[matts37chev]

I am very excited, yesterday I ordered my new Heidts Superide II front susp.

this was a very big expense and even bigger commitment to working on the car

some people might think its over priced and would have gone a different route

but......
I took a lot of time and did a lot of homework deciding what was best for me

I bought it from Tims Hot Rods (ibuildm) per a recommendation from Heidts, and got a heck of a deal
(so we will see how that works out)




other than the instructions that Heidts provides , what kind of info can you guys give me about this part of my project

nothing will be too basic, obvious, or general when giving suggestions, I would love to hear it all
(including making sure I have all the other needed things done, before this step)


my first question/concern is the fact that my garage floor is not level , but kinda flat

do I level up the stands with shims etc. or just make sure the frame is the same distance from the floor?

I'm thinking level up the frame with shims under the stands


I plan on starting this in a few weeks, and would love to hear from everyone

[ethn_bert]

Originally Posted by matts37chev

I am very excited, yesterday I ordered my new Heidts Superide II front susp.

this was a very big expense and even bigger commitment to working on the car

some people might think its over priced and would have gone a different route

but......
I took a lot of time and did a lot of homework deciding what was best for me

I bought it from Tims Hot Rods (ibuildm) per a recommendation from Heidts, and got a heck of a deal
(so we will see how that works out)




other than the instructions that Heidts provides , what kind of info can you guys give me about this part of my project

nothing will be too basic, obvious, or general when giving suggestions, I would love to hear it all
(including making sure I have all the other needed things done, before this step)


my first question/concern is the fact that my garage floor is not level , but kinda flat

do I level up the stands with shims etc. or just make sure the frame is the same distance from the floor?

I'm thinking level up the frame with shims under the stands


I plan on starting this in a few weeks, and would love to hear from everyone

Level the frame! Don't make the frame the same distance from the floor...this is begging for trouble. If you use a level you wont have any questions when you are done.

Also, a level flat floor is desired, but don't overlook a super clean floor. The cleaner the floor the better the work.

Assemble as many parts before hand multiple times so that you are familiar with how they work and that everything is in working order. Nothing worse than finding out that threads are damaged or parts are missing mid build. Also, keep your instructions clean. I recommend a binder with plastic jackets. You can also put pictures and other information in this binder for quick simple access.

Also, if you put in fasteners hand tight make sure you remove them or tighten them before the end of the day. It is easy to forget to tighten things up after a few days.

Use masking tape on the frame, floor, and body to jot down measurements and quick notes. I wrote on bare steel but found out later that my note was no longer visible because of surface rust.

Last, TAKE PICTURES AND POST THEM

[nine4gmc]

if you level the frame, be sure to make all your measurements from the frame and NOT the floor when adding parts. like for ride height, measure from the frame down to the suspension, not from the floor up.

the binder for instructions is a good idea ethn, thanks for mentioning.

[ethn_bert]

Originally Posted by nine4gmc

if you level the frame, be sure to make all your measurements from the frame and NOT the floor when adding parts. like for ride height, measure from the frame down to the suspension, not from the floor up.

the binder for instructions is a good idea ethn, thanks for mentioning.

mentioning measuring from the frame not the floor. This is important...lol...could've been bad

[matts37chev]

thanks guys, thats what I was thinking (level the frame)

anybody else have anymore tid-bits of knowledge

[spacytracy]

Matt, be sure to just tack weld everything as you go. Then remember the old rule, measure twice cut once or measure twenty times then cut then measure twenty more times then weld.

[39Hemi]

When mocking up the suspension make a solid link to replace the shock absorber with the length adjusted so the lower control arm is at ride height, uually parallel to the ground (or in your case level).
This will give you a much better idea if you have the stance correct and the cross member in the right place before you weld it solid.

Also once you do install the springs, make no decisions about replacing springs or cutting coils to set ride height until you have driven the car a couple hundred miles. Mine settled a good inch and half from the initial ride height.

