How can I make my 63 belvedere handle ?

So I have a 63 Plymouth 440 auto, no power steering, no power brakes.

It came with front disc brakes ( not sure what has been changed besides spindle ,and not sure what spindles)

I wanted to make it handle I was going to put 2” drop spindles in it and 2-3” blocks out back

I have a couple of questions what was done to the front to put discs on?
What kind of wheels and tires will fit on the front and back with that drop?
Is there a better way to make it handle ?

i put a Firm Feel sway bar on the front of my 65 coronet big block and it made a tremendous difference in handling.

I just replaced all the rubber bushings with polyurethane, put in stiffer leaves and torsion bars, went to bigger wheels, rebuilt everything with all new parts and lowered it 2" and it handles great.

Those are all good suggestions but where is the best place to buy this stuff and what fits? there are not a whole lot of people trying to get a 63 to handle I gather.

Replace the whole front end with good stuff....bad part is that it will be like $5K

Depending on what one considers good handling.......I'd say the stock set up will never be very good comparatively.

KyleN said:

Those are all good suggestions but where is the best place to buy this stuff and what fits? there are not a whole lot of people trying to get a 63 to handle I gather.

Click to expand...

Lots of good suspension companies, PST (performance suspension technology), Hotchkis, Magnum Force etc...

Prices aren't cheap for quality parts and you share the same problem several of us have... We're Canadian! lol So our weak dollar right now and getting beat up on shipping SUCKS... So my biggest suggestion is try to do your research and get Everything you want lined up preferably from One supplier... This way if everything is ordered at once you will just get hit with one shipping charge.

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Food for thought... Done right this is what's possible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvy76jsSs9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bLyeaYJbm8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjN_BbGoSwU

those are some pretty good handling cars! I guess what I am struggling with is that the front end has maybe 10 000 miles on it and is tight( besides it needing a new steering box ) so if I replace all the bushings then it wont make a huge difference even if they are poly bushings. I would like to do it in steps this year

drop spindles, stiffer tortion bars, new shocks and wider rims and tires in the front.
Back 2" blocks new shocks

My tires are 15" 225 which IMO is way to small! I also have 13" wide cheater slicks

next years I wanted to willwood brakes and and tubular control arms.

What do you guy think ? my goal is to eventually do as much as I cab without putting new sub frame roll cage etc. I want to stick with just bolt ons.

Poly bushings will still make some difference because they don't give as much. I'd steer away from lowering blocks and instead have a spring shop de-arch them or get some like Hotchkis sells that drop it 1". Tires make a huge difference but if your not into the shorter sidewalls that's out the window but you could split the difference and go with 17s which still have decent wall heights.

I changed all I could with poly bushings. Added a big front sway bar, and a rear sway bar, which made the most dramatic change. I used KYB shocks, but I think they're too harsh.

The most dramatic change I noticed in the handling of my car was adding new shocks as well. I went with Bilsteins and would HIGHLY recommend them. PST is a vendor of the Bilsteins and you qualify for a discount as a member of this site.

Again the only thing I would recommend being from here though is if you are going to order make your order worth it or you WILL get beat up on shipping.

Your Budget &/or your mechanical abilities,
usually dictates allot of the necessary choices

add a few of the items below;
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Lower the center of gravity/car

Subfarme connectors

a roll bar to help stiffen & tie it all together

lighter/wider wheels & stickier lower profile tires

bigger better brakes

bigger torsion bars

bigger or adj. dynamic strut rods

poly bushing replacing OE rubber

or convert to coil overs
& tubular uca's & lca's
a tubular K-member

better shocks, will always help

if you stay with leafs add a rear rollers/sliders

O/S sway-bars front & rear will make a big difference

one of the best ways is to lighten the car, it will help too

use tubular suspension stuff will help, anything that's lighter stronger
& to gain a better adj. suspension & ride height, take weight out of the car
{fiberglass & aluminum, lighter than steel & cast iron}

better seats to keep you in control

better steering box, I went with a rack & pinion, night & day differences
etc. etc. etc.

there's far more than one way to skin a cat
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A few of the venders I've used

QA1 {formerly Capps Automotive performance suspension stuff}
is a decent vender too, it won't break the bank, good bang for the buck
I've used the stuff for years, they have stuff that is bolt on
&/or is compatible with OE torsion bars, steering & suspension etc.

Magnum Force Racing Ron Jenkins is a great guy, true Mopar owner & a fanatic too

Ridetech is a decent deal too

Riley Motorsports

Mancini Racing for some stuff

& Summit Racing also, I bought their 1-3/8" front & 1" rear adj. sway-bars

Mopar Performance, I have their torsion 1" bars {they have other sizes too},
good for a heavier car, not too good for drag racing really

Edelbrock, I have their gas shocks, for now

Hotckis is decent too

good luck & have fun,
be prepared to be sticker shocked on most of the stuff

I under stand all the basic of getting the suspension handle but I m looking for more specific info like

If I put lowering spindles what size rim and tire can I put on the front
Also how can I identify what has been done to the front end to put the current disc brakes on

I understand the shipping but I want to order some easy upgrades and see how that feels (swaybar seems like a must on top of the other things I listed) before I get in to a lot of money, also should of mentioned I wanted stockish look so no roll bar or rack and pinion. I want it to handle like an 80s sports car not like a 2000 if that makes sense?

KyleN said:

I under stand all the basic of getting the suspension handle but I m looking for more specific info like

If I put lowering spindles what size rim and tire can I put on the front
Also how can I identify what has been done to the front end to put the current disc brakes on

I understand the shipping but I want to order some easy upgrades and see how that feels (swaybar seems like a must on top of the other things I listed) before I get in to a lot of money, also should of mentioned I wanted stockish look so no roll bar or rack and pinion. I want it to handle like an 80s sports car not like a 2000 if that makes sense?

Click to expand...

Call Clint at Magnumforce CLICK -----> http://www.magnumforce.com/magnumstore/shop/item.aspx?itemid=152

I got my whole front end from them.

Firm Feel in Washington is a one stop shop for the suspension stuff. Dr. Diff in Montana for disc brakes. U.S. Cartool or Auto Rust Technicians in Rhode Island [ i think] for structure pieces. These are some of the brands I'm using on my 65 which will be the same stuff as yours. I would suggest that you get the car scaled so you can get the proper bar and spring rates. On my car, I'm also going to use a 70 b-body k-frame to improve the idler arm mount, move the engine back some, sway bar goes through the frame. I've spent a bunch of time doing reinforcements on it before it even goes in. Make a big difference. If you want to do some reading, pick up a copy of Andy Finkbiners book on B-body handling. It will get you a ton of information. Check it out at arengineering.com.