I just bought a ‘91GT that has a UPR Tubular K member and
Control Arms. Previous owners said he just bolted it on and never adjusted or set everything up. Looks like he did t know what he was doing. Car also ha
Camber Plates. I’m running 17” Cobra R wheels and the front wheels seem to stick out pretty bad. Steering shaft hits the left header, car rides like
with Lakewood Drag struts. I’m thinking pull all this crap off and go back to stock I definitely have to get this fixed, car is barely drivable.
The strut is probably a 90/10 compression/extension ratio if it's a typical drag strut. It'll extend like a dead strut, and it'll take a Herculoid to compress it. That is probably one of the worst contributors to the ride issue.
Depending on what brakes are on this car, (stock, 4/5 lug) the last time I saw a drag mustang with its tires sticking too far out, came as a result of using an Aerospace aftermarket brake system. Their 4 piston caliper forces the rotor hat to sit too far out, and the resulting wheel mating surface ended up way the hell out there. They do have a 2 piston kit that remedies that.
The other 5 lug possibility causing this issue is if the original owner used a 96 or later mustang spindle/rotor combo..that too would cause the tires to hang out, all maloccluded lookin' an sht.
But, if it don't have aftermarket, or 5 lug later model brakes on this car, I got nothing for ya other than a wrong part#. In the K member system altogether.
As to the steering shaft hitting the header...that could be related to the set back on the engine..some k members IIRC allowed for an extra inch or so setback when mounting the engine, so that the weight could be managed a little better, or the k member is simply cocked at an angle, because as you said...the original owner just bolted it in with out bothering to set it up.
If you're not drag racing the car, id ditch the lightweight junk in favor of the stock stuff anyway. The added structural integrity of the heavier stock k member will translate into a less harsh ride, especially if you are using a 17x9 wheel/tire upfront.
This is one of the things that will quickly take a tolerable riding everyday driver, and make it into a teeth jarring, nervous driving version instead. The cars need a little bit of weight to make them more civil, as opposed to going on the " race weight" diet some guys subject them to to keep them planted on the corners, and that UPR front end is a perfect example of a drag part that should never end up on a street car.
My last Notch rode better having a heavier 4.6 SOHC installed as opposed to the 4 cylinder that was there before purely because the engine made the car heavier. The coil overs on all four corners made it even better.
