I need your opinion for suspension upgrades..

[72Charger]

Well hopefully I'll be starting a new job this summer and will finally be able to start saving some real money so I'm starting to really plan out how my 72 Charger and what I want to do.

Everything has been pretty much planned out except for the suspension upgrades and I'm stuck between two different paths.

I want the car to handle very well, much like a new car. I'm NOT going street racing, auto cross, drag or any other form of racing that would require special suspensions, I just like working on my car and enjoying a good ride.

My 2 different options are....

   1.   Go with a somewhat stock setup with new torsion bars, rebuild kits, tubular upper control arms, steering boxes, sway bars, upgrades brakes....all that I will have to buy because my car was a 318 that is now a 440 and everything either needs rebuilding or replacement.

         This option is favorable to me because it keeps a lot of the stock setup which I think is cool. The downside is the cost. While the cost could be minimal, I will have to buy a lot and it will get pricey quickly. I'm thinking between $2500 to $3500 easily...

   2.   Go with a setup like the Alterktion. Should give me exactly what I want for ride quality wise. I think it is a really neat setup.

         The downside to this is definitely the cost. $4000ish easily.

I hate to think I could spend $3000 for a Tbar setup, not like it and then go for a Alterktion OR spend $4000 for a setup that I really didn't need and a Tbar setup would have made me happy all along.

So what would you do? If it helps, think of my car having no front suspension at all but a k-member and possibly some LCA's. Go for old style or new style?

[Big Sugar]

You really need to consider the overall package before you jump in, Adding a Alterkation front end wont do you much good if your rear end is all over the place, It's a big dollar start with mixed blessings if you run short on cash.
Start with your Chassis, Are you Sub frame connected ? You'll need to sort out ALL your bushings and Ball joints steering componants , Next should a 4 wheel alignment  At this point you should consider what your plans are for the Charger, Street, Strip or Touring, Cause your gonna need Good Tires and Brakes,.. Updated torsion bars ands Sway Bars front and rear, At this point you could already be bumping the $3-4000 Mark.
Now your Charger should be driving nice, from here you can decide how much you want to spend on further upgrades.

Hotchkis also has a nice TVS kit that covers most of the suspension and should make a nice touring setup Alterkation is also definatly a nice option but you need to put you budget into perspective and take care of the basics first.
There are lots of suspension upgrade kits from Just Suspension,PST,Firm feel,Hotchkis, as well as a few others just use your buying power to help put you in the right direction.


Good Luck
Ron

[72Charger]

You'll need to sort out ALL your bushings and Ball joints steering componants , Next should a 4 wheel alignment  At this point you should consider what your plans are for the Charger, Street, Strip or Touring, Cause your gonna need Good Tires and Brakes,.. Updated torsion bars ands Sway Bars front and rear, At this point you could already be bumping the $3-4000 Mark.
Now your Charger should be driving nice, from here you can decide how much you want to spend on further upgrades.

Ron,
  This is what I'm not sure what to do, as I read your post I think you are saying, rebuild my suspension in regards to the bushings and ball joints, get torsion bars and sway bars and tires and brakes to match my preference and only after all of that, then consider something like a TVS kit or Alterkation. However, like you said, that will easily cost $3-4000 and then a TVS or Alterkation will cost another $4000.

Since the Alterkation would not use any of the stock bushings and ball joints or torsion and sway bars and IIRC not even the brakes, I was thinking of either doing one thing or the other.

As for the overall package I totally agree about what you are saying. The rearend, for the most part, is planned out and I think it will be well suited for either front end option. Same with the sub frame connectors. I actually plan on adding a significant about of chassis stiffening to possibly include a roll bar.

So you think I should go the torsion bar route...see how I like it and then look into something like Alterkation? Although it doesn't make sense to pay $4000 for parts I'm just going to take right back off and then pay $4000 again, I think I might just like the torsion bar setup and be content with that.

Thanks for the input.

[thedodgeboys]

I am running an alterkation in my challenger and love the ride quality.
I feel it's better than a stock setup in that regards however the hotchkis stuff is nice and works good. I do not know how it rides on the street, it may be stiff my guess it is.

The alterk gives you modern rack and pinion steering a big plus IMHO.
Bill will let you buy it in sections so you don't have to pay so much to start with if that helps.

A lot of guys like the stock setup and you can make it work for the same money if your starring from nothing. 

The road feel is great like a newer car(if you like that feel) hit an off or onramp at 70 and you'll love it 

[HPP]

Since budget is a concern, I wouldn't even consider things like AlterK. Putting this in front an rear can easily run you up to $10k with options.

You also don't need to get too wild with your stock style set up. Since you aren't racing and are primarily cruising and want a more modern feel, it can be done less expensively.

Like Big Sugar said, make sure the foundation is good, this means sub frame connectors, good bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, tires, etc. Like a house, a car requires a solid base to start from. My recommendation below is based on these all being up to par, and you having decent wheels and tires.

Assuming all of that is in order, firming up the steering is a big bonus and usually the biggest complaint about slop and feel-$500 from Firm Feel, a good starting place for t-bars is 1" t-bars, find these on sale for $200, 1.125 sway bar front-$125, good leaf springs-$200, and as much shock as you willing to spring for, Edlebrocks would be good for you-$400 for the set. Get a more radial friendly alignment- -.5* camber, as much caster as possible to 5*, 1/16 toe in. You under $1500 at this point. I'd suggest skipping the tubular arms. Their biggest benefit is additional caster, which you can get for $80 with offset upper control arm bushings instead of the $300 for new arms. I'd also skip a rear sway bar. They usually aren't required with this type of combination unless your really pushing perforance and are more diligent about matched rates and shock valving.

For brakes, the stock 11.75 rotors and factory calipers with 10" rear drums will be more than adequate for street driving. Piece these together for $300-500, or buy a kit for under a grand.

Do all this and you can be where you want for around $2k.