http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bmr-hpp012h/overview/year/1970/make/buick/model/skylark These don't seem to be an inferior product. http://www.classicperform.com/Store/Pro-Touring-Kits/6467PTK-1.htm Can someone educate me. I will be pulling the trigger this week and I'm leaning pretty strongly toward the CPP product.
Cpp has been pretty hit or miss from what I've heard. Some people love the product, others have hated it due to poor quality. For what it's worth, I run all UMI stuff.
Here is my dilemma: I have about $2500 to play with. With CPP suspension package that leaves me with about $800 to get the Wilwood twin piston calipers, AC delete panel and assembly cost of my new posi rear end. With just the UMI suspension package....that's all I'd get. I'm trying to get the best product for the best value. Other than the deep spring pockets on the lower control arms and the shape of the front springs...I don't really see a difference between the two products. CPP offers front and rear coil overs in their level II package for $2199...which is still slightly cheaper than UMI $2219 shock & spring package.
You don't have to buy it all as a kit. You could get the more important pieces for starters, and then add on things like sways later. You save a little money with the kits, but sometimes it's just hard to get everything in one blow. I've been piecing together my setup bit by bit for years. I may be wrong, but it also looks like the CPP A-arms use the stock geometry. The UMI pieces have been changed to keep alignment settings optimized for handling.
UMI's upper A's have additional caster built in and offer camber gain with the taller upper ball joint option. I like their quality and can talk engineering language with their factory engineer for my combination. You need to be comfortable with yourself knowing that you're not buying rebranded ebay offshore specials that may or may not fit, and are supplied with ball joints that have been known to break. Tom
Well you guys have successfully persuaded me...:TU: After looking closer I think you're right the CPP arms are pretty close to stock geometry. I guess that would defeat the purpose. I think what I'll do is buy the UMI front cotrol arms and coilovers. I need to buy new rear uppers. Can I go cheap on those? I have a chunk missing out of one of them now. ---------- Post added at 03:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 PM ---------- What do you guys think of the QA1 & BMR products?
UMI and BMR are both great suspension companies. In addition to QA1, you can also look into Viking coilovers which are fairly new. If you want even better coilovers, you could step up to Ridetechs.
I've got the Vikings and they're excellent. The quality is great and the double adjustability is a really nice feature. As for the rear uppers, unless you want to adjust your pinion angle just get the non-adjustable ones. Roto-joints will add articulation to the rear end though.
So this is what I've gone with so far. Still on the fence about whether to get the coilovers now or later. Are they a dramatic improvement over the shock and spring set up?
I would not use either of the rear control arms. They both use poly bushings. You must have compliance in the bushings and the poly bushings do not have that. Go with one of the many companies that now offer a spherical bushing in the control arms.
The coil overs are great for the adjustability. I really like being able to change my ride height with a couple of wrenches and an hour's worth of work. It also works great for corner balancing if you're into that sort of thing. I will say though, you can always go back and add 'em in later. And for the rears, you do need some kind of articulation on the rear. I run spherical uppers, and a spherical/poly hybrid lower (the sphericals ride a lot harder and I have the poly on the frame side). They also make spherical joints that go into the upper axle points for even more articulation.
If you want Ultimate adjustability, cant beat the Front SPC arms can do coil-overs or air ride later with same arms if desired if cant swing it now. if your buying new rear arms, may as well get them with spherical ends and a spherical bushing kit for upper axle ears(UMI and Currie/SC&C has these)
They should be fine. They might squeak though after a while. I'd planned on using delrin front bushings when I got that far along. However, if you keep them greased they'll probably be ok. From a performance standpoint, they won't make or break anything (poly vs. Delrin).
Quick advise if going coil-overs if you want to bolt them into stock upper mount get the coil overs with a top ball/socket stud like the ride techs if you go with a coil over with an eye mount on top you're better off also getting the chicane weld in upper mount kit also..if any concern, the coil overs do give up a lil bit of suspension travel vs traditional spring/shock combo, which is why some companies have a weld-in shock extend bracket..but it requires cutting a hole in frame so longer coil-over shock slips through frame, then weld bracket on frame to connect top of shock.
I did not go coil-over, but I did go with the double-adjustable Viking shocks. I am thrilled with them. The adjustability and difference in performance is amazing.
My viking coilovers bolted into the factory front arms with no problems aside from slightly enlarging the bottom mounting hole with a file.
