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I finally finished rebuilding the suspension on my 89 9KCDT.
Fronts got:
Bilsteins
Spax springs
ST sway bars,
Control arm bushings (filled void with urethane)
Upper strut bearing plates
Tie rod ends
Balljoints
Rears got:
Bilstein
ST sway bar
Bilsteins
& lots of new hardware.
Let me just say that the best mod/repair I did was replace the rear control bushing. I replaced everything up front and all were slightly worn but would have made it another 50K without issue. The rear control arm bushing was shot. The metal sleeve had seperated from the rubber. I filled the stock bushing replacements with 3M window weld. This is the urethane used to put in windshields. Available from body shop supply stores and some parts stores. Replacing these took the vague steering, powerboating and poor control on acceleration out of the car.
Second best mod was the Bilsteins. With the stock springs on the front I was duly impressed. Well dampened and handling was much improved. Further eliminating power boating. I like well dampened systems so these suited me wonderfully. Ride harshness everyone warned me about was not present. Ride quality actually improved, smooth and large transitions no longer provided bone jarring crashes. Problem with this setup is the rear Bilsteins replaced stock Nivomats resulting in a sunken rear look. I lost about an inch when I replaced the Nivomats.
ST sway bars. Nice mod, requires some modifications to make them fit. Good luck getting the hanger bols on the rear off intact. I would liken this to a +1 tire/wheel upgrade.
Spax springs. These are stiff, stiff ,stiff. To be honest, too stiff for anyone but the hardcore enthusiast. The Bilsteins are now being overcome with trying to dampen the Spax springs. In order to get a dampener to fully dampen these springs you would be looking at a seriously bone jarring ride. Pebbles would be felt. Total drop was 1.25" front and rear.
Overall, I am enjoying the car now. It's amazing houw you can get a suspension this stiff and actually improve the ride quality. Bumps and pavement transitions no longer produce noise. The car compresses just slightly in turns, takes a set and the tires start breaking loose. Very neutral handling considering a FWD car. I tossed it about a bit today and 90 degree turns resulted in even drift both front and rear.
My only complaint is the spring strut interaction. I am a fan of overdampened suspensions and this setup is the opposite. Oversprung in my opinion although most of the import crowd would find the ride perfectly normal. Anyone want to trade a set of Spax springs for another aftermarket spring? Are there any lightly sprung springs available?
Now onto some wider lower profile tires. The 205/55-16's have some interferance issues while crossing gutters. I'm going to try a 225/45 on the 7.5" rims.
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