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Opentracker's Roller Spring Perches, just got them installed

  • Thread starter Thread starter scrutmonkey
  • Start date Start date Jul 27, 2005

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 27, 2005
#1
  • Jul 27, 2005
  • #1
Well, I finally got around to putting these things in. after I got my perches from opentracker, I decided to change out the original springs whuile i was at it.

this first pic is an old pic, but you can see the ride height on it. my tires pretty much were flush with the fender lips. Yes, that is fender damage on the passenger side. it was a day my car decided to attack a cement divider and a Honda Civic. my car won



This is the spring comparison, The ones on the right are "grab a trak's" 620 springs.



here is a comparison of my regular and OPENTRACKER's roller perches. Can you guess which one is the roller? After I removed mine, one of my perches didnt even move, the other sort of did but both perches had worn out bushing....okay, the bushings were non-existant.



Here is the passenger's side with everything ripped out (shocks, springs, perches, shock tower cover, and wheel)



5 hours, 5 cigarettes, 3 slices of mushroom & sausage pizza, and numerous powerades, plus some swear words later, here is everything installed (thios is the passenger's side BTW)



the ride height dropped a little bit. The only problems I had with the install was the spring compressor placement and putting the bottom bushing, washer, and nut back onto the bottom of my KYB shocks. other than that it went fine.

hope this helps someone, or not, but i like taking pictures
Wheel is back on and this is the ride height before driving her around.



and the ride height after a drive home from my friend's warehouse. Like everyone here, my garage is filled with crap and i didn't feel like doing the install in the hot sun on my driveway.



EDIT: Just to add, the ride has improved alot. I don't have that annoying "squeaking" that i used to have, I took several hard corners on the way home, and responsivness of the steering is very much improved. Great upgrade for the suspension. now I shall continue my mission to find more roller suspension parts.

K, using Image shack now...should work
 

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1320stang

Founding Member
Nov 13, 1998
4,329
23
89
Edmond, Oklahoma
Jul 27, 2005
#2
  • Jul 27, 2005
  • #2
No pics, just the dreaded red Xs.
 

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 27, 2005
#3
  • Jul 27, 2005
  • #3
weird, works on mozilla, but not on my IE, Ill fix it
 

12sec67

Active Member
Oct 6, 2003
1,301
1
36
San Diego, Ca
Jul 27, 2005
#4
  • Jul 27, 2005
  • #4
looks good,

now take everything back a part and do the upper a-arm drop!
 

2bav8

Founding Member
Nov 30, 1998
2,511
1
47
Mesa, AZ
Jul 27, 2005
#5
  • Jul 27, 2005
  • #5
now take everything back a part and do the upper a-arm drop
Click to expand...
True true! Plus, while you're at it, install some front disc brakes

Good pics though...
 

jadesville

the polarbear conservation corps protects a polarb
20+ Year Stangneter
Oct 8, 2003
2,189
0
47
Gresham, OR
Jul 28, 2005
#6
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #6
Looks good, pics work for me. I'm suprised you have a ball joint in there somewhere
 

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 28, 2005
#7
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #7
yah, i know...plans are coming, looking at full power baer brakes, ss lines, tube arms, shelby drop, new rims, swapping out the PS to MS...a little at a time...
 
O

Opentracker

20+ Year Stangneter
Feb 4, 2004
516
0
16
Jul 28, 2005
#8
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #8
Nice work and nice write up. I am honored that from the list of parts you plan on getting, the roller perches were near the top of the list.


I did some research on how to put a roller idler arm in a 67 and up car here:

http://forums.stangnet.com//showthread.php?t=566371


John
 
M

mustangman70

Founding Member
Dec 30, 2001
1,235
1
0
St pete, Florida
Jul 28, 2005
#9
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #9
ive heard that the A-arm drop mod isent to great for dreag racing is that true???
 
O

Opentracker

20+ Year Stangneter
Feb 4, 2004
516
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16
Jul 28, 2005
#10
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #10
mustangman70 said:
ive heard that the A-arm drop mod isent to great for dreag racing is that true???
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, I have never herd that but the camber change would be more (depending on ride height) with the shelby drop when the front end lifted, and that's not a good thing. Camber change in a corner is one thing, camber change in a straight line is another story.

I'm not a drag racer, the drag strip near us is 4hrs away. Laguna Seca is only 20min.

John
 

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 28, 2005
#11
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #11
thanks for the quick over view of the idler arms john. Yah, roler spring perches kinda was an impulse thing after I saw the thread about it...I kinda had a "WTH?" pop over my head when I saw it. I'm looking at tube UCA and LCA before attempting the shelby drop. Might as well do them all at once eh?
 

Capt Dan

New Member
Mar 31, 2005
237
0
0
College Station, Texas
Jul 28, 2005
#12
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #12
You said your ride height dropped? from the pics it looks like it came up.
 

krash kendall

Active Member
Nov 19, 2004
1,258
0
36
Aldergrove, B.C. Canada
Jul 28, 2005
#13
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #13
Capt Dan said:
You said your ride height dropped? from the pics it looks like it came up.
Click to expand...

After he installed them you can see the height was subtiantially higher than after he drove it and they settled in (still higher than before the swap).
 

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 28, 2005
#14
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #14
Capt Dan said:
You said your ride height dropped? from the pics it looks like it came up.
Click to expand...

the ride height came up about 1.5 " from the saggy busted up stock parts. But dropped about0.5" after driving her around. Everything still needs to settle, maybe drive her for a few weeks and see if there is any more ride hieght changes. Shelby drop should take care of the extra space.
 
O

Opentracker

20+ Year Stangneter
Feb 4, 2004
516
0
16
Jul 28, 2005
#15
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #15
scrutmonkey said:
thanks for the quick over view of the idler arms john. Yah, roler spring perches kinda was an impulse thing after I saw the thread about it...I kinda had a "WTH?" pop over my head when I saw it. I'm looking at tube UCA and LCA before attempting the shelby drop. Might as well do them all at once eh?
Click to expand...


If your only going with the 1", Shelby drop, ther is no need to get tubular arms IMO. The tubular arms cost way too much money for what you get from the drivers seat. A good stock replacement upper arm and a lower arm with a spherical bearing inside pivot ( like #SPF-3 from Global West ) will do the trick.


I see it like this:

$1000.00 for new tubular upper and lower arms for a 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" drop.

$480 for new upper and lower arms for a 1" drop.

For the $520 differance you can get adjustable strut rods and a roller idler arm with around $100 left over.



John
 

scrutmonkey

Member
Jan 17, 2003
243
0
16
San Jose, CA
Jul 28, 2005
#16
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #16
thanks fior the info John
 

2bav8

Founding Member
Nov 30, 1998
2,511
1
47
Mesa, AZ
Jul 28, 2005
#17
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #17
Apply that extra $100 toward roller spring perches!
 
O

Opentracker

20+ Year Stangneter
Feb 4, 2004
516
0
16
Jul 28, 2005
#18
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #18
Or Pizza -N- BEER!
 

2bav8

Founding Member
Nov 30, 1998
2,511
1
47
Mesa, AZ
Jul 28, 2005
#19
  • Jul 28, 2005
  • #19
Yummm, Beer!
 
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