Title says it all. Will it work? I'm talking about the whole rear end suspension minus the diffs. My bushings are beyond shot and my rear tires are starting to tow in for no apparent reason; so my own guess is that the suspension is on its last legs. No added weight or anything of such.
Will gen 1 v8 suspension work on gen 1 v6?
- Thread starter fudge12
- Start date
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
I'm fairly certain the only difference between suspensions, based on engine, is the front sway bar. You said "minus the diffs". Most Gen 1 V8s had 3.31s, automatic V6 had 3.56s, V6 manual had 3.05, and early V8s had 3.56s. Other than gear ratios, they're the same and will fit. Gen 2s were different.
You said the rears are beginning to toe. In or out? I believe lowering the rear (extra weight, worn springs, lowering kit without alignment) will cause toe-out due to the angled mounting of the control arms (they by themselves could be considered to be mounted toe-out). The toe link pulls the rear of the assembly in slightly, but that may only apply to extreme lowering. I don't remember the angle of the link when at rest.
You said the rears are beginning to toe. In or out? I believe lowering the rear (extra weight, worn springs, lowering kit without alignment) will cause toe-out due to the angled mounting of the control arms (they by themselves could be considered to be mounted toe-out). The toe link pulls the rear of the assembly in slightly, but that may only apply to extreme lowering. I don't remember the angle of the link when at rest.
I'm sorry, the bottom of the tire is pushed out while the top is being pulled in.
This pretty much covers everything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7vfyR22SWU&list=FL4qI7RJx8i2Wc9HBIl2ASug&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7vfyR22SWU&list=FL4qI7RJx8i2Wc9HBIl2ASug&index=1
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
That's camber. Think of hellaflush cars and their very tilted wheels. Toe: think of tires as feet. Put your feet in place of the tires with toes towards the front. If you angle them in, your toes are closer together and that's toe in.
yep, thats what i'm experiencing. last time i checked the rear suspension, my control arm bushings were eaten out and the boots from the upper control arms were missing; let alone this was before the winter.
I'm not too sure what the difference in gear ratio means, can someone explain?
thanks guys!
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
The number is the number of input rotations per 1 output rotation. So a 3.31 differential (or a 3.31:1) will take 3.31 driveshaft rotations to turn the wheels 1 full rotation.
A 3.56 requires more driveshaft rotations than a 3.31 to turn the wheels the same number of rotations (or travel more distance).
The higher the number, the more rotations the engine(+trans and driveshaft) must make to travel a certain distance than a lower ratio, but it has more wheel torque due to it's mechanical advantage. This reduces top speed and fuel economy because the engine has to spin at higher RPMs. The lower the number, the higher your top speed* and the better your fuel economy.
* Wind resistance and the engine's power band will likely be what limits top speed when it comes to relatively close ratios and moderate power levels such as in the LS
Telco
Dedicated LVC Member
What Frank didn't mention was the lower the ratio (higher numerically) does besides lower top speed and fuel economy was help your acceleration. Those dragsters that pull wheelies aren't running 3.31s, they're running 5.xx to 6.xx gear ratios. The higher the number, the more fun down low.
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
Well I did say more wheel torque due to mechanical advantage (not to be confused with brake HP/TQ and wheel HP/TQ), but yes, higher numbers will give you better off the line performance, which is why I plan on doing a 3.56 + LSD swap this year ( I have 3.31).
Telco
Dedicated LVC Member
Heh heh, not everyone speaks the big words, so I like to add layman's terms to make it simpler for those who may read the posts and are just learning the ways of the world.