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| GRIS | TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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JUST TO PROVE I'M REALLY CRAZY, I BOUGHT ANOTHER CORVETTE. I LOVE MY '87 BUT IT IS SO STOCK, SO ORIGINAL, SO CLASSIC THAT TO MODIFY IT IN ANY WAY SEEMS BLASPHEMOUS. I EVEN FEEL GUILTY IF I DRIVE IT TOO MUCH. SO I BOUGHT A '96 I CAN MESS WITH. IT REALLY HANDLES DIFFERENT; DOES NOT HAVE THAT GREAT "STUCK TO THE ROAD" FEEL OF MY '87. I'VE READ THAT THEY SOFTENED THE SUSPENSION IN 96, SO MAYBE THAT'S IT. QUESTION IS, WILL STIFFER SHOCKS GIVE IT A MORE SOLID FEEL?
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Posted on: 2013/1/27 22:53
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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What is the rpo on your present suspension? Bilstein sport shocks will help about any suspension, some more than others. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 2:22
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2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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JUST BASE SUSPENSION. NOTHING OPTIONAL. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 3:25
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
 
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FE1, yup... seriously softer.
You can upgrade springs... Vette Brake and Products is a good source and Banski has a kick ass rear suspension kit you will LOVE... I know I do!! |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 3:52
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| vetteoz | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
You can see how soft your suspension is here. http://www.vettenet.org/susp_chart.html Can retro fit any heavier springs and sway bars from '88+ |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 3:58
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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YEAH, FE1 IS ON THE LIST. REPLACING SPRINGS AND SWAY BARS SOUNDS PRETTY RADICAL TO A NON-CARGUY LIKE ME. NOT TO MENTION EXPENSIVE WHEN I'M STILL ON SPOUSAL PROBATION FOR BUYING THE 96. WOULD THE BILSTEIN SHOCKS MAKE ENOUGH NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT TO BE WORTHWHILE? |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 4:52
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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The shocks will be pricey... so you might want to leave well enough alone
 Koni is a good choice, cause you can adjust them for firmness. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 4:54
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| BillH | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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The Stig Moderator
 
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Quote:
Most of this depends on what shape the shocks on the car are in. I'll bet 99% that they are shot. And before spending any coin on springs and bars, you have to replace the shocks. And even crap shocks will show you a noticeable improvement. The think street drivers don't get is that shocks start to go away at 20,000 miles. Yea, Bilsteins and decent - about $300 a set. KYB's will get you buy for a couple years for $150. The Koni's are more and are tunable but if you're only street driving, they aren't your best bang for the buck. But they are adjustable and the "rebound" adjustment on shocks is where you tune the "planted" feel. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 18:03
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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I'D BE TICKLED IF I COULD JUST APPROXIMATE THE RIDE OF MY '87. ALSO JUST NOTICED THE TIRES SEEM TO BE NON STANDARD, 275/40 ZR17 FRONT AND 315/36 ZR17 REAR. WHAT EFFECT WOULD THIS HAVE? |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 18:40
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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on ride? nada. The fat rear are the same as on the ZR1 and Grand Sports. It's non-standard for your car, but a Corvette optional size.
The worst the fatter tire would do is make the car a bit twitchy one uneven surfaces. The term is "tramlining", where the tires follow the ruts and such. The fatter the tire, the worse this gets. But that is mostly due to a fat front, and really, the 275 front isn't all that prone to it. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 19:13
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| BrianCunningham | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
 
