The Firebird Project - New Front Shocks...and more!

 

Once again we come to a crossroads.  

Fix it or ditch it. 

Is it good money after bad or is it an investment in the future.  Only you can answer that but if you extend your best foot forward every time at least you can be confident that you didn't cheat the process.

So it went with the latest project on the Formula.  Do we ignore obvious problems and just stick to the original plan or do we dig a little deeper and see if we can't advance toward our ultimate goal.

The desired result was to replace the front shocks, that was going to happen regardless.  However, experience has taught me that we weren't going to get away that easily.  The end result was not so much a surprise as an inevitability.

In the videos below you'll learn what it takes to tackle this project as well as learn about what you should be watching for.

Remember, you're dealing with a primary safety system here.  Shortcuts only invite disaster.

I'm hopeful the following is helpful in your project!

Shocking! - The El Camino needs some attention

 

Seems the Formula has gotten all the attention but I have 2 project cars and the other one wanted some attention.

How did I know?  

Well, I was a bit dense.  Any car guy with a project will tell you that it's sometimes a game of denial.  We simply can't accept that something we already fixed may need attention again.

So it goes with my shocks.  I had changed them but it had been so long that I didn't realize just how many miles they've soaked up holding up the front end of 4000 pound car.

So it was with the El Camino.  Now I should know better having changed the transmission 3 times, carburetor at least 5 times not to mention a myriad of other things.

 

But the shocks, I thought they had plenty of time left.  

Well, truth be told the shocks were one of the first things I ever replaced on the El Camino which puts the timeframe somewhere around 1992.   Before the engine change, before the new paint job and of course before 80,000 miles had passed under the third set of tires.

Yeah, it was time.  More accurately, it was overdue.

The signs were there just not obvious to my rose colored perspective.

The front end sat too low, so low in fact that I could no longer get a jack under the front of the car.  

Hard stops became a bit scary with the car diving to one side or the other.

Then the handling... Any imperfection in the road caused varied degrees of drama.

Yes, time to do something.  So I did and the video below shows the adventure.  Take a look.