Ok guys it looks like I am finally gonna be able to get suspension done. Looking to do front and rear. Car street driven about 100 miles per week and driven to drag strips on weekend. So far it is bone stock (suspension) except lousy air shocks installed at dealer, subframe connectors bolted and welded to subframe and floor pans and new bushings. I am overpowering by 50-75 hp as a guess at strip, but will also be going from 2k-3k stall, so will need a big improvement. Will also be adding slicks. Best 60' 1.77 best et 7.59 best mph 97. All 1/8 mile. All on Hankook ventus h101 265/50/15. I have really had to drive (pedal) it. Would like to drop as little as possible but 1-2" should be no problem. Budget is around $2200 and I will do all work and fabbing if needed. So just parts, preferably as a kit is what I need help with. Don't want to go all out drag as it sees a lot of street, but a little more emphasis on strip in street/strip bias. Thanks for any ideas/input. Want to do springs, shocks and sway bars for sure and whatever is best bang for buck for remainder of budget.

 

Sounds like the emphasis is more street/strip, than street/autocross. So I'd not get too exotic on handling, as the cost goes up quickly, and wont be much help in getting it to hook up at the strip.
One thing I'd be sure to invest in is a set of CalTrac traction bars. $339. Probably do more to help hook than almost anything else. I'd also purchase a decent pair of multi leaf rear springs, and stay stock height, or maybe 1" lower. I'd stay with your stock front coils, or stock replacements, and replace all the bushings throughout the body and suspension with either Delrin or poly bushings, to firm up the chassis.
I'd get adjustable drag shocks for the front. Comp Engineering sells them in a C2610 model that can allow the dampening to be adjusted for all sorts of suspension changes, and they're under $50 ea. They help you dial in lift and return dampening.
In the rear you can either go the same Comp drag shocks, or air shocks again with dual feed lines. I ran air shocks on my Camaro with dual lines to adjust suspension preload, which helped my car launch straighter. I still run them on my Falcon gasser for the same reason. My Austin has ladder bar/coilover rear, so coilovers have adjustment for setting preload.
I think you'll be well under your $2,000 budget, and have a suspension that can be dialed in to best work on street/strip use.

 

Thanks! I was hoping you would reply as you've been helpful in the past. Been looking here. List of part numbers I was thinking would work well. You may have a better combo. Was thinking gt kit with all springs and adjustable shocks. Then add the sway bar kit which they say frees up weight transfer. And finally the control arm kit with Derlin bushings. Let me know what you would do as I'm no suspension guy. If some of these aren't $ worthy let me know.
$779 spring/shock gt 2cs-421
$329 frt sway ocs-502
$289 rear sway 2cs-511
$299 cont arm 2cs-102
$399 cont arm 1cs-103
Link to website.
Services

 

Most of what you've listed is very nice, but contradicts what you said your intended use was for the car, and adds very little (if anything) to it's times on the drag strip? Most of these are handling items, and will definitely improve the feel in cornering. Pro Touring F-Body is probably as good as it gets, if you want to make a cornering machine, and not street/strip.
The control arms are probably one item that will lower front weight slightly, but considering the cost, it's a lot to pay for a small weight loss. The springs and shocks at nearly $800 can be purchased through other sources for about half the price. A pair of shocks for $100, coils for under $100, and springs for under $200.
Swaybars help handling, and will be a little help in straight launch, but not sure I'd use adjustable. I'd go with fixed rate swaybars and get them for around $325 for BMR, or Hellwig.

 

Gotcha. That's why I asked so I would hear real world not just a salesman's pitch. And you are right, I doubt it will ever see a road course and I don't race on the street. I just want it to hook and handle decent. I do drive it 100 or so miles a week, so I just want to be careful that I don't go too far towards drag and have a hard time on city streets and back roads. I will take your advise and run with it. And I wasn't blowing off cal tracs. I figure I will fab up some with some heim joints and chrome moly tubing opposite threaded on ends to add remove preload. Just to clarify though the reason I had control arms is bc I was told that adding those with Derlin bushings it would significantly free up the front end and allow better weight transfer but I don't know if there is any truth to that. Was told same about sways, again idk. Thanks! Will let you know how it goes and what I ended up with. Will be 1st or 2nd week of dec when I pull the trigger and will have more to put in tire/stall budget now.

Edit so where would be the best place to look for springs/shocks on all 4 corners and sway bars as a kit if possible.

 

I got all my stuff from Summit. The Delrin bushings are great, but you can purchase them separately to fit your stock arms, and not fork out big dollars for tubular arms with Delrin bushings. Stock A arms are very well made, and stronger than tubular.
The Comp Engineering adjustable shocks I mentioned can be fully dialed in, so they aren't just for drag racing, and can be set so they have more rebound and work well for the street. Or they can be set with less resistance to allow front end lift, which will help plant the tires.
CalTracs are spendy, and if you have welding skills you might be able to use your stock spring plates and perches, and build something that will work well. I buy adjustable rod ends and joints from QS Components in the Midwest. Frank sells the pieces cheaper than most places, and also gives free shipping.
http://www.qscomponents.com/

 

Very good! Thanks a ton! Am going to leave the control arms, but do Delrin bushings. Looking at calverts mono leaf or multi leaf. Finding out it's not the easiest thing in the world to find kits for second gen. Looking at just doing springs, shocks, sways and bushings now. Calvert had 9 way adjustable shocks, but I don't know yet how far they are off on their $99 per corner price. Also one more thing is that I was told the hollow sways are not good to use. Any truth to that as I'm having trouble finding solid. They seem to be all square/hollow. If I can't find the dimensions online there is probably someone around that will let me measure out the dimensions of trac bars so I can clone. If not I'm not gonna guess I'll probably spring for cal tracs , but I can fab and install just about anything if I got the right metal and welder for the job. One thing I did notice while researching is that they use solid front spring bushings and poly rear. Have already done poly body, but will do all chassis bushings too. Looks like I will be able to save enough to go ahead and finally get rid of the rpm intake too!
Gonna check out summit now.

 

Not a fan of hollow swaybars either. Both the companies I listed are solid, and available through Summit, and maybe Jegs too.

 

Thank you. looks like I will pull the trigger when I get my bonus 1st week of dec. I will be sure to ask if any questions arise.

 

Ok I got everything ordered. Saved enough that stall and intake are on the way too. I did end up getting the comp springs with spherical bushings for the rear. The reason is I was assured that I would not need trac bars if under 600hp, and if over all recommended was standard trac bars. So I have all shocks(adjustable), springs, bushings and hardware on the way. Keeping factory sways with new hardware. Will let you know the results. Should I wait to get control arm bushings before installing front springs? That's the only part I haven't done before. The arms have to come off right? Doing ball joints too btw.