Hello again!

so 109000 miles on 1994 6 spd er

the suspension is pretty sloppy, front and rear. rubber bushings are shot every where.the front wanders and tracks pretty bad, i know the outer tie rod end on right side is sloppy I've been doing hours of reading but in not sure if I'm getting much farther.

so i have a budget and i would love banski parts and will get them eventually but for now can't do it.

from what i understand...

1. pst and prothane bushings can be used in the front suspension but should be avoided in rear due to suspension design needing more "compliance".

T or F

2. either pro thane or pst should last around 30,000 miles?

T or F

some Q's

3. have "fitment" issues been resolved with bushing manufacturers?

Y or N

4. is it wise to do all ball joins and tie rod ends even if not certain there all "bad"

Y or N

5. WHAT THE HECK is making an intermittent popping, usually when turning and hitting a bump, on the front left suspension?!?! sway bar???


thought this might be an easier set up to get questions answered.. i could have list 20 more but didn't want to pester

thanks in advance for any feed back!

lets see...

1. True - there are tons of compliance issues in the rear. They have things at all sorts of wonky angles that adding firm bushings only makes worse.

2. Donno their lifespan.

3. I would like to think so, but have no knowledge.

4. Meh. If the ball joints are still greesable, I would say keep'm. Tie rod ends are very durable.

5. Hard to say... could be sway bar, could be a loose shock, could even be a wheel bearing.

Have the wheel bearings been replaced?

I suggest saving up for the Banski kit. Seriously. It is pricey, but by God it will do wonders. I will post a PDF of the story I did for Corvette Enthusiast a couple years ago.

Essently, don't waste money on junk, just set it aside for good stuff. And he runs GP's from time to time, too.

What is the condition of the clutch? Age?

thanks for the reply!

so ill get the pst kit for the front since i like the idea of graphite in the poly.

Ill be getting the banski kit in spring since it does get such rave reviews.

wheel bearings in rear were just done but not front.
so if i jack the car up and rotate the tire and hear squealing could that be the bearings? i thought it might just be the pads on the discs?

as far as the clutch goes it seems fine, but I've never driven a corvette before this one so i don't have a reference. Ive read that they last till 120000 usually? i do know what clutch slips feels like since my tdi is suffering from that after some mods.. gotta love 250ftlbs outa a 4cyl diesel! 46 mpg still!

the reason i thought it might be the sway bar bushings is that my tdi was suffering from a similar feel and sound and that was the problem.. i did just install new shocks and just checked, there tight..


thank you thank you

The bearing click if they are bad.

Jack up the car

Hold the tire at 3 and 9 and rock the tire, listen for the click.

Same for 6 and 12.

3 and 9 tests the tie rods.

6-12 tests the bearing.

I tried the 3 9 12 6 test thats how i figured out the right outer tie rod which was super obvious.

If i can see ANY movement at all does that mean there bad? or is a small about normal in the tie rods?

You will see very minor movement when you rock the wheel...that's normal.

As far as the cost of the front end ball joints, etc. They are pricey for the good stuff. Sure you can buy a $23 ball joint, but it's crap. The good Moog stuff is around $100 a piece and you'll need 4. Tie rod ends too, if you plan on doing the whole shebang while you're in there.

Matthew

What Matthew said.

1. There's definitely less compliance with poly rears, and more "stick-tion" compared to heims. But I'd rather have my poly bushed rear than old rubber. I milled small grooves in my bushings and drilled the arms for zerk fittings. Silicone grease keeps them well lubed.

3. I had no fitment issues with Energy Suspension bushings. All were proper length.

4. I wouldn't replace parts unless at least one side needed replacement (ie: both TR ends). Stock parts last a good long time. Also don't forget to check inner tire rod ends (under the steering rack boots).

I doubt Energy modified their moldings but who knows. I don't think it was necessarily the size was different from stock as it was the material. The stock rubber was more compliant and so that little extra thickness would just compress, whereas on the poly it would not and would bind.

There are a few tips to the Banski kit that I learned the hard way. I hope Tom has incorporated these changes by now to save others the hassle.

1: Make sure there isn't any anodizing in the threads. If there is, remove it with a tap. Anodizing will chip off the threads and clog them up and can sieze or damage them.

2: Finish cutting the slots in the rods. They aren't cut enough in my opinion and so they don't flex as much as needed to allow the clamps to do their job. I used a dremel to cut the bottom of the slot even through the entire depth of the tube wall. It clamps better now and they don't rotate on their own. Before, the rod ends would rotate opposite direction until they could rotate no more, and this takes out the useable angle of the rod end. After any dremelling or tapping, of course remove any burrs.

3: Antisieze the crap out of the rod ends and clamp bolts.

4. Buy the boot kit. The nylon or teflon surface of the rod ends wears, and any dirt in there will wear it faster. The boots are tricky to install, they should be stretched around the OD of the cone washers and not get pinched when bolting it down. This allows them to rotate properly and not get twisted/torn.

5. Don't adjust the rods with the car on the ground. If at least one rear tire isn't up, then the rod end is trying to drag that tire as you change toe/camber etc. You'll probably gall the threads at worst, or at best get raw hands. Actually if you had those tire caddys it would work great.

where is the pdf on the banski rear suspension kit/
ok finally found it.