frmula1

you guys have T-minus 47 hours 59 mins, 42 seconds to tell me which ones i need, and why

im thankful for the help guys!

Jared

teke184

www.bmrfabrication.com

relatively inexpensive, very sturdy, and your choice of colors (nice touch)

i think they are $140 for tubular and $160 for boxed.

i have pics of mine during and after the install on page 3 ofmy cardomain site in the signature

frmula1

im guessing from the higher price alone... boxed is better?

any particular reason i want to avoid getting specific things?

frmula1

nice... ok... i like the boxed...

but this leads me to something i was GONNA put in the suspension forum.... but its so dead maybe you can help me out...

i always thought lowering your car was like this huge expensive deal...

then i find eibach lowering springs on summit for like $250

can i just get the springs, for the lowered look?
is it gonna negativly impact anything, or do i NEED anything else to go with just the springs?

can i put them in myself without a spring tightener?

my front tires, when turned to full lock come almost to touching the black fender inserts (less than a 1/4 inch clearance) would a 1.4/ or 1.6 in drop in the front make my tires rub?

teke184

wow...lots 'o' questions....i'll see what i can do

boxed is stiffer...but heavier and you lose about 1/2" of clearance. but as my webpage points out, they are still higher than the factory gfx that MY car has...but not all cars have them. so that's your choice.

the expense of lowering tends to come with all the "while the springs are off...i may as well change XXXXX"
since you need to remove the entire front spring-shock assembly...it's a smart time to replace the shocks. you can get away with cheap replacements from Mineke or you can go to a decent pair...again your choice.

lowering the car will throw the rear suspension out of whack so to say. it decreases the effectiveness of the LCAs from preventing axle rotation under load (launching/cornering) and therefore can lead to wheel hop and poor launches at the track.
this is easily remedied by adding relocation brackets to drop the rear mounting point for the LCAs (again pics on my webpage). so this too adds $$ to teh cost.
are they NEEDED...no....but you'll probably notice better traction if you do get them. they are easily something to "save up for later"

installing them yourself...that all depends on your tools and skill.
i think you need some kind of tool for for the front. not sure. i think www.installuniversity.com has instructions. you'll have to research that yourself.
what i was gonna do was swap the rears myself...they are really easy. and then take the car to a shop for the fronts. that way they can do the alignment (needed) after they finish (maybe the shop will include it in the cost of the install for a slight discount).

most springs will work fine with stock wheels/tires. some have problems in tight corners with the rear axle pushing to one side. lowering alters the side-to-side location of the axle by 1/4-1/2"....this is why they sell adjustable panhard bars...to adjust that out. typically this is only a problem with wider than normal rear tires...like 315s. not sure if it occurs on 275s or not.

one thing to be wary of is that sfcs like kenny brown double diamonds can cause interferance with some exhausts...namely true duals. but possibly some LT-Ypipe combos.
and i think some don't allow the use of heavy duty torque arm setups.

there...hows that?

SFB767

I just had the black BMR SFCs installed last Friday and they're alright. They didn't make all the difference in the world, but it is a little noticeable. If you want a SFC that you can't see, this is the way to go.

Greed4Speed

I'm running tubular. Unless you're seriously into autoX, etc..they'll be fine. the only reason the boxed ones are stiffer is because they have such a larger cross sectional area. Given the same cross sectional area the round tubing will be stronger. So, with round, you'll get near the strength with less weight. I drive a lot of twisty roads at high speeds, SFC's were one of the best mods I have yet to do. Some places I'd suggest would be Spohn and UMI. They both sponser over on LS1tech, IIRC. BMR has been having some QC issues.

For lowering, GET GOOD STRUTS/SHOCKS!!!! Yes, you can go cheap and run your stockers or Monroes, but your ride will suffer. There is a difference. You can do it, or you can do it right. That is unless you enjoy feeling like you're bouncing down the road. If you don't want to buy struts, just cut 1/2 - 1 coil off your stock springs with a cutting wheel, NOT A TORCH. This will not adversely affect the spring as many think. The heat from a torch will however. On the rear springs you can get rid of the rear isolator and put some fuel line hose on the top to take its place.

