Chassis, Suspension & Interior Parts

How to choose chassis, suspension and restoration parts

Fitment comes first: confirm year, make, model, body style and side before anything else. Most of this department serves classic American cars and trucks, with reproduction sheet metal, bolt-in and weld-in suspension systems, wheels and tires, interior kits, consoles, seats, steering wheels and gauges. Many titles read like "1967-74 GM A-Body" or "1969-70 Nova w/o AC", and those qualifiers matter.

Read the fitment line closely

Platform codes such as GM A-, F- and X-body or Mopar A-, B- and E-body group cars that share structure, but a part can still be specific to a coupe or convertible, a two-door or four-door, a single model year or one trim. Body panels are sold left-hand (LH) or right-hand (RH). Interior kits and consoles often differ for cars with or without air conditioning, bucket or bench seats, and automatic or manual shifters. Upholstery, carpet and door panel kits also come in specific colors and patterns, so match your trim code or the color you are restoring to. Compare the listing against your vehicle tag or build documentation, not memory.

Reproduction sheet metal

Floor pans, trunk floors, fenders, quarter panels and door shells here come from makers including Auto Metal Direct, Dynacorn and OER. Auto Metal Direct says its parts are designed using modern tooling to replicate the factory look and feel, and ships panels coated in black EDP primer for corrosion resistance during storage and installation. Plan time for test-fitting and trimming before any panel is welded in.

Suspension: coil-over, air or OE-style

Decide how you will use the car before choosing a system. Coil-over kits generally cost less and install more easily than air suspension; RideTech notes the coil-over system requires less equipment to operate. Air ride adds the ability to raise the car over obstacles, lower it when parked, and adapt to variable loads while keeping ride height. For Mustang II-style front ends, 4-link and 4-bar rear kits, subframes and frame rail kits, check whether the kit is bolt-in or weld-in before you order, and budget for fabrication when it is weld-in.

Wheels and tires

Check three numbers on any wheel: bolt pattern, offset and center bore. Vision Wheel defines offset as the distance between the wheel's center line and its hub mounting surface, and warns that a wheel mounted without a hub-centric ring is centered mainly by the lug nuts, which can cause vibration. For tires, find the date code on the sidewall: under federal rules the last four digits give the week and year of manufacture. Michelin recommends replacing tires ten years after their date of manufacture regardless of tread, which matters on show cars that are rarely driven.

Parts are inspected and documented before shipping. See shipping, and find engine-bay parts in engine components.