so i will become the owner of a 95 t-top t/a with a 383 making almost 500 crank hp naturally aspirated. it has a 3500 stall converter and the auto trans has been built to hold around 700 hp. the rearend is the orginal rear end with 120000 miles on it and it has been rebuilt but back to stock just after this engine and trans were installed. it has been to the track and it ran a 12.0 on some cheap street tires that my dad had mounted to the stock 1986 t/a rims that he put on the car. the honey comb ones with the crome lips and the inside was painted black and the fronts are skinner than the back rims. it looks good on the car since the car is black too. anyways he didn't really grab till about 400 ft out and trapped 120mph .

now i know the rear end is probablly a weak link but the shocks are shot/brakes suck(typical firebird shit brakes always warping)

shocks are my first plan of attack and i was looking at this site
http://www.umiperformance.com/fbody
there stuff looks like high quality but i thought i might get your guys thoughts

first. i am looking at the 1993-02 GM F-Body QA1 Generation "F" Series Single Adjustable Shock - Front and rear and wanted to know if anyone is using these.
2nd i am looking at their 3 point bolt/weld frame connectors since i have the t-tops this allows for too much body flex as it is.
3rd would be the c5 brake upgrade althought i am not sure about that since i think the rims i have as stated above are 16's and the kit requires 17's

i don't know what would be next other than rearend work and some stickies..

what are your guys feelings on there torque arm's and relocators?
also the panhard bar and rear arm contols???

all i know is i have the engine and trans where i want it but i have a car that handles like crap because everything is old and doesn't stop worth a damn.

 

bmr fab is your 1 stop shop man.

as for brake get a parportining valve so u can balance the front and rear..my old z28 would stop on a dime and i was making around 750hp at the fly wheel.

 

bmr has alot of the same stuff as umi but it cost more. some of their brake stuff may be worth looking into

 

IMO its worth it, and if you actually want to drive to their shop and pay cash, they will usually give some sort of break on the price.

but anyways...you have the mph to trap mid 11's

the ideal setup would be:

**Ford 9" or Dana 60 conversion. (3.73 gear, detriot locker, 35 or 37 spline axles should do fine)
**BMR adjustable torque arm and transmission mount relocation (some people have had problems cracking tranny cases)
**weld on LCA relocation brackets
**LCA's
**BMR's Subframes (no bolt on, just weld on, i've installed dozens and they have the easiest installation i've experienced)
**BIG tranny cooler (BAR AND PLATE!!)
**Put in a DSL while your at it, you'll thank yourself later when you have your driveshaft break.
** 28x9 ET Drag, shouldnt have to roll the fender well or anything with this tire, its about 27.3" tall

the QA1's are a very good shock, just remember physics of a car is a bit different then most are experienced with, some people think that the rear of the car squating on the tires is a good thing, that its putting extra weight on them for more traction. its actually not, your key focus needs to be antisquat, watch some properly setup cars sometime, like a stock class, the rear ends of the cars will actually raise up. the more adjustability you can get with your shocks the better. also, decide what this car will be to you, if its an all out track car, get a spring rate appropriate for what you want.

as for the brakes, i dont know what to tell you, i had a 93' and i had no issues with brakes what so ever, i had no problems making the 2nd turn off at BMP after coming through the traps at about 130, of course i usually just waited for the 3rd, no reason to go through pads that quickly.

also, 11.49 and quicker requires a cage, keep that into consideration for how fast you really wanna go. if you do want to do a cage, i prefer getting one from A.R.T. off 110th ave between 49th St and US19, they have alot of cages prefabbed and they are local and make about 2 bend days a week so you should only have to wait a few days at the most.

 

thank you . great info....i am aware that squating in the rear is not idel. this car is mostly going to be a track car but able to be driven on the road for when i want to. i thought it was 10.99 or quicker and you need a cage.

 

nope 11.49, and i believe 6.99 at sunshine, but dont quote me on that.

 

well all they can do is kick me of when that time comes. hahaha

 

dont get a 9inche..they take more power to spin then a 12 bolt will be fine with the 33 spline axles..u wont need 35s to u get into the 1200hp range.

moser has a thing on there site that will recomded what axle spline to get.

 

well when i finally make it to the track i intend to beat on the stock rearend till it gives up. then who knows.

 

get AAA now.