When we saw how well the new second-gen Camaro suspension parts from Heidts Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts worked at the Super Chevy Suspension & Handling Challenge last August (January '09 issue), we were anxious to see how they installed. To that end, we went over to Route 66 Motorsports in New Lenox, Illinois, where we met with Marc Prince (the owner of Heidts) and got crackin' on the front and rear bolt-in suspension from Heidts on a '71 Camaro. Route 66 purchased the car on eBay and was using it to develop its line of ProRide Performance Cars (available direct and coming soon).
I know it's going to sound far-fetched, but if you know your Camaro better than the back of your hand, you can install the Heidts front and rear suspensions after the five o'clock bell and before a case of the Mondays. OK, maybe you'll want to give yourself a holiday weekend just to make sure. It's amazing what you can accomplish when bolts actually line up on the first shot, aftermarket parts mate properly with 1970s-era spring buckets, and instructions are written well.
Said editor Jim Campisano after driving the Heidts test mule Camaro, "The Heidts engineers did their homework. The suspension was smooth and compliant. The car turned in fantastic numbers at the track, but was comfortable on the street."
 |  For no particular reason,...  For no particular reason, we started up front with the Pro-G bolt-in front subframe. The guys at Route 66 Motorsports wasted no time ripping off the front clip and radiator support. Once that was completed, the engine was pulled and all the brake lines were cut. All that was left to do was unbolt the four body mounts connecting the front suspension from the body. Once unbolted, we rolled out the entire front suspension as one, enormously large and heavy assembly. |  We then laid out all the parts...  We then laid out all the parts for the front suspension. Being a complete build, Route 66 is going to come back later and paint the suspension parts that are bare metal. The Pro-G kit provides absolutely everything needed to assemble the front suspension. |
 |  Next, we laid out all the...  Next, we laid out all the parts we needed to get us started with the front suspension including upper and lower control arms, 2-inch drop spindles, steering linkages, caliper brackets, and the necessary nuts and bolts. Installation of the control arms is fairly straight forward as the bolts are cut to length and slide in with ease. Here, Matt finishes bolting up the lower control arm. We greased the bushings upon installation and there wasn't even a hint of binding on either side. |  We then assembled the adjustable...  We then assembled the adjustable coilover shocks. We didn't even need a spring compressor to assemble them. By removing the adjustability knob and sliding the spring up from the bottom of the shock, we were able to thread it all together. Tightening of the spring is done via coilover wrenches and allows for even more adjustability once we get the Camaro on the ground and ready for the twisties. |