[david05111]

Hey Gents-

Next project on my car (80 SC) is to go over the suspension. The car sat for over 25 years and most of the rubber, while it may still look ok visually, is probably shot. The same goes for the shock inserts; they seem ok, but I'm sure they're basically worn out.

So I've been looking at a complete overhaul. Bushings everywhere, new spring plates if that becomes necessary or advisable, new shocks/strut inserts, turbo tie rods, etc. But while I have a general understanding of what some common setups are having read a few forum threads on the subject, I still could use some advice.

I'm aware that there will be some performance limitations, being that it's a Targa. And I'm honestly not really focused on track performance. I don't really see my self ever taking this car to the track, and probably never an autocross. I'd like it to be a tight little canyon carver to some extent, but at the same time I still want the ride to be compliant and comfortable for some grand touring. I'd like to be able to take the car on a multi-week road trip over a a thousand miles and be comfortable doing it; I don't want to be beat up if I'm in the car for 6 hours a day if it were to come to that. I want that sort of grand touring comfort, while being able to tackle some mountain passes if they present themselves.

So with that in mind, here are a few questions.

1) My inclination is to either stick with with OE rubber replacement bushings or go to something *slightly* firmer. I think something like bronze bushings from elephant racing is a popular choice, but I'm really not sure what to go with on that front. I'm not sure if you do some more aggressive/harder bushings in some locations and the OE in others. The same goes for a lot of the other suspension components, such as ball joints.

2) As I understand it, Bilstein or Koni shocks are recommended. My car did not have the optional Bilsteins from the factory. From what I've read, it's recommended to go with something like a set of Bilstein HDs up front and Bilstein Sports in the back (and the same idea for the Koni offerings).

I'm really not sure where to go on this one. I know basically nothing about "valving" either. I'm just used to going online, buying a set of shock replacements for my other cars, and throwing them on the car when they arrive. I've never run into a position where the valving in them has to be adjusted, so I'm out of my element.

So I'm not sure if I'm better off with the Bilsteins or the Konis, and I'm not really sure what role valving plays in the whole process.

3) I'm not really sure what to do about the torsion bars. I'm not sure whether to stick with stock, or to go to something a bit thicker. A common setup seems to be to go to a 22mm up front and a 28 in the back, but I'm not sure if this is advisable with what my goals are or not. I'm not sure how aggressive that sort of setup really is, or what it does to the ride comfort/compliance.


I did my best to read up on this stuff without creating a new thread, but almost every thread I found was geared toward a coupe. I know that the Targa isn't going to perform like one of those, and I don't really strive for it to do so. I know that the chassis itself isn't really rigid, especially with the top removed. I could just use some advice on where to go with this. I think I read that people suggested calling Elephant Racing and having a discussion, and I may do that, but I'd like to start here and see where it goes.

Thanks