Griggs Suspension

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So after 13 years of ownership I finally did everything I always dreamed of doing to my '95 GTS. I actually spent more money under the car than anywhere else. I got a full Griggs suspension. Now I have the familiar tubular A arms and K member up front, but also the less-familiar coilover rear setup with Panhard bar and torque arm.

I haven't taken it to a track since I had the mods done, but the difference in handling on the street is amazing. It's very apparent that the car's center of gravity has shifted down and to the rear, and of course the car doesn't plow anymore. One downside is that one of the mounting bolts for the torque arm bangs the passenger-side exhaust elbow. That may be because I upgraded to 2.5-inch exhaust.

I finally got a chance to get some pictures under the car when it was in the shop recently, so I thought I'd show them off. What you see here are the tubular front suspension, the adjustable Koni colover rear, the subframe connector, the Panhard bar, and a little more comprehensive view showing the torque arm under the driveshaft and the new trailing arms (the blue thing is part of the hydraulic lift suspending the car).

Looking back on the pictures, I should have gotten down closer to the floor to get a shot from a greater distance. Oh well.

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Win

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Wonderful setup looks great. Can't wait to see some 1/4 mile times. Did you ever run it before without all this??
 
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Thanks.

Yes, I've run the quarter mile a few times. The best run I ever made was 14.7 at 95.3. The car was stock. It had 3.08 gears (the best you could get in '95), and I had removed the intake silencer and I had a K&N conical stock replacement filter.

Also, while the suspension should help me at the strip over the stock setup, it's a road racing/autocross style suspension rather than a drag suspension.

I didn't just have the suspension reworked last year, though. The car has more than 120,000 miles on it. The ball joints were shot up front, so I decided I'd go ahead and get the tubular suspension. All those years of Florida sun had taken their toll on the paint as well. I had just switched jobs for a substantial pay increase and was working lots of OT, so I decided to go whole hog.

I also had the engine bored 0.030" over, and upgraded with Edelbrock heads (with the big 2.02" intake valves), an Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake, 1.7 roller rockers, BBK shorty headers (unequal length), BBK catted H-pipe, Edelbrock cat-back exhaust, and 3.73 gears. Compression has been bumped to 10.0:1. It dynoed at 270 hp at the wheels. I also upgraded to Cobra brakes. I still need to do something about the intake end?I've got a BBK fender-mounted CAI, but it's sucking through the stock MAF!

Oh yeah, I had it repainted, too.

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Dalamar

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That's awsome, nice job man!

I feel ya, my car feels nothing like it did before.
the difference is amazing - as you said.

What's your favorite part?
 
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Actually, I think I like the new sound the best.

In terms of suspension, I like that I can accelerate in the middle of a turn now.
 

duff daddy

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good luck inthe twisties, i was gonna say if you baught all that for a 1/4 mile car you didnt get the right stuff, that set up will be golden on track days and auto x events. good luck and nice job.
 

wytstang

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I can't wait for the day I get to upgrade my front end, I'm jealous man congrats.
 

95PGTTech

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How is the noise on the street, particularly over bumps and stuff?
 
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I was talking about exhaust noise.

The suspension bangs some. Like I said, one of the mounting bolts hits the tailpipe. (And I see that I said it was for the torque arm, but it's the Panhard bar bolt that hits.) That clunks.

I got urethane bushings, but the ride is still pretty rough. And it's murder riding on brick streets!

The Griggs suspension lowers the car all the way around, but lowers the front slightly more than the rear. When I first got the rear installed (did that months after the front), I dragged over a few speed bumps. I thought it was the torque arm dragging, but when I had the car on a lift recently it was obvious that the cats were dragging?the torque arm was unscratched.

I go slower over speed bumps now!
 

mikey94gt

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I also have the Griggs setup, but only in the front. I plan on doing the rear suspension soon. I noticed a huge difference as soon as I put it in, and even greater difference when I moved the engine back 1". if and when you do the 1" relocation, get longer hoses for the PS cooler. I blew one just after I relocated the engine.
 

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