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1973 Hornet front end rebuild, a couple questions |
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phast1 
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Joined: Feb/07/2008 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 716 |
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 Topic: 1973 Hornet front end rebuild, a couple questionsPosted: Dec/04/2017 at 7:01pm |
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I'm putting together a list of parts necessary for a pretty thorough front suspension rebuild, and done some research and gone through the forum a bit and just want to make sure it's all there. Hopefully the car is going to be a bit more performance oriented than stock, but at the moment the control freak coil overs would be digging a little too much into my budget.
Prothane 1-2011-BL bushing kit http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ptp-1-2011-bl Moog front end rebuild kit, minus the tie rod adjusting sleeves http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-packagedeal096 QA1 tie rod adjusting sleeves http://www.summitracing.com/parts/qa1-5250 KYB KG4505 shocks http://www.summitracing.com/parts/kyb-kg4505 I was researching getting new coil springs, and it seems like the consensus is that any factory replacement jacks up the ride height of the car. Would it be better to order replacement springs (moog 3140/3156?) and end up cutting off a certain amount to get a stock / slightly lowered ride height, or order custom coils? I realize that cutting coils would change the spring rate, which I don't really mind for this application, I'm just wondering how much coil cut leads to what amount of drop. Thanks, Connor
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1972 Javelin
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304-dude
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Joined: Sep/29/2008 Location: Central Illinoi Status: Offline Points: 9082 |
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Posted: Dec/04/2017 at 7:16pm |
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Don't forget strut rod bushings.
Also I would not buy new Moog products even if you gave me the money. AC Delco, Car Quest, Mevotech, or very old stock TRW (you will have to search ebay). Too many prothane components that may not be of any benefit for the cost of the kit. Rubber stops and spring cups are best. A good new Addco sway bar will give you everything for the Install and be poly bushed plus add to the handling. I replace the addco links (bolts, washers and spacers) with new stock replacements, as they are more robust. Just compare with what you take off and what comes in the Addco kit. Edited by 304-dude - Dec/04/2017 at 7:19pm |
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71 Javelin SST body
390 69 crank, 70 block & heads NASCAR SB2 rods & pistons 78 Jeep TH400 w/ 2.76 Low 50/50 Ford-AMC Suspension 79 F150 rear & 8.8 axles Ford Racing 3.25 gears & 9" /w Detroit locker |
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CamJam
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Joined: Jan/04/2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 6549 |
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Posted: Dec/04/2017 at 9:23pm |
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Also inner and outer tie rod ends, ball joints, control arm bushings (upper and lower) and-- since you have to remove them anyway to replace control arm bushings-- coil springs and spring perch bushings. Pitman arm and idler arm bushings should be looked at too. I recently replaced everything mentioned in these posts on my '72, except the idler arm bushing. Control arm bushings, in particular, were very worn on my car.
I wouldn't worry to much about the coil springs unless your car is riding low in the front. Mine was almost hitting the bump stops just sitting in the driveway. Springs can be had for about $100 per pair. It did raise the nose a little higher than I liked, but seems to be settling down since I installed them 3 months ago. The car is almost level front to rear now. The KYB Gas-a-just are what I put on my Javelin. They're a tad too stiff for my taste but improved the handling (at the expense of the ride). Edited by CamJam - Dec/04/2017 at 9:33pm |
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'73 Javelin 360 (current project)
'72 Baja Bronze Javelin SST '69 Big Bad Orange AMX (2018 Teague Heritage Award) SOLD  |
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phast1
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Joined: Feb/07/2008 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 716 |
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Posted: Dec/04/2017 at 10:30pm |
Thanks, good to know ahead of time. I was actually looking at adding a larger front addco sway bar (probably rear as well), but after doing some research the sway bar that I thought and was advertised to fit the hornet (model 866) looks like it was meant for the larger cars. http://theamcforum.com/forum/big-body-vs-small-body-amc-front-sway-bars_topic84996_page1.html?KW=front+shocks So now I'm a wondering if addco makes a front sway bar intended for the smaller cars, or if the larger one can be made to work. Also, would it be worth to box the lower control arms?
Edited by phast1 - Dec/04/2017 at 10:44pm |
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1972 Javelin
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tomj
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Posted: Dec/06/2017 at 1:39am |
unlikely, even if you're autocrossing. also there is a subtlety in the AMC later control arms that is often overlooked -- note when you disassemble it that the inner control arm bushing is a press fit into one side of the arm, and a slip fit in the other. this is critically important! due to the strut rod design, as the wheel goes up and down thewheel end of the lwoer control arm moves in a very slight arc. this twists the lower arm, slightly. the press-fit/slip-fit accommodates this. the twisting force is distributed along the entire length of the arm. boxing it doesn't make it stronger; by eliminating twist along it's length, it concentrates the twist to a shorter section of the arm, near the bushing, and will cause earlier failure. there's a lot of subtlety in OEM suspensions that isn't easily seen. mess with at your own risk. you'll find, counter to a lot of lore, that much of the car's understeer can be found in the *rear suspension* due to the leaf spring geometry. the pre-64 Americans are an extreme version, but it's true to some extent in all AMCs. to get rid of it you'll have to ditch the leafs entirely. |
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1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto
1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com |
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farna
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Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19676 |
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Posted: Dec/06/2017 at 6:35am |
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Order new front coils from www.coilsprings.co and they will be correct. I've used them several times and hand no issues. They make on demand from factory specs, don't find something they already make that will be close. I always order 10-12% stiffer than standard. This helps handling without being too stiff (I think the 12% is the best compromise). The factory HD springs are around 20% stiffer than standard and you can feel it!! Too hard unless you have a heavy load.
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Frank Swygert
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304-dude wrote: