Author Topic: Suspension upgrades (Read 33658 times)

ourname · « **on:** February 26, 2012 - 08:55:31 PM »

I am thinking of replacing the suspension on my 74 Cuda with a Hotchkis TVS. I am presently busy with the body and am looking at the next stage of repair.

I am not doing a #'s matching resto, Just a resto to drive (and look good).

Anyone else change suspension? If so what works well, are you keeping the Torsion bars? What are the options?

Any Opinions and results from changes that worked would be appreciated.

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2012 - 09:14:14 PM »

Quote from: ourname on February 26, 2012 - 08:55:31 PM

I am thinking of replacing the suspension on my 74 Cuda with a Hotchkis TVS. I am presently busy with the body and am looking at the next stage of repair.

I am not doing a #'s matching resto, Just a resto to drive (and look good).

Anyone else change suspension? If so what works well, are you keeping the Torsion bars? What are the options?

Any Opinions and results from changes that worked would be appreciated.

That actually sounds like a good ideal and you should be very happy with the TVS.

Chryco Psycho · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2012 - 09:28:53 PM »

Not sure if you are reffering to front or rear suspension , there are a few choices of tubular K frames , rack & pinion steering & coil over or T bar springs , The Cap K frame retains the T bars which I actually like as the weight is low & in the middle of the car & still adjustable , most go to tubular control arms & coil over shocks , Alter-K-tion offers one of the best systems for the front , on the rear you can weld in a tubular rear shock crossmember & go to coilovers there as well .
You have to decide what you want the suspension to do , cornering & street are similar , drag racing is not , do a lot of research & decide what fits your needs the best .

berna4406 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 29, 2012 - 01:18:25 AM »

I agree with Chryco Psycho,you have to decide what you want the suspension to do.My opinion,stay away from XV Motorsports.It looks good but does not fit.We have a 70 Challenger in our shop and it has the Level 2 suspension front and back.They supplied the motor mounts for a 440 and the motor does not line up properly.The car has a Shaker hood and it does not line up with the hood.Good luck with your decision,I think that Alter-K-Tion is the one to use. Sam

johns cuda shop · « **Reply #4 on:** February 29, 2012 - 07:11:16 AM »

Quote from: berna4406 on February 29, 2012 - 01:18:25 AM

I agree with Chryco Psycho,you have to decide what you want the suspension to do.My opinion,stay away from XV Motorsports.It looks good but does not fit.We have a 70 Challenger in our shop and it has the Level 2 suspension front and back.They supplied the motor mounts for a 440 and the motor does not line up properly.The car has a Shaker hood and it does not line up with the hood.Good luck with your decision,I think that Alter-K-Tion is the one to use. Sam

Another vote for Alterkation

Modern Muscle · « **Reply #5 on:** February 29, 2012 - 07:58:30 AM »

Great advice from the above posts. We really like the Alterkations and we are a direct dealer for them so if you have any questions please give us a call.

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #6 on:** March 01, 2012 - 08:19:34 PM »

I am running the alterktion iin my car and love it.

But if you wish to stay close to stock the Hotchkis TVS sounds pretty cool and you can upgrade it one part at a time if budget is tight.

HP2 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 02, 2012 - 09:50:01 AM »

The direction you go is somewhat dependant upon your intended usage, it's definetly influenced by your budget, and to a lesser degree, personal taste on bling factor.

The XV Level 1 and Hotchkis TVS kits have proven that the OEM design can be taken to a much higher level of performance without radical changes. Both approaches are primarily stock based design with slightly different emphasis on approach. If you want things to remain original looking, or close to it, these may be the way to go.

The other end of the spectrum is any of the coil over conversion kits out there. They do look nice, they do improve some aspects of geometry, they do use more current design parameters, and they cost a bunch, comparatively, to join the club and they will definetly step up the performance of the chassis.

ourname · « **Reply #8 on:** March 02, 2012 - 09:04:52 PM »

I was planning to spend in the 3000 to 3500 mark.

I would like to improve the best I can. I am looking for a car to drive on the street. Plans are to be able to drive on the great Alberta roads with out fighting the steering wheel.

I do like the looks of the Alterkation set up. I am a few months away from making the purchase decision.

