Anyone reloacted their upper A arms?

stephen4785 · Jul 4, 2004

I was day dreaming in a classic Mustang catalog last night and I came across this article about how Carrol Shelby relocated the upper a arms for better handling.The catalog has complete instructions and a template.Will it make that much of a difference and has anyone else done this?

Ronstang · Jul 4, 2004

You can find tons of info here and all over the web if you do a search on "shelby drop". It is a great modification that best of all is free except for some time and effort. It is best to do it when you are replacing the front suspension and adding heavier front coils.

2bav8 · Jul 5, 2004

I've done it, and I highly recomend the mod.
The rumors are true, even after 30+ years

paintballtommy · Jul 5, 2004

one thing man... doooooo iiiiitttt

mfp4073 · Jul 5, 2004

Every time someone posts a "what was your favorite mod" post I have to list the shelby arm relocation. It is time and just a little money for a realignment. But the overall gain is better than anything else I have done for the cost. Basically what it does it make the top of the tires lean inward toward the center of the car during cornering. Really makes the handling different. Why ford didnt make this standard I will never understand.

Hack · Jul 5, 2004

I relocated my UCAs and I love the change! My '70 handles great! Plus I didn't really like the stock nose-high stance very much. It's the only thing I've changed with my suspension so far, other than replacing the stock components.

From what I've read, I understand you can lower the mounting 1 inch and retain all the stock suspension components. I lowered mine 2 inches, which requires changing the angle of the ball joint so that it doesn't bind and break during suspension movement.

http://www.pro-motorsports.com/art-loweringlowdown.asp

There's some info on the modification. Pro-motorsports also sells a shim to use when relocating your upper control arm more than 1". I was too cheap to buy it so I made mine. Some people also modify the control arms to fix this problem. It seems like a better solution to me if your welding skills are top notch.

Also, I've read in a couple places a recommendation to align the car to different specs than stock (this is after completing the Shelby drop).
1/16" to 1/8" toe in (this came to 0.14 to 0.29 degrees toe in with my 24.75" diameter tires)
1 to 3 degrees caster
0 degrees camber
This is how I had my car aligned and it works great for me.

You can buy a metal template to help you drill the new mounting holes for the UCA. I had two made from 10 gage steel. They also provide some reinforcement for the shock tower. There's a web site with a pdf of the template available, but I don't have it saved. Do a search on this site for Shelby drop and I'm sure you'll find it.

Good luck.

Hack · Jul 5, 2004

mfp4073 said:
Every time someone posts a "what was your favorite mod" post I have to list the shelby arm relocation. It is time and just a little money for a realignment. But the overall gain is better than anything else I have done for the cost. Basically what it does it make the top of the tires lean inward toward the center of the car during cornering. Really makes the handling different. Why ford didnt make this standard I will never understand.

What I've read - and it makes sense to me - is that Ford sets up cars to understeer. This means that as the car reaches the limits of traction, the front end will just slide toward the outside of the corner. This is good for many drivers in several ways. One, the sliding scrubs off speed quickly and slows the car. Two, the natural reaction to understeer is to just turn the steering wheel a little more, which works perfectly. So novice drivers are less likely to get themselves in trouble with a car set up to understeer.

The best set up for performance is a neutral set up where the fronts and the rears let go at the same time. However, this is not recommended for your grandma! Reacting quickly and correctly to oversteer is not natural, it has to be learned.

So, I think the answer is that it's a safety feature for the masses. Very lucky for us it's not too difficult to fix!

RGS0907 · Jul 8, 2004

I never tried the drop on my 1970, I heard that it isn't as neccessary on the later '60's models... Also, what about the bind on the ball joints?

Hack · Jul 9, 2004

RGS0907 said:
I never tried the drop on my 1970, I heard that it isn't as neccessary on the later '60's models... Also, what about the bind on the ball joints?

Read my post. It's up a couple. The drop worked great on my '70 and I highly recommend it.

blandq · Jul 9, 2004

I have done the mod but am not complete with restoration. But watch out for rubbing of the upper a-arm bolts with long tube headers...it's REAL close! (early '65 coupe)

Grt_Ape · Jul 9, 2004

Other than a little time and effort on the install, this is a great mod to help out handling. Check out the pro-motorsports thread posted by Hack a few replies above, their negative wedge kit has everything you need.

65 fastback · Jul 9, 2004

Come on man, everyone's doing it.

Tim

RGS0907 · Jul 10, 2004

Hack said:
Read my post. It's up a couple. The drop worked great on my '70 and I highly recommend it.

OK.. I'll have to try it. The car handles great as it is, especially with the newer tires, I'm always greedy for a little more.

mdjay · Jul 10, 2004

Hack said:
Also, I've read in a couple places a recommendation to align the car to different specs than stock (this is after completing the Shelby drop).
1/16" to 1/8" toe in (this came to 0.14 to 0.29 degrees toe in with my 24.75" diameter tires)
1 to 3 degrees caster
0 degrees camber
This is how I had my car aligned and it works great for me.

Good luck.

Not too sure about the 70's but a little more neg. camber helped quite a bit on my 65. Toward the higher side on the caster as well. Even with the 1" drop there is potential for bind so the neg. wedge kit is a great soloution and the absolute best mod for the buck.

Make sure to measure the distances before punching any holes due to printer differnces.

http://www.mustangdepot.com/graphics/up-cnt-temp.pdf

Route666 · Jul 10, 2004

RGS0907 said:
OK.. I'll have to try it. The car handles great as it is, especially with the newer tires, I'm always greedy for a little more.

If you have a Shelby GT500, would it not already be dropped?

VictorII · Jul 11, 2004

I have the Pro Motorsports kit waiting to go in when I do the front end on my '65 convert. But in the mean time I put adjustable anti-sway bars on the car and it nearly stopped the body roll altogether, especially the rear. Without roll, you won't get understeer. Best of all, it can be done farily quickly. I use Stam Bars. They are pricey now but worth it. And if you want to drop the front a little, buy some of the $10.00 coil spring clamps. I've had a set in use for almost 200,000 miles without a problem. When I do the front end, I'll do the 1.75" drop that the kit is set up for but for now it is all good to go.

RGS0907 · Jul 12, 2004

Route666 said:
If you have a Shelby GT500, would it not already be dropped?

No, the mods were only made on the 1965's, and I'm pretty sure that they stopped it somewhere in the 1966 run.

TT670 · Jul 12, 2004

all 65 shelbys and the first 252 '66's had the arms dropped.

Route666 · Jul 12, 2004

Ahhh righto then!

67GTA-FB429 · Jul 12, 2004

In 71 the drop became "standard". Actually from what I have read the steering got redesigned so it was not needed. But all 64.5 - 70s can benefit from it...if you are looking for performance steering.

Anyone reloacted their upper A arms?

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