I also know a place where you can get B+G springs for under $190 shipped, but you WILL want better struts/shocks with these. I've read many complaints about the 98-02 Fbod Eibachs settling lower in the rear and letting the car hit the bump stops, so I personally wouldn't run them. DMS is also a decent spring from what I've been reading. Just do some research on LS1tech, LS2.com etc. Here is a site for spring rates: http://www.angelfire.com/my/fastcar/suspension.html

Also, you HAVE to have a spring compressor for the front springs. Autozone will loan theirs. You give them $44 and they give it back when you return the compressor. The first time I compressed with a 3/4" ratchet, then I got smart and bought me a $40 electric impact wrench. Made it much easier.

Check LS1howto.com for details.

Mike94ZLT1

Kenny Browns, the only way to go.

frmula1

subframes are ordered


black, boxed, BMR's


suspension... i think im gonna wait till my stall converter project to be over first, but i definatly know alot more about what im looking at thanks to you guys, especially teke! u


now... if you guys wanna talk cat replacement test pipes, where to get, whether to bother with $85 worth of o2 simulators, or just going somewhere to delete the code...

im all ears!!

discuss

SFB767

I forgot to tell you I bought mine from Stealth Performance and saved 10% off BMR's price, sorry man.

After they're all welded in, tell the installer NOT to paint them. Go to Home Depot, Lowe's, Sherwin-Williams, Ace, etc. and buy Ospho (green liquid in a clear bottle), which is a rust preventer/neutralizer. You're going to want to saturate ALL the welds and any areas that had to be grinded down during your install. After you apply the Ospho to all the areas I told you to, let it dry for about 5 hrs. and paint over it with a gloss black superacrylic, Rustoleum type of spray paint. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but you'll be glad you did it to prevent any rust from forming on the welds and grinded areas.

After you have them installed, let us know exactly how you think the car feels.

teke184

make sure the car is sitting on it's full suspension load when they are welded in...not on a frame rack.
otherwise the car could be tweaked and will then be held in that position with the SFC.


"cat replacement test pipes, where to get, whether to bother with $85 worth of o2 simulators"

NOT WORTH IT!
the dual cats flow well, as does the ypipe. i installed a 3" mandrel bent offroad pipe and felt no gains. dyno may have shown a few..but not enough to warrent the $$.

just do headers...LTs

pacesetter or flowtechs...should be able to get EVERYTHING from gaskets to clamps to extensions for $600 or so.

frmula1

by extensions, do you mean pipe to hook them up with my stock y-pipe? or will i need a different one?

teke184

sorry..."o2 extensions"

the o2 sensors are located farther away from the engine, in the collector of the LTs. so you have to either splice extra wire into the harness or buy the extensions, which have the proper weather tight seal in each plug

when i got my Flowtechs...the extensions were included...not sure if they still are. got mine from one of the site sponsors...thunder racing i think

frmula1

alrighty... now in my car, i have 4 o2 sensors

two before the cats (one actually hooks directly into the manifold)

and two after the cats


now from what i understand, the first two are necessary to operate, to tell the engine the condition of the air/fuel ratio.

but the rear two merely tell the computer to give u an ses light when the cat's aren't working properly.

do the longtubes just do away with the #3 and #4 sensors, and i just need to have the code deleted?

or will i need o2 simulators to fill in plug holes in the collectors?

teke184

"alrighty... now in my car, i have 4 o2 sensors

two before the cats (one actually hooks directly into the manifold)

and two after the cats

now from what i understand, the first two are necessary to operate, to tell the engine the condition of the air/fuel ratio.

but the rear two merely tell the computer to give u an ses light when the cat's aren't working properly.

do the longtubes just do away with the #3 and #4 sensors, and i just need to have the code deleted?"

correct, correct, correct, correct, correct.....

simulators are small resistor type things, that just plug into the harness. they don't go into the exhaust pipes at all. most offroad-pipes don't even have the bungs for teh rear o2 sensors. if they did, just screw in your old sensors from the stock ypipe and leave them unplugged.

if you are getting a tune, just wait...the SES from the rear o2 sensors has NO affect on the runniing of the engine.
i drove for about a year with my SES light on, i just checked it regularly (have a scanner) to see if anything else was wrong.