Question for "Historic" or ......

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iamlance

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Sep 18, 2004

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Nov 2, 2004

#1

• Nov 2, 2004

• #1

I am considering the same front suspension and brake set up as Historics except I will have big ole bling bling poser rims . I have read horror stories about Granada spindles causing all sorts of problems. Should I be concerned?? The car is a 65 and will be street driven , sometimes like an absolute jackass is behind the wheel. Should I go with the Granada"s or stick with the original spindles and get SSBC or similar. Thanks for advice.

 

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Ronstang

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Apr 4, 2004

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Houston Texas

Nov 2, 2004

#2

• Nov 2, 2004

• #2

The only time I have heard of the Granada spindles causing troubles is when you lower the upper control arms more than the 1" Shelby drop and maybe on aftermarket upper control arms that are shorter than stock to alter the camber curve. I have had several cars with Granada spindles and stock modified front suspensions using the Shelby 1" drop and have never had a problem. I think the problems you hear of are due to the increased ackerman angle of the Granada spindles. If you are using a setup similar to Historics (basically Shelby spec) then you should not have a problem.

 

blascrw

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Aug 19, 2004

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Opelika, AL

Nov 2, 2004

#3

• Nov 2, 2004

• #3

my .02

Well Historic and others are more educated than me but...

Before I came here I did a lot of research on the Granada.

1st I have found they are very hard to find...besides paying 200 + shipping on ebay...add new calipers, new lines, new M/C you are only saving maybe 200.00 over SSBC, and like 100.00 over Wilwoods.

Now if you do much suspension changes there are many reports of strange alignment issues and such. Also alot of people do not like the noise the granadas make often...the pad rattleing in the caliper...


I was going to go with the Granada, but after having trouble finding them, I am going with the SSBC system, but have not totally ruled out Wilwoods...

Wilwoods 650 range
SSBC 800 range
Granada 237 for rotors,calipers,pad + wheel bearings, grease seals, brake hosesadd 60 = 297 + 200 for rotors off ebay =497 + 80 shipping =577 roughly

So think about it before you choose...

Ron

 

allcarfan

The Answer Man

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Apr 8, 2001

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North Atlanta

Nov 3, 2004

#4

• Nov 3, 2004

• #4

Ron,

I have a granada setup with slotted rotors (rotors are brandnew) The spindles have been smoothed out and powdercoated. I am really considering selling it all. PM ME if you are interested.

Shane

 

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iamlance

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Nov 3, 2004

#5

• Nov 3, 2004

• #5

Good info, thanks. Anyone else??

 

HistoricMustang

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Confederate States of America

Nov 3, 2004

#6

• Nov 3, 2004

• #6

A Granada set up will do you just fine. When building my car in the mid '90's I found a set at the salvage yard and paid $75 for the entire set up including brakes.

I bet my butt on the set up at places like Daytona, Lowes and Watkins Glen plus many others and the Granada's never failed me.

Forget all the horror stories: www.historicmustang.com/tech.html .

While we are talking about the front end, there have been a lot of post here about cutting this, or drilling that and then welding up the holes on standard Ford parts. Be VERY careful if you do this on a street car as putting metal through heat cycles actually weakens the material and that results in failure.
If it is a track car which is usually inspected after each session you will be OK but for daily drivers be very careful in heating or cutting original Ford parts.

I also caution people on buying aftermarket parts for the same reason. It may have been made in some shop without quality control or perhaps made in some foreign country that does not care if you bust your butt.

Just food for thought. Another reason I stay with original Ford parts that have had tons of testing by Big Blue.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

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iamlance

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Nov 3, 2004

#7

• Nov 3, 2004

• #7

OK thanks. As far as the big meats ( 17 or 18 inch ), This should not cause adverse handling?? Also my setup is Versaille. I would be buying bushings to make up for the lower ball joint size difference. Should this cause any problem?? BTW , I drove this Versaille back to my shop and could not believe how nice it rode. It was firm but absorbed bumps and irregularities in the pavement great. I wonder if the springs from that car will fit mu 65???
Again, thanks for the tips!!

 

HistoricMustang

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Confederate States of America

Nov 3, 2004

#8

• Nov 3, 2004

• #8

Just me, but I am not a believer in wheel/tire combo's over 25" diameter. Those set up's tend to raise the car and these things need to be low to handle.

