How To Make Your Muscle Car Handle

When automotive manufacturers stuffed large V-8 engines into intermediate-size cars, the American muscle car was born. Built from 1964 on, the vast majority of these amazingly fast machines did not carry cutting-edge chassis and suspension systems, and now these cars are up to 50 years old. Today, owners do not have to settle for poor handling and ride quality. Muscle car and suspension expert Mark Savitske has built his business, Savitske Classic and Custom, on making muscle cars handle and ride at their best. With this updated edition, Savitske shows you what it takes to transform the handling of these high-horsepower machines. He explains the front and rear suspension geometry so you understand how it functions, and in turn, you realize how to get the most from a particular system. He also reveals the important aspects of spring rates, shock dampening, and ride height so you select the best spring and shock package for your car and application. He discusses popular high-performance tubular suspension arms and sway bars, so you can find the right combination of performance and adjustability. The suspension system has to operate as an integrated part of the car, so you’re shown how to select best suspension package for a well-balanced and responsive car. He also discusses how to extract maximum performance from popular GM, Ford, and Mopar muscle cars. You can harness the potential performance potential of your muscle car and put much more power to the ground with critical chassis and suspension updates and products. A muscle car that carries modern suspension technology not only provides far better handling and ride comfort, but it is also much safer. How to Make Your Muscle Car Handle is the essential guide to unlocking the handling and performance potential of your muscle car. If you yearn for better handling, comfort, and performance for your muscle car, this is the book for you.

To make your car handle, design a suspension system, or just learn about chassis, you’ll find what you need here. Basic suspension theory is thoroughly covered: roll center, roll axis, camber change, bump steer, anti-dive, ride rate, ride balance and more. How to choose, install and modify suspensions and suspension hardware for best handling: springs, sway bars, shock absorbers, bushings, tired and wheels. Regardless of the basic layout of your car—front engine/rear drive, front engine/front drive, or rear engine/rear drive—it is covered here. Aerodynamic hardware and body modifications for reduced drag, high-speed stability and increased cornering power: spoilers, air dams, wings and ground-effects devices. How to modify and set up brakes for maximum stopping power and handling. The most complete source of handling information available. “Suspension secrets” explained in plain, understandable language so you can be the expert.

With information on major systems - suspension, steering, brakes, wheels, transmission, tires, engines, cooling, exhaust, fuel, ignition and electrical systems, rear axle and driveshaft, and upholstery - this title shows how those with a modicum of mechanical skill can do the maintenance and repairs necessary to keep their muscle car alive.

As cool as classic muscle cars might be, they're only as good as the automotive technology of their era. That's where this book comes in. With clear, easy-to-follow instructions, this guide shows how to give your car all the muscle of today while preserving the classic styling of your muscle car. In this updated and fully illustrated edition of his popular handbook, veteran overhauler and automotive writer Jason Scott takes readers through the step-by-step improvements that will add more power, style, and handling capability to any classic muscle car. Full-color photos accompany Scott's detailed instructions, covering bodywork and interior restoration, engine enhancements, transmission and axle swaps, suspension, steering, chassis and brake upgrades as well as many other changes that will restore-or maintain-a muscle cars identity while making it perform as if it were built only yesterday.

Trends in automotive modification come and go, some outlandish, some practical. Currently, the trend called "Pro Touring," while expensive, definitely leans toward the practical. Originally a term coined for GM cars, the term Pro Touring has come to mean a style of all cars, and many eras. Pro Touring is essentially the art of adding modern technology to aged designs, creating cars that stop, start, handle, drive, and behave just as modern performance cars do. You can do this in many ways and choose from many suppliers. Detroit Speed is at the forefront of the Pro Touring movement. Both a parts manufacturer and car builder, the company is in a unique position not only to design and manufacture parts, but to build cars and test the parts for their effectiveness on the street and track. Kyle and Stacy Tucker have put their considerable skill in engineering and market savvy to create a unique company to lead the Pro Touring movement. Not only do you learn about the history of the company and how they design their performance parts, install sections cover front sub-frame assemblies, rear suspension assemblies, wheel tubs, fuel system upgrades, brake upgrades, driveline upgrades including an LS swap, cooling system upgrades, and more. The featured cars are customer builds as well as DSE test cars, which include a host of different Chevrolet products, a 1966 Mustang and a 1969 Charger. Detroit Speed’s How to Build a Pro Touring Car is a vital edition to every performance enthusiast’s library.

The General Motors G-Body is one of the manufacturer's most popular chassis, and includes cars such as Chevrolet Malibu, Monte Carlo, and El Camino; the Buick Regal, Grand National, and GNX; the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme; the Pontiac Grand Prix, and more. This traditional and affordable front engine/rear-wheel-drive design lends itself to common upgrades and modifications for a wide range of high-performance applications, from drag racing to road racing. Many of the vehicles GM produced using this chassis were powered by V-8 engines, and others had popular turbocharged V-6 configurations. Some of the special-edition vehicles were outfitted with exclusive performance upgrades, which can be easily adapted to other G-Body vehicles. Knowing which vehicles were equipped with which options, and how to best incorporate all the best-possible equipment is thoroughly covered in this book. A solid collection of upgrades including brakes, suspension, and the installation of GMs most popular modern engine-the LS-Series V-8-are all covered in great detail. The aftermarket support for this chassis is huge, and the interchangeability and affordability are a big reason for its popularity. It's the last mass-produced V-8/rear-drive chassis that enthusiasts can afford and readily modify. There is also great information for use when shopping for a G-Body, including what areas to be aware of or check for possible corrosion, what options to look for, and what should be avoided. No other book on the performance aspects of a GM G-Body has been published until now, and this book will serve as the bible to G-Body enthusiasts for years to come.

The photos in this edition are black and white. GM's muscle cars of the '60s and '70s were great for their time - but what they did best was go in a straight line. Today's performance cars have it all though - speed, handling, and comfort. This book shows you how to build a Pro-Touring machine: a classic muscle car that accelerates, stops, corners, and rides like Detroit's best new high-performance cars. Author Tony E. Huntimer goes through a car's major systems - drivetrain, chassis, suspension, body, and interior - and shows you how to upgrade that classic muscle car to make it a modern performer. Electronic fuel injection, 6-speed trannies, better shocks and springs, modern seating and instruments, and subtle body mods are all covered, along with step-by-step how-to sequences on many key modifications. Classic muscle car looks, with modern muscle car performance - that's what Pro-Touring is all about