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2,879 Posts
Hi Everyone! It's been a hell of a long time since I've shown my face around here. Life gets in the way, new hobbies start and old ones fade.
It's high time I turn some love, money, and attention back to the 'ole R/T.
Here's what I'm hoping I can get some suggestions on:
Shocks and springs:
I currently have a Pedders shock and spring setup. They were okay for the first couple years I had them installed. Shortly after installation the coating peeled off the springs. Pedders says this is normal, my minimal experience in coatings is that they did not spec the correct finish or cheaped on providing a coating with enough flex to accommodate the spring movement.
There is so much out there that I don't even know where to start. I'm thinking I want to stick with shocks/springs instead of an adjustable coilover set. Back in the day I felt like I kept reading about people having suspension noise issues with them. But I'm all ears for something new.
I'm looking to up my ride height a little. While the Charger looks great slammed on Pedders, it's a little low. I'm thinking no more than a 1.75" drop, if I recall correctly that my Pedders are like a 2.25" drop. As far as shocks go, I still want something that is more performance oriented than OEM.
Upper Control Arms:
I currently have the factory UCA's with Pedders adjustable bushings pressed in. After having these for a while and understanding their quirks I don't care for them. Various alignment shops (from the place that did the post-install alignment to various others) have never been able to the get the lock nut tight and it ends up coming loose months later losing the alignment and causing an irritating clunk.
The ball joints are shot and non-replaceable, and due to the nature of pressed in bushings I can't reuse those on new factory arms. So that leaves me with the following options:
Sway bar end links:
I've seen the following in a recent search:
Rear camber adjustment:
I've had a tough time keeping the Pedders adjustable bushing set hardware tight over time. I've had to replace a couple of lost bolts over time, my guess due to improper torque values applied at alignment shops, and lack of inspection on my part to catch them getting loose.
I'm seeing some options that get a way from the offset ferrule design and am interested in those. Spohn again looks to have an interesting solution.
Sway bars:
I have Stack Performance Chubby sway bars installed. I might need to replace the bushings on the front and they don't seem to be selling or in business anymore. Any idea on what I could use as a bushing replacement?
That's all I got for now, I appreciate any help that will save me research time by helping me fill in this HUGE gap of knowledge that I currently have.
It's high time I turn some love, money, and attention back to the 'ole R/T.
Here's what I'm hoping I can get some suggestions on:
Shocks and springs:
I currently have a Pedders shock and spring setup. They were okay for the first couple years I had them installed. Shortly after installation the coating peeled off the springs. Pedders says this is normal, my minimal experience in coatings is that they did not spec the correct finish or cheaped on providing a coating with enough flex to accommodate the spring movement.
There is so much out there that I don't even know where to start. I'm thinking I want to stick with shocks/springs instead of an adjustable coilover set. Back in the day I felt like I kept reading about people having suspension noise issues with them. But I'm all ears for something new.
I'm looking to up my ride height a little. While the Charger looks great slammed on Pedders, it's a little low. I'm thinking no more than a 1.75" drop, if I recall correctly that my Pedders are like a 2.25" drop. As far as shocks go, I still want something that is more performance oriented than OEM.
Upper Control Arms:
I currently have the factory UCA's with Pedders adjustable bushings pressed in. After having these for a while and understanding their quirks I don't care for them. Various alignment shops (from the place that did the post-install alignment to various others) have never been able to the get the lock nut tight and it ends up coming loose months later losing the alignment and causing an irritating clunk.
The ball joints are shot and non-replaceable, and due to the nature of pressed in bushings I can't reuse those on new factory arms. So that leaves me with the following options:
- buying new factory UCA's and a new Pedders bushing kit - blah, no thanks.
- Eibach adjustable control arms. These are new to me but appear similar in design to SPC, any opinions?
- I'm seeing replacement UCA's from Mevotech, can't tell if they are adjustable but they look like nice units. Any opinions or thoughts?
- SPC adjustable control arms. I remember correctly these have a replaceable ball joint. Are these still a good option, any quirks that showed up over time with them?
- Something cool that I don't even know about?
Sway bar end links:
I've seen the following in a recent search:
- Bwoody - do you still need to but a mega set of washers on each end of these to keep the bushing from tearing out?
- Spohn - these look totally new to me and look well designed. Any thoughts?
- Not interested in any of the open to the element Heim joint options out there.
Rear camber adjustment:
I've had a tough time keeping the Pedders adjustable bushing set hardware tight over time. I've had to replace a couple of lost bolts over time, my guess due to improper torque values applied at alignment shops, and lack of inspection on my part to catch them getting loose.
I'm seeing some options that get a way from the offset ferrule design and am interested in those. Spohn again looks to have an interesting solution.
Sway bars:
I have Stack Performance Chubby sway bars installed. I might need to replace the bushings on the front and they don't seem to be selling or in business anymore. Any idea on what I could use as a bushing replacement?
That's all I got for now, I appreciate any help that will save me research time by helping me fill in this HUGE gap of knowledge that I currently have.
