1959 348 freshen up & suspension & brake upgrades winter projects

This winter my son and I decided to complete some suspension, engine freshen up and disc brake overhaul to our '59 Impala. Suspension is currently stock and to me rides bad, handles real bad & brakes bad. The goal is to make this car handle and stop a lot better. Be a real fun to drive street car/cruiser. Wish we could make it ride like a modern car
car has
348 3x2
4-speed
3.36 rear end.
since it was a 280HP I assume it is currently 9.5 to 1 CR.
it currently runs on 91 octane with NO issues.
the plan is
the plan is to keep it looking like it does under the hood.
-4 wheel power disc
-new rear suspension arms ?
-front tubular arms ?
-may even consider coil overs.
The engine runs fine but son wants to take it out and rebuild it. Give it all a once over to make sure all is good. want to re-ring, new bearings, seals and find a great flat tappet cam prefer a solid flat tappet or looking for recommendations. the car was originally a 280 HP 3x2 but the the original owner put a solid lifter cam and rebuilt the engine in 1972. We would like to modernize it if possible keeping it running on 89-91 octane. We in fact would like good gas mileage and at the same time like opening up the en carbs.
Any suspension upgrades or engine mods that work of suggestions please share.
thanks in avance
 

62impala409

 
Supporting Member 1
I rebuilt my Impala suspension years ago because of the same sloppy handling. The rubber bushings in all of the suspension parts were really rotted out and sloppy. I replaced all the rubber bushing parts with original parts, added an Adco 1" front sway bar, all new springs and shocks, and went to 6" wide wheels all around. Made a big difference in ride quality and retains the stock engineering. These old suspensions simply get tired! I kept the stock drum brakes, which stop the car just fine, but did install a '67 Impala dual master cylinder for a safety backup. A rear sway bar would improve the handling even more.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
Leo's suggestions above are spot on.Disc brakes on the front aren't a bad idea,but 4 wheel discs on these cars are a waste of money.Check with Mike [58 delivery] as to the right kit.A lot of guys here have used his stuff,and I've never heard a complaint.As to the engine,if this engine still has cast pistons in ,either they'll have to go,or be notched for valve clearance if you go any bigger than 218 degrees at .050.A really good package would be K-B Icon forged pistons for the stock stroke 348[Show Cars],bigger valves,and some bowl work,and a cam such as Comp Cams part number 12-675-4[solid] ground on a W engine blank,or a Comp Cams hydraulic from Show Cars ,pn 0950 hydraulic.
 
Great info. Great info on the brakes discs up front would be a great improvement. Currently have the single cylinder. Good to know discs up front is all that is required.
IS there a good bushing kit or material I should look for rubber, urethane, poly. IS PST still around been awhile since I look into car parts. The front control arm bushing are in real bad shape.
On the engine front I seen kits on [Showcars] late last night and they even had stroker kits for 348 putting. They are putting in a 4" crank and have K-B pistons. They have a kit that has just about everything one would need to do the job. I will look for more info of the stroker vs stock. Curious how much grinding is involved putting in a 4" crank into a '59 348 block. I do not want to go wild but can see where the extra cubes a lone would help move this big heavy car.
Great info so far TY Please keep it coming.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
The grinding on the block is minimal since these kits are made for the W block.If you go this big,you'll definitely need better heads,such as the 817 [340 hp 409 head],or get a set of 333 truck heads,port them,and put in bigger valves.The aftermarket heads,such as Edelbrock,will not work with your 3-2 set up.The cam that I recommended was for a stock stroke engine,with 3/4 inch more stroke,you'll need to go 2 sizes larger to make power,torque,and still get some mileage.A less expensive package would be the K-B piston[S-C pn 7815p plus oversize],a set of 6.385 length big block rods,and a 409 crank[380 or so cu.in],no grinding required.The cam number for a hyd.grind would be either the 0950,or the 0951,go with the next cam up in the listings for the solid grind on a 380.
 
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303Radar

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Having installed tubular control arms (0 miles on them though), I don't know that there is much of a weight savings. The control arms are heavy. I do like the look of them and really like the look of coil overs, but other than new shiny eye candy, I have a feeling you may not see a big benefit to them. Particularly for everyday driving.
 

1958 delivery

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Don't know how you're keeping it looking original especially with tubular control arms rear disc etc. In my opinion rear disc are a waste of time and money. I would leave the stock A arms, maybe change the cross shafts to the off set ones for a couple more degrees of caster. I've found most all tubular arms are heavier then original. A front sway bar will be your best bang for the buck as far as handling. I wouldn't waste the money on the stroker kit if you want to retain the 3x2, as previously mentioned you'll need better heads and a better intake, just leave it as is. A 280hp 4 spd car should be lots of fun, if you have the need for more jump in your Chevelle.
 

yellow wagon

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Keep the original front control arms. All new bushings, ball joints, tie rods, steering box (a must). Front discs and a new dual master. Buy a roll of stainless tubing from Classic Tube and make/flare your own lines. Easy and rewarding. Basically anything on the front of the car that has to bounce, turn or stop needs to be updated.
 

Jim Sullivan

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Don't know how you're keeping it looking original especially with tubular control arms rear disc etc. In my opinion rear disc are a waste of time and money. I would leave the stock A arms, maybe change the cross shafts to the off set ones for a couple more degrees of caster.

Mike, if I remember correctly, Moog used to have offset control arm shafts. Do they still make them or is there another supplier making them?
 
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