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My car started off as a base car like yours.
If you really want the stiff suspension, you'll need to change out the springs and the bars. The bars are easy, you need the ZR1 spec bars since you're running the fat tires out back. A good, non-stock, alignment helps out a lot. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 19:33
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Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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DUH, BRIAN, WAS IST "A good, non-stock, alignment"? THAT ONE WENT OVER MY HEAD. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/28 23:53
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| BillH | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Quote:
There are alignment tweeks that can be done but mostly for autocross or tracking the car. There's even an agressive street alignment but all of these will wear your tires a bit more. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 0:43
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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315/35/17s are often Sumitomo Tires because they are cheap.
They also do not handle nearly as well as a Nitto 555 or a Goodyear GS-D3. Nitto's are moderately priced, the Goodyears are very expensive. That might be a very small part of what you are feeling, but like I said before a set of Bilstein Sport shocks is probably the best thing you can do. They aren't that expensive and last for many years. Conversely Monroe and many other popular name brands are a waste of money on a C4. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 0:54
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2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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| BrianCunningham | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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I was getting better wear using Vette Brakes street alignment It also wondered less the stock alignment is POSITIVE camber the downloads are here. http://www.vbandp.com/View-document-d ... s/43-Alignment-Specs.html |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 0:58
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Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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OK, SO NEW SHOCKS ARE THE FIRST STEP, THEN SPRINGS & BARS AS/IF REQUIRED. THE S&R BIT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING FOR THE GUY THAT WORKS ON MY TRUCK TO DO. MAYBE SOMEONE WHO SPECIALIZES IN CORVETTES? |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 4:33
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| BillH | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Quote:
Yes, shocks. And, what is the car actually doing? "Stuck to the road" can mean a lot of things. Is it "floating" on a straight road? Is it wandering when you go over a seam in the road? Or is what you feel happening in a corner? If it's flosting and not stuck to the road it does sound like shocks. And what we need to know is: What is the milage on the car? And the milage or condition of the tires. If the car has high milage, things like suspension bushings, tierod ends, etc. may be contributing. The springs and bars are "upgrades". Before even thinking about them, you need to be sure of the condition of the suspension. As far as your truck mechanic, if he doesn't work on cars at all, you may need to look around. If you look for a Corvette specific shop, make sure you check them out first. Some are very good, some aren't. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 14:10
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| j3studio | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote: vetteoz wrote: You can see how soft your suspension is here. That's a great chart ...
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 14:43
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Grace, 2003 50th Anniversary Convertible |
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| j3studio | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote: BillH wrote: I concur. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 14:44
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Grace, 2003 50th Anniversary Convertible |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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MILEAGE IS 66K.
FLOATING IS A PRETTY GOOD DESCRIPTIVE. MY TRUCK GUY WORKS AT A GMC DEALERSHIP. THEY DO WHATEVER COMES IN THE DOOR. HE'S HAD NO PROBLEMS WORKING ON MY '87 AND HAS DONE A GOOD JOB. IN FACT HE SEEMS TO LIKE WORKING ON IT. BEING A DEALERSHIP IT'S PRICEY BUT I'VE BOUGHT A COUPLE OF PICKUPS THERE AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS DONE ME RIGHT. IF IT'S NOT SUPER-SPECIALIZED I'M SURE HE COULD DO IT; GETTING THE PARTS??? THERE IS ONE, MAYBE TWO PLACES IN TULSA THAT DO PRIMARILY CORVETTES. I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. FORGOT TO SAY: TIRES ARE NEW. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 15:00
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| BillH | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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Quote:
Great, @ 66k, the bushings are probably OK. Unless the shocks look brand new, new ones will be a noticeable improvement (they always are). OK, your guy sounds good but, yea dealerships are pricy. On the Tulas shops, I'd do a quick Google on either "reviews on XXXX Corvettes" or complaints on XXX. And you may want to compait their labor rates vs the dealershp. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 15:19
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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THANKS YOU ALL. I THINK YOU HAVE SAVED ME FROM MY USUAL METHOD OF TRIAL AND ERROR AND ERROR AND ERROR. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 18:39
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| Matatk | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Webmaster
 
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Shocks are a very easy job. I honestly don't remember how long it took me but I did it in the garage on jack stands. Shouldn't be more than an hour and a half labor.
I personally have the KYBs but wish I spent the extra money for the Bilsteins. Matthew |
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 19:26
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2002 EBM convertible, Magnusson supercharger, cam, headers, etc. 1989 Corvette...RIP |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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I agree. Shocks are super easy to do... It takes longer to jack up the car than to do it. In fact, it's one of those things I do with just the floor jack, one corner at a time.
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Posted on: 2013/1/29 21:51
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| bam | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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I just did shocks on my 93 (100,000 miles). On the rear shocks I twisted off a bolt on the top mount where it joins the frame, a real pain to drill it out. The rest I put a little heat on and they came out fine, just saying Murphy's law is always at work when you do a "simple" job. My "old" shocks were the factory Bilsteins so went back with those. I could compress the old shocks easily by hand, the new ones are much stiffer. Floating as you say does sound like shocks, was on mine.
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Posted on: 2013/1/30 15:53
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| BrianCunningham | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
wound up drilling mine out, NOT fun. to the OP, you may want to look into getting adjustable shocks. That way you can dial in what you want. I recommend double adjustable QA1's, the adjusters are easy to get at. If you get the ones with threaded bodies you can switch over to coilovers later if you want. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/30 17:33
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Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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A friend had a problem with broken threads. He called a guy with a plasma drill. Kills the bolt, saves the threads, takes 10 seconds.
You will find these ppl at boat yards and there is a link I shared a couple years back buried within the Guru. I will try to find it. |
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Posted on: 2013/1/30 19:32
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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Posted on: 2013/1/30 19:37
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| BrianCunningham | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
bought one wound up drilling it out as well as the bolt that was in there in the 1st place! |
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Posted on: 2013/1/30 23:34
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Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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you bought an electron drill?
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Posted on: 2013/2/1 1:19
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| BrianCunningham | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Senior Guru
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bolt extrator
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Posted on: 2013/2/1 2:27
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Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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oh, yea... well, that dude who I linked will take care of both.
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Posted on: 2013/2/1 19:54
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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I can not help but wonder how much he would have charged for a service call to the Boston area? |
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Posted on: 2013/2/1 20:34
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2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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| BillH | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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The Stig Moderator
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The best thing to do is......don't break the bolts.
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Posted on: 2013/2/1 20:49
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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donno, but it gives you a key word to search for a local dude on the web. |
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Posted on: 2013/2/2 13:52
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| GRIS | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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HEY YOU ALL, PUT BILSTEIN Z51 SHOCKS ON. MUCH IMPROVEMENT, HANDLES MO' BETTA NOW. THANKS FOR THE GOOD ADVISE. |
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Posted on: 2013/2/28 22:00
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REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN NOUNS HAD GENDER AND PEOPLE HAD SEX? ---"yellow is for folks who think a bright red Corvette is too restrained." |
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| bogus | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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yay!
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Posted on: 2013/2/28 22:43
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: TELL ME, OH WISE ONES--- | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote:
And they will last a very very longtime. |
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Posted on: 2013/2/28 23:01
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_________________
2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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