Suspension Restoration and Modification

Restomod tips for a classic car

Matt Carlson / autoMedia.com

It was love at first sight, the sleek lines, the shiny paint. Underneath the hood sat a powerful engine, and the interior fit you like a comfortable pair of three-year old sneakers. And when you test-drove your dream classic, the car you had always wanted in high school, it felt perfect. A few quirks, but that's what makes owning a classic car fun, right?

Hidden Problems

Well, now that the honeymoon is over, all of the things you once thought were endearing are becoming annoying. You start to notice the clunks and rattles over every bump. To make things worse, it goes around corners like a Yugo on stilts. Mysterious things are happening to the underpinnings of your beautiful car.

Initially it might be easy to overlook a problem in the suspension of an older car. The suspension is hard to see and sometimes a problem is only apparent at high speed or under load. If you are contemplating the purchase of a restored classic, keep in mind that you may not notice a problem right away on a test drive.

We'll take a look at some of the components that you might need to replace. Along the way, we'll also try to improve on a few things that will add even more enjoyment to your ride. All of the handling symptoms mentioned above point to the need for a complete restoration of the suspension, and possibly some mods as well, hence the term "restomod."

Some people might think only of shock absorbers when they hear the word suspension, but this actually refers to the entire system that supports the weight of the car. Think of the amount of stress and strain that these components go through. Almost all of the weight of the car has been supported by the suspension for decades. Really, this is an amazing feat. If your resto vehicle is a sports car, or an American musclecar, the stresses of spirited driving and great amounts of power have no doubt added strain to the suspension.