I've been buying and hoarding parts for the past few years and it's finally time for the best part, ASSEMBLY! I'm going with a UPR
suspension, K-member, front coil overs and rear
control arms. I bought a quick ratio manual rack and will be running Maximum Motorsports caster
camber plates and their bumpsteer kit. I decided on Koni adjustable struts and shocks all around and will also run poly bushings and isolators. I'm staying 4 lug for now (wheels are expensive!) so I bought new wheel bearings, rotors, drums, calipers and pads from Napa. I just scored a pair of
Eibach Pro Kit springs for the rear on Ebay to drop the back down a little. I'll run the factory sway bars until I feel the need to upgrade. I have a 4cyl front sway bar that I might try for a little more lift in the front (15/16" vs. 1" 5/16).
I started by installing the UPR K-member. I measured twice and everything lined up pretty well. I had to clearance a small portion of the frame on the passenger side (shown in pic) to allow it to sit flush, but it wasn't a big deal. The driver side had a bigger notch from the factory and lined right up. Then I had to wrestle the front
control arms into place. I say "wrestle" because as much as I like UPR, the quality and fit is definitely not on par with other companies *cough cough*
Maximum Motorsports. I grew up in the same county in Florida as UPR and have been buying their stuff for years, but I was a little disappointed with the amount of effort it took to get these arms into place. I was wishing that I had a spreader or bottle jack to make them line up better. I should have taken a pic of how far they were off, (almost a 1/2"!!!) but I was too busy cursing and sweating and prying them into place. I imagine it could have been the mounts on the K-member that were slightly off, since both sides seemed to be equally difficult. Anyways, they eventually went in I was able to bolt up the rest of the front
suspension.
The Maximum Motorsports caster
camber plates were installed, along with the steering rack and bump steer kit. I painted the spindles with POR-15 some time ago and they still look new! I took fine emory cloth and cleaned up some of the wear marks on the spindles. I looked around for new bolts for the front struts, (I hate rusty bolts!) but I couldn't find any quick enough and decided they would hardly be seen anyways. I might replace them later if they still bug me. The freshly powder coated dust shield went on next and then the bearings and rotors. After some toe adjustments, I should be able to set the front end back on the ground for the first time in a long while! Slowly but surely...