Front suspension

allcarfan

The Answer Man
Founding Member
Apr 8, 2001
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North Atlanta
Front suspension...pics inside

Front suspension...95% done

Car...40% done

Engine builder said he would be done around Christmas. Art Carr AOD needs a stall converter. Engine and trans in around christmas.

The front suspension is down as low as it will go in these pics. I can bring it up about 4". I will be running fender flares and the lips will be rolled. The rear is a little high, but will be dropped lower when the 4 link goes in. The cross member will be polished within the next few weeks.

Feedback, constructive criticism welcome. Just remember, it isnt quite finished.

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Scott's hot rod IFS. Bought through Sour Apple Performance.

I even had them make the control arms 1" longer for a little bit better handling....how much better, I dont know. Then, I just ran 5.75" BS on the wheels up front :)
 
what you see...less powdercoating...plus some good looking motor mounts, and braided brake lines...right at $2550. Shipping was pricey ($160, but that was from cali to GA). Still need a steering column and rag joints for the steering. I am going to order a set of FPA headers and see how they fit with this kit/steering. I have my fingers crossed, but dont have my hopes up.

I am impressed by the pieces. A lot of them are billet. I lost a little 'eye bolt' looking piece for my control arm (you can see them in the pictures) - it was $40 to replace it! Everything bolted up really easily. The part that took the longest was removing the shock towers and getting everything prepped. made me wish I had a plasma cutter. With 2 or three people working...this could be installed in about a day. The only adjustment we made was, we had to cut the steering rack mounting brackets off and reweld them. They were a little high and the boots on the end of the steering rack were rubbing up against the frame.

It will be a while before I can report how it rides...lol
 
allcarfan said:
what you see...less powdercoating...plus some good looking motor mounts, and braided brake lines...right at $2550.

I'm assuming that the $2550 did not include the rack and pinion. If so, that is a deal! The whole set up looks real nice. Very clean. I'm sure it will handle great. Good luck with the rest of your project!:nice:
 
rack and pinion, tie rods, brakes, calipers...all included (chroming of the rack was a little more.)

You can save a lil $$ if you can fab your own motor mounts and if you can find a deal on brake lines.
 
allcarfan said:
rack and pinion, tie rods, brakes, calipers...all included (chroming of the rack was a little more.)

You can save a lil $$ if you can fab your own motor mounts and if you can find a deal on brake lines.

Brakes and calipers included!?! Holy crap! A guy could spend a lot more than that doing it piece meal!

How much are the motor mounts and what do they attach to?
 
The motor mounts were $150/pair. They are pretty neat looking. They are a two piece design with two tubes. I will have to take pictures of them. The weld to the SIDES of the crossmember, rather than the bottom. I dont have them in yet because I am waiting on my headers to put on my mockup engine so we can get the engine placed in there correctly and figure out where the steering intermediate shaft is going to go.

I will be so glad once I drop the engine and trans in. Then, I can FINALLY bring the car to my house to continue working on it. It has been at my parents house for nearly two years with hardly any work done to it. The live over 200 miles away. Since they have a flatter driveway than I do....I am dropping the engine in at their house.
 
The R&C MII front end is comparable in price, as is Heidt's. That is one advantage to the MII kits. More labor, though.

I am curious about simply "adding 1" to the arms" without actually evaluating this with suspension software. Did someone go over this stuff?
 
mtbdoc...i cant confirm with any software.

Here is a pic of the motor mounts. The bushing goes in the "tube" end....then two metal plates cover the bushing and a bolt slides through

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mtbdoc said:
I am curious about simply "adding 1" to the arms" without actually evaluating this with suspension software. Did someone go over this stuff?

Adding an inch to the control arms will give more swing length which will improve the suspension dynamics. It should handle better, but I don't have any suspension software to evaluate how much.
 
you can use a bronco rear sump or any foxchassis dual sump pan. I picked up a chrome dual sump pan for $65 shipped on ebay brand new. Kinda sucks because I had already bought a 7qt chrome front sump pan.
 
Looks good, hope it handles as expected. I'm liking the whole header clearance thing. Are you going to weld in anything to close up where the shock towers were?

What are you putting in for a motor? 351W based? Got the room for some big headers to breath....
 
The headers I am ordering from FPA. PLenty of clearance, but I have to see how the intermediate shaft for the steering is going to be routed. I need the headers to bolt to my mock up engine before I can weld in the motor mounts.

The inner fenders are going to be covered with a 20gauge piece of polished stainless steel from the firewall to the radiator support. It should give it a nice, clean, smooth look and cover up those holes...along with everything else.

The engine:
331 stroker (hawks crank, eagle hbeam, ross low compression pistons)
Vic junior or a ported RPM intake
DSS girdle and windage tray
twisted wedge heads
Stage II TW roller cam
650 speed demon
Topping it off with a 125 shot for 'poops' and giggles

With a 4 link....id like to be in the 11s...at least one pass, and then never again.