[evolvo]

Buy one of these:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1192011x000001

Reads to .1* and is teachable has a magnetic base, great cheap investment!

[matts37chev]

Originally Posted by 39Hemi

When mocking up the suspension make a solid link to replace the shock absorber with the length adjusted so the lower control arm is at ride height, uually parallel to the ground (or in your case level).

Also once you do install the springs, make no decisions about replacing springs or cutting coils to set ride height until you have driven the car a couple hundred miles. Mine settled a good inch and half from the initial ride height.

good tip
however I will have coil-overs so I can adj. for set up and settling
thanks

Originally Posted by evolvo

Buy one of these:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1192011x000001

Reads to .1* and is teachable has a magnetic base, great cheap investment!

nice looking tool
I all ready have an angle finder like this one but yours sure looks better

[evolvo]

Originally Posted by matts37chevy
nice looking tool :thumbup:
I all ready have an [URL=http://www.harborfreight.com/dial-gauge-angle-finder-34214.html

angle finder like this one[/URL] but yours sure looks better

Yeah, Matt, I have one of those, too! You can have it if you want, it is covered in dust though, haven't used it since I found the Craftsman unit.

[speedbump]

Another handy time saver I use is to go to the hardware store and get some cheap nuts in the diameter and thread pitch of your suspension and steering parts. Since you will assemble/disassemble this thing numerous times, you can use the the nuts and your fingers for quick install/remove and save the fancy nylock nuts for the FINAL assembly.

[matts37chev]

Originally Posted by speedbump

Another handy time saver I use is to go to the hardware store and get some cheap nuts in the diameter and thread pitch of your suspension and steering parts. Since you will assemble/disassemble this thing numerous times, you can use the the nuts and your fingers for quick install/remove and save the fancy nylock nuts for the FINAL assembly.

^^^^^^^^^good tip
I got most of the parts home today, looks purdy
wont be able to start on it for a while, to many other projects/loose ends to tie up/finish off

soon I hope

[1ownerT]

Once the car is on stands, I would establish a center line from front to back on your floor, also centers of the front and rear suspension, squared and paralleled from the center line.
Having said that, I have never installed a new aftermarket front suspension before so I could be full of crap.

[tony@roadstershop]

Not really sure how you took it so I will help clarify a little on what Hemi mentioned above. On the super Ride your installed coilover height will be in the neighborhhod of 12.5 - 13". This should be when the lower control arm are level. I would recommend doing as he suggested above and creating some solid rod / rod ends to set this up and hold it in place while you are building the car. This ensures that you have the front end at its desired ride height where geometry is correct and that you are satisfied with that height.

Just be cause you have a coilover on there doesnt mean you can run it up and down to your hearts content. You will realistically have only about 1/2-3/4" adjument either direction from ride height ( AT THE WHEEL ) without knocking it out of spec... thats only about 7/16 to little over 1/2" adjustment at the coil over. Once you take it beyond that trying to achieve what you think looks good... you are compromising the geomtry

[matts37chev]

Originally Posted by tony@roadstershop

Not really sure how you took it so I will help clarify a little on what Hemi mentioned above. On the super Ride your installed coilover height will be in the neighborhhod of 12.5 - 13". This should be when the lower control arm are level. I would recommend doing as he suggested above and creating some solid rod / rod ends to set this up and hold it in place while you are building the car. This ensures that you have the front end at its desired ride height where geometry is correct and that you are satisfied with that height.

Just be cause you have a coilover on there doesnt mean you can run it up and down to your hearts content. You will realistically have only about 1/2-3/4" adjument either direction from ride height ( AT THE WHEEL ) without knocking it out of spec... thats only about 7/16 to little over 1/2" adjustment at the coil over. Once you take it beyond that trying to achieve what you think looks good... you are compromising the geomtry

thanks tony, did I talk to you about a month ago, about some confusion on using shockwaves on the superide II ?