I have been reading everything you have been writing about suspension and steering upgrades, but I don't believe I can afford Hotchkis, Global west, Moog and all those other aftermarket parts to upgrade my susp & steering.
AT LEAST NOT AN ENTIRE KIT!
I would like to put $$ where it counts like springs/shocks/bushings, but help me cut some costs..
Scott

I just replaced my front and rear springs, cost about $200 with shipping. The El Camino Store, EC Parts, or even Summit have them in stock.

you can put together a more complete system than TVS yourself. and for much less.

CONTROL ARMS
REAR

I just ordered my tubular upper and lower rear control arms from UMI performance

239.99 + 30.00 for axle housing bushings + 19.99 for new bolts + 16.75 S/H

$306.73

FRONT

the stock front lowers are hard to beat. I'll also be using stock uppers simply because the front control arms do not deflect bad. Other than being able to say you have them, or possibly header clearance or shaving 5 lbs off the front, I see no point in using aftermarket unless the car is going to have front airride. 99.99% don't.

SPRINGS
REAR

some people like using moog springs to lower their car. the options for lowering the rear are limited however.

I'll be using camaro ss or firebird (formula, trans am, firehawk) ws6 springs in the rear. all you need are the f-body isolators because the tops are not pigtailed, therefore, you can cut them (I know, GASP!) to lower the rear even more.

there is a difference in the z28 and ss springs (as well as TA vs WS6). the ss/ws6 are 2" shorter

an important note: if you use f-body rear springs, and wish to use airlift 1000 bags for load leveling, you will need a pair for the F-body, not your G-body, the F-body springs are narrower.

FRONT

for the front you can use either moog; s10 drop coils (4.3 or v8 swap, the 2.2 springs will be too light); f-body springs also fit, but to get a drop you may need to cut them, and I do not recommend cutting the front springs, your front end wil be incredibly stiff and will kill your launch (as well as possibly your butt on long trips).

SWAYBARS
REAR

you gen use an OEM rear swaybar from any G-body. the more desireable are from an MCSS or Buick GN (or other turbo car possibly)

FRONT

It is important to upgrade your front var if you add a big rear bar, to balance the suspension and avoid oversteer.

You can use a swaybar from any g-body, a guru could chime in with the exact diameter for each make and model.

you can also use the front swaybar from an 82-92 (third gen) F-body.

the HP packages such as IROC WS6 1LE GTA will likely have the giant 36mm hollow bar. be careful though, there is also a solid bar. look for a hole in the end to know it's hollow these are very lightweight. you will need the appropriate swap bushings for the frame mounts though, as the larger bar will have a hard time fitting in factory sized bushings. IIRC the f-body bushings do not fit our mounts, so an aftermarket bushing is needed.

BRACES

some g-bodies have an F41 suspension package, this includes "jounce bars" that go between the engine x-member, and the front frame rails to triangulate the front of the car. there is also a bar on G-body Grand Prix's that ties the front 2 frame rails to each other. this is especially vital if you have no front bumer to connect the rails.

there are also radiator core support x-braces to help avoid deflection.

if you want to learn more about F41, look here http://elcaminocentral.com/ftopict-15979-.html (first post I ever made)

If you remove your rear bumper to add a rollpan or something, you will probably want to tie the rear frame rails together either by using the brace made by Honest Charlie, or a trailer hitch.

BUSHINGS

I am using poly bushings everywhere. engine/transmission mounts, body, suspension...

the lowest price I've found is at summit.

When you do the front, do it all at once. As for aftermarket parts, I really cant see anything besides lowering springs on a daily driver. You may or may not want to upgrade the upper and lower control arm bushings from rubber to something else. If you do, do it with the rest of the front end. Replace the inner and outer tie rod ends, idler arm, upper and lower ball joints, center link and upper and lower control arm bushings while its all apart. Change the front springs at this time also. You can upgrade the swaybar and braces later with out taking anything apart. I like Moog parts as factory replacement upgrades. There are other manufacturers that you could use. TRW, Spicer and NAPA come to mind. Depends on what you have available to you. Do these first so you dont have to take stuff apart twice or more because you didnt have the money. It will save you time and money in the future.
As for the rear, its a bit easier. You can actually change one item at a time in the rear. Its so much easier to work on. You can do your upper arms, lower arms and springs at any time with out much work. Sway bar is a simple bolt on with nothing in the way. The rear is so much easier to do when funds permit extra parts.
Dont try to save money on this project. Do it once and do it right. If you have to wait to get all the parts go ahead and wait. You really dont want to have to dive in to the front end more then once.

How much do you have to play with? $500 will buy you QA1 12 way adjustable coil overs for the back and you'll be able to delete you air suspension.

Hmmm... Maybe pick up some nice 2" drop spindles or new stock ride springs front or back? Sometimes on high milleage older cars the stock springs on there... kinda suck :P