I'm ready to tackle my rear suspension this winter on my '74 and would like some input. The front A-Arm bushings were replaced by the previous owner with polyurethane and zerk fittings. My front end is tight and tracks straight. I have stock 7" Campys with 205 Dunlops and stock shocks. My rear has cracked OEM (rubber) A-Arm bushings, and 245 Dunlops on 8" Campys with stock shocks/spacers and stock (3/4") swaybar. I have a brand-new set of 4 Aldan shocks with 350# springs for the front and 600# springs for the rear and a 7/8" rear swaybar. The car is a weekend cruiser and I plan on 2-3 track events per year. I plan on going to 16"/17" Campy clones in the future. The rear end is tight as well. I don't want this to be a $2-$3K project. Some questions:
1. Are the spring rates on the Aldans OK or should I go 450/550? (or some other combination)
2. Assume I should go with poly A-Arm bushings and zerk fittings for the rear.
3. Since I plan to go to 17" rubber (335) in the rear, should I consider extended upper A-Arms or are the stock uppers OK?
4. Are the spherical swaybar mounts really worth the extra $100/pr?
5. What about the rear spindles? Again, an additional $180. Is it money well-spent while I have everything apart?
I've read the numerous articles on A-Arm bushing removal. Is it worth the the $300 (at least one of the vendors wants for labor only) to remove 8 bushings and install 8 new ones?
I do understand that once the shocks are initially dialed-in that I should bring it in to a shop and have it corner-weighted. I have a shop near me that has done this on Panteras.
Anything else?
Thanks
Swen
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