Front Suspension Problem

[BLUECOBRA01]

I finished putting in a whole new front end on my 67 coupe. I bought the whole kit from Mustang plus. It came with upper, lower control arms, new spring perches, and 620 springs. I put the whole thing together and now the cars front end is facing the sky?? I was told to wait and it will come down a little but, it hasn't come down. I was wondering if I could have done something wrong on install to make the car look like it is at full launch. When you push down on the car it feels like something is bound up?? I put the whole thing together and tightend everything up while the car was on jack stands, not sure if that is what is wrong. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[dodgestang]

I put the whole thing together and tightend everything up while the car was on jack stands, not sure if that is what is wrong. Thanks for the help in advance.

Loosen up the te lower control arm, bounce the car several times, and then re-torque. The LCA should always be torqued with the weight on the tires. Other things to look for....make sure you put the perches in the right direction....little spring stop tab goes in the back, make sure you put the springs in right, the end open coil goes at the bottom and in the back pushing against the spring stop tab.

some things to keep in mind...the 620s are stiffer than stock so they support more weight with less give....if you got the 1 inch drop 620s they will hold the car 1 inch lower than the stock height...which is not nessecarily the height it was sitting at before you installed them (especailly if you replaced a 38 yr old suspension). You should also drive around the block and let everything settle after retorquing the LCA.

Have you done the rear? If the front was worn out, the rear will be too and the arse end will be sitting low.

 

[BLUECOBRA01]

Great I will try those. I will look at the spring perches. I believe they only could go on one way I will make sure though. One more question, what should I torque the LCA's at. To answer your question yes I did the whole rear over too. New perches 5 leaf and shocks. It all came with the kit. Thanks for your help.

 

[Red Barchetta]

Another thing to check are your strut rods. How tight did you tighten them? One of the most common errors is to overtighten the strut rods which results in this exact situation.

 

[jikelly]

How are you supposed to put on the strut rods? I too have the 620 springs on my 73 and it front end is higher than the back. I'll have to look at my spring perches and see which way they are on but I don't think that's my problem.

Going over bumps like a manhole cover causes my rear-end to step out and I don't like that at all. I have been trying to figure out the problem for some time but have never found anything mechanically wrong. The only component I am not sure if I got the installation right on is the strut rods because I had no instructions for installing them.

 

[BLUECOBRA01]

I would also like to know how tight the strut rod is supposed to be. I guess my plan of attack will be to loosen the LCA and strut rod. Once it is all loose I will push up and down on the car while it is on the ground a couple of times. Then I will tighten and see if that works. I didnt get any torque specs with any of my front suspension parts ( struts and LCA ) Thanks for all your help all.

 

[Snail50]

like everyone said, def. loosen things up a bit,bounce it, maybe even drive it around the block, then see what it looks like. when i installed my new suspension, the rear was uneven. I loosened everything up a few turns then took it for a drive through the neighborhood. Now it's pretty much dead-level. Good luck.

 

[Red Barchetta]

I would also like to know how tight the strut rod is supposed to be. I guess my plan of attack will be to loosen the LCA and strut rod. Once it is all loose I will push up and down on the car while it is on the ground a couple of times. Then I will tighten and see if that works. I didnt get any torque specs with any of my front suspension parts ( struts and LCA ) Thanks for all your help all.

From my Haynes manual, here are some torque specs:

Lower Control Arm: 75 - 100 lb-ft.
Strut to Lower Arm: 70 - 105 lb-ft.
Strut to underbody: 60 - 80 lb-ft.

Anytime you replace front suspension components, you will need to get the car aligned. On '67 and up cars, castor is adjusted by altering the length of the struts.

Having the car properly alinged may cure your problem.

 

[jikelly]

Thanks Red Barchetta those torque specs did the trick. My stang feels much better now.

 

[BLUECOBRA01]

Once I get my car back from the shop. I will have to try all of this. Smoked the c-4 last week. I ended up upgrading to a wider band a 6 gear planatary (sp ) and a new valve body. The car should shift now Thanks for all the help, it is very much appreciated.