Am sure someone else can help out with the larger wheels you use. My rear end is a 9" so I can't help you there either.

Good Luck,

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

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iamlance

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Nov 3, 2004

#9

• Nov 3, 2004

• #9

Oh, I will have power rack and pinion on this , should it matter.

 

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bnickel

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lubbock, texas

Nov 3, 2004

#10

• Nov 3, 2004

• #10

iamlance said:

Oh, I will have power rack and pinion on this , should it matter.

Click to expand...

check out www.gt350clone.com for Bob's experiences with granada spindles. if you are going to run sticky tires on 17" wheels i would advise against the granada's especially if you are going to use a rack and pinion setup, also if you ever decide to go with aftermarket upper control arms the granada's won't work with them anyway. historic knows his stuff about the stock parts but he doesn't like any of the aftermarket stuff so he doesn't really know what will work with the aftermarket stuff, no offense historic

 

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iamlance

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#11

• Nov 3, 2004

• #11

I read that , thanks. That is what prompted this thread. What I would be doing is the same as Historics except for the rack and the wheel size. Do you feel that these two changes would cause problems??

 

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bnickel

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#12

• Nov 3, 2004

• #12

iamlance said:

I read that , thanks. That is what prompted this thread. What I would be doing is the same as Historics except for the rack and the wheel size. Do you feel that these two changes would cause problems??

Click to expand...

yes.

 

B

bnickel

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#13

• Nov 3, 2004

• #13

you can get a stock 67-70 stang,cougar, fairlane or torino disc setup on ebay for not much more than the granada setup. or go with wilwoods or ssbc, i think master power brakes offers a conversion kit for the early stangs as well. if you do decide to get the wilwoods make sure you get them on the car before you order your wheels as they will effect the wheel backspacing since it changes the track width of the car.

 

rbohm

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tucson,az

Nov 4, 2004

#14

• Nov 4, 2004

• #14

HistoricMustang said:

Just me, but I am not a believer in wheel/tire combo's over 25" diameter. Those set up's tend to raise the car and these things need to be low to handle.

Click to expand...

i agree with this sentiment, but i prefer to go no larger than 26" personally. also i think that wheels larger than 15" do not look all that good on early stangs, and unless you are going to use brakes larger than 11.75", you dont need 17's or 18's for brake clearance. also dont forget that when you use a larger wheel, you need to use a shorter tire, and that causes you to lose ride quality, and doesnt aid handling as much as you might think.

 

HistoricMustang

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Confederate States of America

Nov 4, 2004

#15

• Nov 4, 2004

• #15

Another caution on using the big wheel, small tire combo. I am hearing from friends that put a bunch of money into these things beginning to have two major problems. The first time a major pot-hole or curb is hit, they are bent. The first time a dog (or drunk buddy) decides to take a leak on that nice looking chrome, they begin to rust.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

GT2K

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#16

• Nov 4, 2004

• #16

HistoricMustang said:

Another caution on using the big wheel, small tire combo. I am hearing from friends that put a bunch of money into these things beginning to have two major problems. The first time a major pot-hole or curb is hit, they are bent. The first time a dog (or drunk buddy) decides to take a leak on that nice looking chrome, they begin to rust.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

Click to expand...

Are these concerns you generally face? and how does aluminum rust? Maybe you are thinking of some "big" 15" Cragars from 1985?

 

GT2K

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#17

• Nov 4, 2004

• #17

iamlance said:

Oh, I will have power rack and pinion on this , should it matter.

Click to expand...

From the standpoint that you are seeking the advice of the wrong person, YES

 

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iamlance

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Nov 4, 2004

#18

• Nov 4, 2004

• #18

OK, Still totally confused. I'm considering Randalls rack. He claims the centerlink and tie rod ends or in the same position / angle as original. If this is the case, the suspension should be unaffected by the steering gear.....right????

 

GT2K

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#19

• Nov 4, 2004

• #19

Alright, I'm going to put it from my perspective and experience. Forget the R&P if you have budget concerns. Get a new steering box and put that extra money in a good set of brakes designed in the 1990's or 2000+ instead of retrofitting a 1970's setup.

The R&P is an easy swap and can be done when funds allow. You won't really need it with a nice new steering box.