ScottAC8DE

Are there any common suspension improvement suggestions for a 1961 C1 that don't involve big modifications or dollars? Progressive shocks, different roll bar, etc?

leif.anderson93

Be sure all your rubber bushings are intact and serviceable, gas shocks, radial tires and a quality alignment. That's really all you should need for a driver quality car.

Plasticman

High pressure gas shocks were not around when these cars were designed, and will increase the riding height of the car by some small amount (depending on the gas pressure).

The original Delco shocks were low pressure, unlike today's shocks.

Good luck!

Plasticman

AZDoug

There are no rubber bushings on C1 front suspensions.

There are rubber shock bushings, anti sway bar bushings and the rear spring eyes and the radius rods have bushings, those should be checked to make sure they are in one piece.

A LOT of these old 1949-1954 Chev front ends are worn, the metal shafts or metal bushings or both, along with kingpins.

Maybe a knowledgeable (not run by 25 YO kids) can inspect the front for you.

I can tell you when i rebuilt my totally worn out front suspension, in 1995, it made a world of difference, the car went from the equivalent of trying to drive a pizza plate on marbles, to something that steered and handled and drove straight.

Doug

ScottAC8DE

I'm capable in looking at the standard suspension and sway bar parts and inspecting and fixing. I'm really looking to know if there are any upgrades that are well known among the C1 owners. I do need to replace a number of rubber bushings. I was also wondering if there are some decent progressive shocks that are known to work well for these cars. The standard shocks on there were clearly replaced in the last couple of years, as they pretty new, but they are definitely standard shocks.

CaptainEgg

Keep it greased often!

ScottAC8DE

Has anyone here tried the Bilstein shocks on a C1? If so, how do they feel? I've used Bilsteins on other cars and they've been pretty top notch.

68hemi

I had them on my 57 but I thought they rode stiff. As stated you need to keep aC1 suspension well greased and often. The king pins are metal to metal and not fun to change.

Plasticman

As are all the pivot points in the front suspension (metal to metal). Grease, then grease again every 1000 miles or sooner with a quality grease with moly.

Plasticman

dr914

I have installed a lot of bilstein shocks on first generation buick rivieras and they make an amazing difference. We are all now used to modern car rides and the old cars just do not hack it. Bilstein shocks really help. I did not install them on my 66 Corvette as it is a survivor car but I know that they would make a very good difference.

AZDoug

Have you unscrewed the pivot bushings from the control arms where they mate with cross arm shafts (upper, lower, inner and outer) and inspected them and the shafts for wear and play?

Doug

AZDoug

There are no "simple" improvements, fancy shocks won't do anything for you.

These suspensions are actually pretty nice, IF, they aren't worn out, and unless your was rebuilt, which i doubt based on those fuel lines, THAT is where you will get the most improvement, though i doubt you have inspected anything properly to determine that.

Doug

ScottAC8DE

No, not yet. I'm currently in the middle of fixing so many things on this car just to make it drive-able. I started with a simple carburetor rebuild just to get it running, which led to one thing after the other. I'm peeling the proverbial onion in what little time I have. I honestly shouldn't have even asked about the suspension yet, but when I was under it a few nights ago working on the engine clean up, I was looking around for the grease zerks and was prying on suspension parts to check tightness when suspension upgrades came to mind. So far, all the suspension feels tight and I don't get squeaks or grinding when I bounce the car. Shocks are in good shape. Steering feels tight and I don't see any play. But honestly, the suspension comes after everything else listed below that is now in progress, but before it starts being driven.

• Water pump replacement and front motor mount bracket replacement, along with aftermarket fan & fan spacer
• Clean up and repaint of engine, brackets, generator and many areas under the hood.
• Replace most of the rubber under the hood - lots of deterioration
• Repair wiring harness and properly route under the hood - it's a real mess to be kind with some awful splices and weird wire routings
• Replacement of distributor with billet electronic type, wires, separators, coil, etc.
• Replace fuel line and hoses front to back - another train wreck here with multiple poorly done patches
• Repair/upgrade brake system - master cylinder is toast and fluid jelled up in it.

68hemi

If you have an original fan, and tach drive distributor don’t replace them with aftermarket stuff. Just rebuild what you have as the quality of these items are MUCH better.

esema

The biggest improvement in quality of ride, road feel and cornering on my car was the addition of KYB gas shocks.

ScottAC8DE

The '61 has the tach driven off a small gearbox on the back of the generator and that is being retained. This car has an engine out of a '58 Impala, so the fan wasn't correct to begin with, so that is being replaced and a fan spacer added. (Not going back to the problematic fan clutch.)

I should mention that the reason the distributor is being replaced is because the bushing it has a bit more play that it should and the desire to get away from points. And since it is not a "corvette correct" distributor anyway, the change makes sense.

ScottAC8DE

I have not yet done any work with the suspension. Just some basic checking for play has been done. I will eventually get to taking a few things apart to have a close look.