Front and Rear Suspension on for a Superbird

[repsol17]

I'm wanting to install all new OEM suspension parts to the front and rear of my Bird. I'm getting a little confused as I'm looking thru certain parts catalogs such as Classic Industries.

I don't see them calling out parts in reference to model types but more as A, B or E-body types. Therefore I find it hard to believe that a Bird or any high performance model would use the same B-body parts as a lower performance model.

If I do a general web search I'll see suspension parts for particular models, GTX, Roadrunner, Superbirds ect....thus the cofusions

Can someone educate me please. I have a 69 Z/28 F-body too and all the suspension parts front and back are different than a standard 6 banger F-body.

1) Are the parts needed the same as a '70 Roadrunner Hemi or 440 ?
2) Is there a preferred vendor of most parts (New in the Mopar world) that's pretty accurate to the original parts?

Thanks in advance

 

[moparnation74]

There are no suspension parts reproduced that look factory or close to......NOS is virtually gone or people are saving them for their cars.....

They are the same as the 70 models you mentioned....

 

[R413]

By parts do you mean:
ball joints
Tie rod ends
Pitman arm
Idler arm
Rubber bushings

These wear parts are all the same from a road runner to a 6 cylinder Belvedere. I guess Chrysler didn’t need 2 levels of parts, they simply used the good stuff on everything.

The only difference is brake sizes, the spring rates, shocks, and some cars had a sway bar and the lower control arms with mounts.

 

[dadsbee]

It's just a 440, or Hemi, Roadrunner with a nose and a wing! Same parts...

If you don't care if you're 100% OE correct, the Super suspension kit from PST worked perfect doing my Bee. Rear spring rubber bushings and rear hangers/ bushings are available from Partsmonkey, Napa etc. What rear suspension parts do you want to replace?

 

[repsol17]

Moparnation74, I didn't think there would be anything identical or we'd have more counterfeiter's than we have now. Looking for quality, as close as possible and performance.

R413, yes all the normal wear parts as you mentioned.

dadsbee, I'm looking at possibly replacing the rear leafs as well. I have a rearward rake stance (not drastic) and the only thing I would think that would cause this would be weak leafs.

So basically if I see a wear part listed for B-body, then that pretty much mean all B-body regardless of make or model then. That simplifies things.

I really only having to replace a few wear parts such as suspension and I didn't know if there were those "stay away" from vendors out there that has cheap parts and poor customer service.

 

[dadsbee]

The way a Bird sits IMHO, here's my untouched 56,000 mile ones.

I did take my Bee springs apart and put new interliners, plastic rub plates and clamps on. Those old 156000 mile springs needed air shocks to hold them up before and after I did that they still haven't come down from sitting high. Starting to settle in a bit, but seems to have done wonders.

 

[dadsbee]

Thinking back, I got my rear leaf front eye bushings from National Moparts (others would have them state side as well) as I was advised NOT to use the polygraphite bushings from PST for there.

Rear shackle and rubbers I got from Partsmonkey.

Full front suspension kit, the Super kit, from PST. I used all of it other than the polygraphite LCA pivot bushings. There I used the OEM rubber/metal ones... that PST put in the kit.

 

[repsol17]

This is my stance. It doesn't look raked to the rear but it is slightly. Seems like it's a little high in the front possibly after seeing the pic above.

Dimensions from my concrete garage floor
The bottom of the rocker at the rear is 10"
The bottom of the rocker at the front is 10-3/8"

The center of wheel well at the rear (center of tire) is 22-1/2"
The center of wheel well at the front (center of wheel) is 26-1/2"

I only have 45K miles. Not sure what the correct stance should be and the direction needed to correct. Either new leafs possibly or a cheap fix would be an air shock lifted about an inch or two...suggestions?

 

[dadsbee]

Looks like yours sits almost identical to mine (your nose may be cranked up slightly higher). Part of it is an illusion on the '70. If you look at my Bee and Bird together, the '69 looks like it sits high in the rear because the wheel wells are both the same height and the '70 looks *** low because the top of rear wheel well is a good 4" lower than the fronts.

 

[repsol17]

Looks like yours sits almost identical to mine (your nose may be cranked up slightly higher). Part of it is an illusion on the '70. If you look at my Bee and Bird together, the '69 looks like it sits high in the rear because the wheel wells are both the same height and the '70 looks *** low because the top of rear wheel well is a good 4" lower than the fronts.

You may be right. It looks more than it is that's for sure. Specially from my rocker dimensions of only 3/8" front to rear though it appears greater.

Maybe after some new front suspension parts it'll all dial in.

 

[biomedtechguy]

Being so close to having a Superbird with my 70 V-code Roadrunner, I have posted about my "dream car": a Superbird clone with a Hellephant engine.
Part of what I would do is the absolute BEST suspension possible. Nothing but the best.
If you want to keep it factory, I understand. The torsion bars are different for big blocks IIRC.
Next step up from factory in my opinion is what I did and that is a complete QA1 front suspension system and K-member. It uses the same engineering design with upgraded parts. Still uses the torsion bars. If I did anything more, it would likely be the Gerst front suspension system, which is a complete departure from the factory design.
My .02
Those Superbird pix are making me jealous!
Superbirds