt about the MOOG sway bar end links for the front and rear, but you might want to add the MOOG sway bar bushings for the front since they are polyurethane and will help to firm things up.
Click to expand...

I take it they will clear the "fatter" GMPP bars? Does anyone have a part # on those by chance?



NoBoost91 said:
Check out the condition of your front control arm bushings before you pull it all apart. If you are doing everything else, it is a good time to replace the control arms. I noticed a better feel from the front when I replaced mine. The old bushings were worn out and sloppy.
Click to expand...

I noted in the OP that I had changed the control arms a while back with really low mileage ones from Ed Morad, and they definitely looked really low mileage. My ball joints were shot at the time, so rather than dealing with trying to remove them, I just ordered the complete control arms from Ed.
 
hmm make sure to take some photos when you install all of this. ill be overhauling my suspension in Jan
 
Like mentioned, you'll want endlinks, center bushings for the sways. I did the GR2's and Vogts as well. Ran a few days w/o the pogos and it was fine. BTW an antipogo washer is a W body subframe bushing washer. If you hit up the junkyard with an 18mm socket and a serious ratchet you'll have a couple for free.

here's a link where all the part numbers, some pictures etc etc are all in the first post. I never posted here because most of the info is already here in one place or another.
BonnevillePRO.com • View topic - Planning for Regal
 


FWIW, the Front Sway bar Bushings and End Link Bushings...Energy Suspension sells all the Polyurethane alternatives on the shelf at AutoZone.

matt5112 said:
Thank you for confirming my suspicion...
Click to expand...

Coulda told ya that brah...been doin' it that way for awwhhhhhile
 
as much as i've been around these cars its only been my boring stock one.

And korey's boring stock one.

Thats it.
 


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