2LGT2QT
Well-Known Member
I'm compelled to share because I'm so pumped by the transformation of my '65 Coronet. I have owned it for 11 years. Originally it was a base model with a 6 cylinder. The car has original paint and interior with 82K miles. The prior owner installed a 440, Torqueflite and a 3.55 Sure-Grip. The rest of the mechanicals were original...manual steering and drums, no sway bar. The car was scary to drive fast if I needed to turn or brake.
I still love the look and the originality of the one-year-only car, so I decided to make it safe and fun. After about $5k in parts and labor, the car handles and brakes like a C4 Corvette. Here's the list of upgrades:
Borgeson PS box, Saginaw pump and required pulleys from Bouchillon Performance
Hydratech brake booster and Wilwood master cylinder
11" Wilwood drilled front discs
Front end rebuild with Performance Suspension Technologies (PST) parts including control arm pivot shafts, poly-graphite bushings, ball joints & reinforcing plates to box the lower control arms
PST 1.03" torsion bars and strut rods
Bilstein shocks
Hellwig sway bars: 1-3/8" front; 7/8" rear
I was worried that the car would ride like a 60's pick-up but the ride is supple. The Coronet handles and brakes like the '65 Chevelle I recently test drove that had a complete C4 Corvette suspension and brakes. I can now drive the car hard into and out of corners which is a blast. Looking forward to my first autocross.
I still love the look and the originality of the one-year-only car, so I decided to make it safe and fun. After about $5k in parts and labor, the car handles and brakes like a C4 Corvette. Here's the list of upgrades:
Borgeson PS box, Saginaw pump and required pulleys from Bouchillon Performance
Hydratech brake booster and Wilwood master cylinder
11" Wilwood drilled front discs
Front end rebuild with Performance Suspension Technologies (PST) parts including control arm pivot shafts, poly-graphite bushings, ball joints & reinforcing plates to box the lower control arms
PST 1.03" torsion bars and strut rods
Bilstein shocks
Hellwig sway bars: 1-3/8" front; 7/8" rear
I was worried that the car would ride like a 60's pick-up but the ride is supple. The Coronet handles and brakes like the '65 Chevelle I recently test drove that had a complete C4 Corvette suspension and brakes. I can now drive the car hard into and out of corners which is a blast. Looking forward to my first autocross.
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