modern handeling

[sstlover666]

has anyone ugraded to an air suspension? if so, how did you do it? :confused:

[Big Bad AMX]

Your best bet for upgrading your suspension is the Gymkhana Bar Pack. Race proven over decades. You'll notice an immediate improvement. Worth every penny.
See www.amx-enterprises.com (http://www.amx-enterprises.com) for info

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[sstlover666]

that more of a traction bar then a suspension kit. i want upgraded springs and shock absorbers. i will still get that whatever kit, i cant spell it, but i would like a modern shock/spring combo. what i understand is that an airbag is a superior suspension, but obviously there are no airbag suspensions available for amc.

[bigbad68]

The traction bar is part of your suspension. So yes it is a suspension upgrade. And from what I hear, that kit will do better than any spring/shock upgrade. That still does not mean you can't put new shocks on it.

[sstlover666]

it does sound like exactly what i want. ive said it in other threads but ill repeat it here in saying, im not worried so much about historical accuracy, just making a beautiful muscle car with modern performance and better than modern torque :cool:

[sstlover666]

i gave my dad a copy of the suspension pack advertisement and he seems to have interpreted like i did, as just a sway bar kit. he and i both think that i will still need to upgrade shocks and springs. someone please explain!

[nate]

i gave my dad a copy of the suspension pack advertisement and he seems to have interpreted like i did, as just a sway bar kit. he and i both think that i will still need to upgrade shocks and springs. someone please explain!

If you don't understand what a bar pack will do, you need to do some research. The bar kit comes with an "AMC Handling" booklet that has some useful information.
I'm not sure what you're planning to do with this car but you might want to decide that first and then decide how much money you want to throw at it.
You can do all the work you want on it but it still won't handle like a modern sports car or race prepared car.
The book "The Unfair Advantage" by Mark Donahue has a lot of good information about the suspension bits they used (rising rate springs, etc.) and it's a good read overall.
There are modern shocks available from Edelbrock and KYB.
It sounds like you have unlimited funds so give Koni a call. They'll custom make shocks for your application for $300-$500 per wheel.
These guys http://www.classicone.com/wsc/catalog/amc/amc_per1.htm
told me they've developed a coil-over set up for the 68-69 AMX/Jav but not selling it yet. You may be able to work with them on something. They also have disc brake conversions front and rear.

Good luck.

[sstlover666]

funds are hardly unlimited, i just want to know the best way to do it. im not planning on turning a 69 javelin into an 06 corvette, i like it for what it is but i would just like to improve apon it a little to make it safer and more enjoyable to drive. thanks for your help

[bigbad68]

Truthfully, if you are going to road race the car then by all means spend the money and upgrade the suspension. If you are not going to road race it, why bother. Get some new gas shocks and call it good. Use your money in more constructive ways for the car (ie paint and body) Don't waste your money with something you won't use. I have a 68 Javelin with some very old shocks and it is still very fun to drive.

[sstlover666]

yeah ive got alot of body work just to get it back to original, not to mention the modifications i am making. and disc brakes wont be cheap, so saving some money on suspension is just what i need. :D thanks for help

[Big Bad AMX]

I second what bigbad68 suggests; new gas shocks and some decent tires will make a big difference. KYB's are good shocks for the money, I haven't heard feedback on Edelbrocks. You can always upgrade the suspension at a later date as funds become more available.



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[sstlover666]

that sounds like it should work

[RGBJavelin]

I posted something to the other thread about air bags. Don't let what you see in Chevy magazines and TV shows taint what you need to know about building a safe,reliable, and affordable machine. Just because some technology is a little dated doesn't necessarily make it obsolete. Remember, guys like Mark Donohue and Wally Booth were pushing boundries in these old AMC designs that even '06 Corvettes would have still have difficulty keeping up with. I am not saying the AMC technology was better, just that it will do almost anything you'll probably be doing. Gonna go Fast, Check out Tony and Rhonda Zamisch's 'Great White' Javelin or Jim Weyand's 'Thumper' AMX.
Don't get sucked into giant marketing machine, New and Improved doesn't always mean that something is actually New or that it has been really Improved.
For example, Chevy Muscle cars had tiny, whimpy brake setups (even on the verge of being dangerous) as standard equipment, so everybody now thinks they gotta have giant 13 inch, cross drilled, vented Titanium Disc brakes with eleven-teen piston calipers and of course, an anodized set of aluminum pedals for your feet. In my opinion, A properly setup front/rear all drum AMC brake system, with its larger drums, shoes, and hydraulics will out stop a similar year Camaro, even with optional front discs.( I read a Brake Test Shoot-out article somewhere that proved this).
Hi-Tech is cool, but for reliabilty and cost, the AMC engineers already did the Reasearch and Developement for you. Don't sell them short, unless they ended up later working at GM :D

[sstlover666]

this is a really good opinion. i think that as a young man i am often attracted more to what looks cool than to what is tried and true, though, i pride myself in fixing up an amc, wheras my friends spend their money on toyotas. i am after all just building a beefy street machine, not a racer. in concept airbags is a cool idea but in execution it could lead to alot of fabrication which might wind up with the same performance as the regular shocks.

[RGBJavelin]

:confused: Did I get back to you on using a Air Ride kit for the front designed for a late '60's Mustang? Are you working with a 70-up AMC suspension, it is basically the same as What Ford used. I bet the application for the 67-70 Mustang might even bolt right in. the same might be said about the rear suspension, about using the application for the rear of 67-69 Camaro, I have'nt checked anything out, but since they both use the same shock absorbers and have similar geometry. :cool:

[javelinjeff]

save your money,put sway bar kits front and rear with gas shocks and your car will handle.air bags are mostly used by those wanting to "slam" their cars down low.this causes suspension angles to change and also limits travel so when the suspension "bottoms out" the shock is transmitted to the hard parts of the suspension-not good.now a coil over suspension is good but very costly and it is more often used for drag racing to reduce weight and improve launch(4-link rear).a driver car needs suspension that works in the real world(dips,potholes,rough roads)and that is what is on your car now.i watched that "muscle car" TV show where they removed the torsion bar set-up and installed air bags to the upper shock mounts.this part of the car is not made to carry the weight of the car even with the "reinforcements" they installed.(dodge challenger).if the air bag goes exactly where the spring is,that is good.if is uses the upper shock mount,i would hesitate.remember in the days of air shocks many a car had the air shocks break through the body on the rear of uni-body cars(amc is uni-body).if you really do have you heart set on air bags anyways,expect lots of fabrication to make it work.

[sstlover666]

to tell the truth it was really just a curiosity.

there are tons of parts out there for cameros that i wish were for javelins. me thinking about airbags was mostly just about me wanting more than what i can get. from what i hear the gas shocks are excellent and they are probably what i will use. right now the car hasnt been touched in about two weeks and im still looking for my suspension and brake parts. (i am converting to 4 wheel disk from four wheel drum)