Front Suspension Mod.s and Improvements
Project Description and Goals
Spitfire's updated passenger-side front suspension.

The project's objective is to improve handling, update technology, replace worn parts, and inspect the infrastructure for fatigue and cracks. To restate from the introduction for the rear suspension upgrade: Ye Beast has been operating with a Chevy small block V-8 for 40+ years. To improve the riding and handling from the front suspension, the 35 year old Koni shocks were changed to AFCO aluminum billet, coil over springs. The front 400 in-lb coil springs were replaced with 350 in-lb coil springs to lessen the sharp responses when hitting rough road conditions.

The coup d'grace, the front drum brakes were replaced with a FAB Quest 68-72 Chevy Nova front disc conversion kit.

In 1970, when Ye Beast was created, the stock Spitfire front suspension system was retained in order to get the project on the road. A couple of years of supporting a V8 engine took a heavy toll; the ball joints and trunnions were in sad shape. I studied American auto spindles and selected 1969 Chevy Nova spindles to replace the stock Spitfire spindles -another sales point was that they were engineered to support a Chevy V8 (small and large block). They were close to the same height and didn't change the geometry significantly. The use of Chevy ball joints provided for longevity of the suspension. In order to employ the Chevy ball joints, the Spitfire's upper and lower a-arms were modified to accept stock Chevy Nova ball joints.

The modified lower a-arms have survived the 40+ years of beating to continue their service. The upgrading and inspection of the suspension focused on the condition of the lower a-arms. The upper a-arms were replaced by a set of tubular a-arms with an adjustable upper ball joint for camber adjustment from Canley Classics of Great Britain.

Photographs recorded the project's progress. Since only the original lower a-arms were retained from the original suspension, a few extra photos were included of them to show their modifications. I hope this set of photos along with their explanations answer many of your questions.

This website was updated
Thu 23 Feb 2012
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