IMNCARN82 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 05, 2012 - 06:40:06 PM »

I've been beating the crap out of the RMS stuff front and rear for a few years now. Heavy street use,Lots of canyon romps. The rack and pinion is nice. Coils allow greater adjustability. Install is easy too. I'd go with P/S fo sho. Manual has a fantastic road feel at speed,But the bump steer...
Eh, The factory stuff has a bunch o upgrades. And can be made to perform too. Hotchkis makes great stuff. In the end...I wanted the custom factor. It always draws a crowd. You should seriously consider the front rad. brace,Frame connectors,Ect... I'm very happy with my decision. It's a total blast to drive! Turning radius is reduced. And she's stiff when you get it dialed. I get used to it. Shaves some weight off the nose that's tough to beat. To me it was worth every penny. There are quite a few of us around with the RMS. Bill iz cool, And has always helped me out.

R/T

Travis72 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 05, 2012 - 11:46:09 PM »

AlterKation here as well and so far I'm really happy with it. That being said I'm also a HUGE Hotchkis fan. I had one of their TVS systems on my old Dakota R/T and it was a blast to drive. Back when I bought my suspension Hotchkis wasn't making anything for our old Mopars yet. If I was buying today it would be a tough decision. It would basically come down to this:

AlterKation - more expensive, unique, custom appearance, rack & pinion is great, light weight
Hotchkis - probably every bit as good performance wise other than weight, cheaper, stock look

Make your decision from there.

Travis
72 Cuda

brads70 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2012 - 09:47:23 AM »

My 2 cents for what it's worth..?
Me... the only aftermarket design I would even consider is the Alterkation. It's the only one that looks strong enough for daily driving on real life streets.
The only drawback for me personally is the permanent modification to the car. Me I always had a personal rule to be able to put the car back to stock if so desired down the road. So the Hotchkis parts were attractive to me? You can work with the stock design and drastically improve the handling of these cars. Mine is night and day . You don't have to have a huge budget to do it either. I think Hotchkis has some great parts design wise. They have done a good job, but there are other ways of "skinning the cat" so to speak.
You can check out what I did in the link in my sig. if you want?
Hope that helps some?
Brad

IMNCARN82 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2012 - 08:36:11 PM »

The only thing removed is the bump stops. You could easily return an rms car back to T bars. Even the 4 link isn't a major mod.

Doomed · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2012 - 09:43:25 AM »

I use a mix of stuff - Hotchkis sway bars, xv chassis stiffening kit, CAP/ QA1 tubular front. So far its awesome, still working out the bugs.

If I was to do it all over, I would go for the RMS.

Kyle.

MizzouRT · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2012 - 10:31:48 AM »

Quote from: Travis72 on March 05, 2012 - 11:46:09 PM

AlterKation - more expensive, unique, custom appearance, rack & pinion is great, light weight
Hotchkis - probably every bit as good performance wise other than weight, cheaper, stock look

This seems to sum things up. Everything I hear about the Alterkation setup is positive other than it is relatively pricey. I have the Hotchkis TVS + Firm Feel steering and they are a huge improvement over stock. The PS box is heavy. Think the Alterkation takes something like 85 pounds off the front end, which is significant in itself. On the other hand, you can probably do the entire car with Hotchkis + Firm Feel for less than the front end only with the Alterkation. If your budget for the entire suspension is $3000-3500, that makes your choice clear. Haven't priced one out lately, but believe the Alterkation will be at the high end of that range just for the front?

Author Topic: Suspension upgrades (Read 33658 times)

ourname

Suspension upgrades

thedodgeboys

Re: Suspension upgrades

Chryco Psycho

Re: Suspension upgrades

berna4406

Re: Suspension upgrades

johns cuda shop

Re: Suspension upgrades

Modern Muscle

Re: Suspension upgrades

thedodgeboys

Re: Suspension upgrades

HP2

Re: Suspension upgrades

ourname

Re: Suspension upgrades

IMNCARN82

Re: Suspension upgrades

Travis72

Re: Suspension upgrades

brads70

Re: Suspension upgrades

IMNCARN82

Re: Suspension upgrades

Doomed

Re: Suspension upgrades

MizzouRT

Re: Suspension upgrades