My 78 came with a I6 upgraded to a 305 sometime in the 80's. The added weight causes an occasional scrape in the wheel well, and the shocks work but it's getting a little rough for the ladies. I'm looking to attempt some of this work myself and was looking into ball joins as my left upper needs tightened and causes a wobble at 60mph that scares the hell outta me. Looking at various websites, do I just go and get whatever is recommended or do I put in the search for parts for a Z28 car and put those parts on? Are there going to be better parts to put on than the recommended parts that come up on these sites? I'm not looking to lower or higher anything, just need to get those ball joints fixed and new front shocks to handle the V8. I appreciate any recommendations.

 

Any good ball joint will work fine, and a decent set of gas shocks will help, but that wont cure your bottoming problem. It will stop the instability and shake, but new springs desgined for the V8 might be in order.

 

I just bought this car 3 weeks ago and so far I ordered the Haynes Camaro book and a few other books on Camaro restoration but haven't got them in the mail yet. I was looking for something online that could show the teardown and rebuild of the front shocks. Any brands anyone can recommend? Looks like the Autozone balljoints fit any Camaro from the beginning to the end (02), all engine sizes. I'm a newbie and was wondering is it only the shocks that need to be changed to make it a smoother ride, what about the springs? I was hoping if to have all of this off to change everything that would require 30 years of maintanance while I'm working on it. There have been too many times I've gone in and had to find a ride to the store because I forgot one part that I could have already bought and had on hand. I'm wondering if the shocks and springs come as a set anywhere online that I can compare price and performance?

 

Shocks and springs are always sold separately. Shocks will help your ride, but there are tons of choices when it comes to shocks, from low end that can sell for as little as $10 ea. to high end that sell around $100 ea. You can get a pretty darn good Gabriel gas shock for around $20-$25 ea.
The ball joints are a pretty lengthy job that can take all weekend for a beginner with the proper tools. You need to look at the list of tools required before you even take a wheel off. Spud wrench, hydraulic floor jack, jack stands, drills, chisels, and misc. sockets, etc.
You may decide not to do the springs, but they aren't too expensive, and you'll have everything apart to do ball joints, so it's just the cost of springs, not more labor.
There's not kits for these kinds of things, but you should look closely at steering arms, tie rod ends, and bushings before you start, to see if they need replacement too. You'll need the front end aligned when you're done, so plan on that also

 

If you need springs, start with them. Classic Industries has the front end rebuild kit that includes all ball joints, control arm bushings, tie rod ends and sway bar links for around $200. Since you will have the front tore down you might as well do a complete rebuild.
The lower ball joints will require the use of a press to remove and install.

 

Thanks for pointing me to the Classic site! The kits I've seen for this so far have been whole car suspension for around 1100-5000 dollars. Can you be more specific or provide a link on the Classic Industries site for the 200 dollar kit you mention?

 

If you have never done this type of project before, get a manual and follow it well. Installing the bushings in the control arms and the lower ball joints can be a PITA. Also, as stated above always have the front end aligned immediately after finishing.
With tie rod ends:
http://www.classicindustries.com/con...rchCatalogId=1
Without tie rod ends:
http://www.classicindustries.com/con...rchCatalogId=1

They also have the springs you are looking for:
http://www.classicindustries.com/con...rchCatalogId=1

Or find a salvage yard to save money.

 

What about this kit? http://www.p-s-t.com/pc-3785-30-chev...o-1967-81.aspx

Is it worth the extra 200 dollars for the same parts but with "Super Performance"? I'm just wondering if it matters in quality to any of these kits. I really like the price point with the Classic Industries, but when it comes to the basics of suspension parts is there much difference between the Classic no name brand to the Polygraphite?

 

I have installed some polygraphite bushings for customers. I did not spend enough time in the seat to really judge if they are really superior to urethane as far as day to day driving. At the time I remember thinking it didn't make much difference. I am happy with the urethane in mine.