Which Shocks/Torsion Bars??

[smk911]

Hey Everyone,

Great Board, Lots of good info. with alot of very knowledgeable people on here.

I have a '89 Carrera Cab. and am thinking about going with the Bilstein HD or sports and upgrading my torsion bars to 22/28? I am going with turbo tie rods and will have the car lowered 1/2" while everything is changed out. Does this combo sound like a good improvement and will I notice a big change on the handling of the car? Thanks in advance for any input. The car is used for everyday driving and local speed trips to the mountains.

[pbs911]

That's the same set up I have on my 78SC Targa. There is a definate improvement in performance and I love it. Also, very little degrigation in ride quality. Bruce Anderson recommends this combo as well, at least the torsion bars. Are you going to replace the bushings as well? The Neatrix are great on the rear. They were supossed to come out for the front late last year, but I haven't seen them. Finally, will you have the car aligned and corner balanced? With all these modifications, especially with lowering, the car will need it.
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Paul
78SC Targa

[Clark Griswald]

I just did a similar upgrade to my '86 Cab. I put in 21/27 tbars, lowered 1.25 inch, neatrix bushings, bump steer rack spacer, 4 wheel aligned, and corner balanced. I already had koni reds and turbo ties.

I can tell you the results are impressive. Rock solid stable at high speed, corners very flat. I don't know which of these mods made the biggest difference since I did them at the same time.

I would definitely recommend you replace the bushings while you are at it, you will have the spring plates out so just do it. Mine had visible wear at about 85k miles. Neatrix is the right choice for street.

Since your car is not a race car you might want to consider 21/27 tbars. These will be about 50% stiffer front and 35% stiffer rear than what you have stock. The 22/28 is a recommended street / track compromise. Also you have a cab, like me, and they are more flexible.

I considered the 22/28 tbars, but am pleased with my decision for 21/27. The car is very controlled, very flat in turns and not too harsh. If you have the chance, take a ride in some cars with the bars you are considering.

Here is a post I put together detailing the procedure:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/Forum3/HTML/009240.html

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Chuck Moreland - '86 Cab, '77 Targa, Family Truckster

[This message has been edited by Clark Griswald (edited 06-12-2001).]