Order of Suspension Mods

[phutch11]

Hey guys, I'm wanting to make some suspension mods to my 66 and I wanted to see what order would make the most sense in terms of bang for the buck and ease of install.

I already have the increased rate springs front and rear, have lowered the car 1 inch and have subframe connectors installed. I also run G Sport tires and have a slight performance alignment. I want good handling and decent ride quality.

The mods I'm considering are:

Battery Relocation
Rear Seat Divider Install
Racing Shocks
Roller Perches
Rear Sway
Bigger Front Sway

I don't want to do a shelby drop due to the PITA factor.

Thanks



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[mrmustangman357]

Sure thing.

Battery Relocation: yes do it. More weight in the rear is always a good thing, as it is cheap and simple to do. You will get a better weight distribution and clean thingas up under the hood

Rear Seat Divider Install: I have seen tests where this dramatically improved torsional rigidity. Also, a very good idea to keep noise out and seal up your ride in the event of an accident. .035" aluminum works well. Since you have subframe connectors, don't expect as much of an improvement here, although there will be some. I would hold off on this until later

Racing Shocks: KYB are the ones to go with. Expensive but dramatically can improve handling, especially if your stockers are junk.
Roller Perches: one of the first ones to do. Will help handling a good amount

Rear Sway: not so much. You need to get your car set and see what tendencies it has before you want to committ to a rear sway. hold off on this
Bigger Front Sway: One of the most important. a 1" or 1 1/8" works best on these cars to keep the chassis planted in the turns, without sacrificing ride quality. Use poly bushings also with lots of grease

I don't want to do a shelby drop due to the PITA factor: DO THE SHELBY DROP. It will be the biggest improvement you can make with this car. dazecars.com sells templates and a drill bit to do this, so there really isnt any reason you shouldn't do this. This will improve your handling dramatically.


Another thing to consider is the shape of the stock stuff you have right now. check ball joints and strut rods. Meir racing sells phenolic strut rod bushings that eliminate the deflection there and improve stability under hard braking/turn in. Also, look at your tie rods and center link, and get that steering box replaced or rebuilt if its sloppy!

 

[joedokes28]

Roller perches were certainly money well spent on my car and easy to install.

 

[phutch11]

I've got brand new stock components on all steering/suspension parts to include the steering box.

The PITA factor on the Shelby drop is the lack of access to the bolts due to my headers and the cost of the alignment - there's only one place in town that would touch it and they're proud of their work.

Does it really help that much - I thought everyone was soo much more in love with the roller perches.

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[mrmustangman357]

every modified mustang has the shelby drop. the alignment shop would alighn it just the same. Make sure the drillbit doesn't go through the header and you would be good to go it really does help just that much!

 

[zookeeper]

If drilling 4 holes is too much trouble then you are in the wrong hobby. I mean, you don't mind spending money on parts and installing them, but doing something that will give definite results and is free isn't worth it?

 

[phutch11]

I took the car all the way down to the unibody and installed everything from new floor pans to a EFI swap to completely fabricated subframe connectors, so no 4 holes isn't a big deal. However, sometimes you get tired of wrenching on a car and would like bolt on projects that don't require all weekend and an alignment.

Last time I checked 200 buks for an alignment from the only shop that will touch your car isn't free.

But I must admit that I am intrigued - can I reuse the 1 inch drop 620lb front springs? Or is will I now have 2in total drop in the ride height?

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[raleighstang65]

The Shelby drop only lowers the front about 1/2" or so. It does more for geometry over actually lowering the front. So you should be able to reuse the 1" drop springs without any problems. Does an alignment really cost $200 where you are? That seems crazy! I think I paid $40 for mine.

 

[zookeeper]

I agree. I had mine aligned recently and it was under $50. Also, dropping your A-arms doesn't take all weekend. I was working nights at the time I did mine, and I did the drop and cut my springs in less than two hours.

 

[mrmustangman357]

read it all here: DazeCars, Shelby Drop, Klaus Arning drop, upper control arm drop, Falcon, Mustang, Cougar 60-70

 

[bdepedro]

I agree. I had mine aligned recently and it was under $50. Also, dropping your A-arms doesn't take all weekend. I was working nights at the time I did mine, and I did the drop and cut my springs in less than two hours.

Zookeeper: I'm would like to do the UCA drop on my '70 but was concerned about whether my springs would be ok. I has 1" lower 620 springs that I have cut an additional 1/2 coil off. Is this similar to what you have?

 

[zookeeper]

Mine has the one-inch A-arm drop, plus one full coil cut off the stock springs. To give you an idea of where the front sits, my lower control arms are level. I'd like to install some slightly stiffer springs, but it rides so nice with the cut stockers, that I'm reluctant to take them out. Here's a shot of the front to kinda give you an idea of how low the thing is:

 

[bdepedro]

Love the stance! I've only cut 1/2 a coil off but that's 620 springs. I'm running 235/15R60s up front and plan on doing the drop and wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a problem with the cut springs. Once I do the drop I may cut more spring if needed.

 

[zookeeper]

Thanks for the compliments. The tires on the front of my car are 225/50-15's on stock 15x7 Shelby wheels. Believe it or not, they don't rub, but it's awfully close.