'68 Convertible Suspension & Brakes Updating

Barchiola

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Dec 26, 2014
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@rbohm mentioned in another thread that to do suspension updates and repairs correctly the whole car needs to be considered as a complete system. I've been searching the internet for the last few weeks trying to decide on parts to buy but wanted to ask for advice before ordering anything.

The car is a 1968 Mustang Convertible that has been in our family since about 1974. It was my mom's car when we were kids and at some point my dad took it off the road and began trying to preserve it. All of the sheetmetal has been repaired and at some point he had the car painted. The interior is half done and the engine compartment is bone stock.

To make it so the car can be used regularly the suspension needs major repairs and while I'm doing that I'd like to make a few minor changes.

All of the wearable items in the suspension need to be changed as well as the front and rear springs. I've seen the 1/2" drop options and would like to do that. Stock rubber bushings would be fine as the car will be strictly street but if there's something reasonable priced that is better than OEM I'd be willing to consider it. We also need new shocks and while I'm doing all of this I'd like to do a front disc brake conversion and improve the steering.

If there's one shop that sells quality parts and can supply everything then I'd be ok with that. If mixing and matching parts from different vendors will improve the overall outcome then I can do that too.

Which shops though are genuinely known for quality parts that install and perform as advertised?

With any of this work the preference will be to use bolt on parts so as to keep any changes reversible but I can cut and weld if it's really worth it, maybe for safety reasons for example.

Thanks for the help! Looking forward to getting the car back onto the road.
 
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CSRP for the front brake conversion if you want to use stock type KH 4 piston brakes and Opentracker Racing products for the spring perch. Get yourself a set of roller spring perches for sure. Opentracker strut rods aren't cheap but they are really nice for staying with stock type suspension.
 
i was actually just looking at the CSRP brake kit and made plans with a friend of mine to put the car on his lift Monday to identify the various drips coming from under the car.

MustangDepot seems to have good complete suspension rebuild kits that will let me pick certain things I'd like to improve while leaving other things stock. I'm leaning towards a 1" drop now, progressive rate springs in the front, maybe a larger diameter sway bar in front but i don't want the ride to be harsh while just getting the handling a little better than stock.

what exactly do roller perches do? i'm very familiar with cars, just not sure which part is the perch.

thanks,
bart
 
The roller perches are replacement spring perches and instead of having a rubber bushing in them that will bind, the perch rides on a set of roller bearings. They bolt to the upper control arm and the spring sits right on them.
 
I just replaced the entire front and rear suspension on my '67 vert. Got everything from Summit Racing, as they were cheap and fast. Got most parts the next day! I went with Global West 1' drop front springs after I put stock springs in first. (Way too high!) KYB Gas-A-Just shocks. Everything else was pretty much Scott Drake. Also put on a 1" sway bar. Hardest part was getting (breaking) all of the 47-year-old gear off. Getting everything on was a snap! Took about half-a day, and I was working alone.

Most everything was covered here, but let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to post some pics.
 
If you are going back with a stock type suspension Scott Drake upper and lower control arms are great .They are heavy duty and look very much like the originals .New Gt springs up front should do and a 4 1/2 leaf spring set up should be a good improvement . A larger front sway bar up front with high energy bushings will also be a nice handling improvement .
I second Horse Sence. Pretty much did exactly what he's talking about to my '67 Vert. Handles great now!
 
Trying to upload photos, but can't seem to figure it out. Any advice?
when you go to the bottom of the page you'll see the box in which you'd type your reply, just to the right and down there is a button that says Upload a File, click it and then select the picture files in the file window that will open automatically. you can choose more than one, when they're done uploading hit the Post Reply button and you should be done.

thanks,
bart
 
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Nathaniel,

Thanks for the reply, if you have a minute can you please post side pics of the car to show the 1" drop?

Here's a pic I just got from the tire shop. I'll get a better one up here when I pick her up. Keep in mind that the rear springs are brand new, so that lifted the back just a bit as well.
IMG_1262.JPG