Retrofit Tacoma Struts in a Stang

MightyMouse

Member
Apr 19, 2005
40
0
6
Kansas
I retrofited some Toyota Tacoma Struts into my 67 a few years back. They came off of a 4x4 V6. Handles really well, just way to stiff. I need to find the springs for a V6 2wd or that of a 4cyl 2wd. I custom made the mounts on the bottom and modified the a arms to allow the strut to work. My problem is this, besides it being to stiff, I have a Taurus R&P in it and the inside of the tires wear down really fast. I did the shelby 1" drop to the upper Control Arm when I first got the car and left it that way. Should I put this control arm back and would anyone know where I can find some different coil springs?

I don't drive it much, if any at all. It has been in storage the last 1.5 years at my parents house. We are thinking about bringing it down to where I live so we can take it for a spin every once in a while. Everything has been redone except for the body. Fun car and a great hobby for a stress reliever, or stress maker sometimes. Thanks for the input.

I have been a member for a while and have really enjoyed the wealth of knowledge from this site. I hope to start posting more and sharing what I have done. Thanks again. :)
 

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Cool idea!

Standard coil over springs are 2 5/8 ID and come in free standing lengths from 7" to 14". They come in rates from 100 lbs/in to 800 lbs/in (although not in every length). Take one of your springs out and measure it. You may be able to easily swap out a much better rate for your car. Do a google search on coil over springs. I'm partial to AFCO, but there are many other good brands available.
 
very cool conversion, i'm sure there are many people here who would lover more details on the strut conversion.

if your tires are only wearing on the inside you probably have too much negative camber dialed in, shouldn't really have anything to do with either the strut conversion or the taurus rack either. you should look for 0 to -1/2 degree camber any more and you'll get tire wear issues on the inside of the tire exactly as you describe.
 
I have some other pictures, not much to show the mount point. We have decided to bring it down to our house. We have someone about 4 blocks from where we live that said we can store it at their place so it is still covered. I am going to work on the mounting design for the bottom part. I have attached the other pics I have. I can try to talk my dad into taking some pics, but then to get my mom to attach them and email it out, better just to wait. Anyway, here is what else I have.

Would something like the monroe or gabriel coilovers not work for our cars? I have some on the back, just wondering if they would work on the front? To much weight, I need to look at all the numbers, it has been way too long since I haven't worked on the car or done anything with them.
 

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the load leveler type coilovers you're referring to are designed as a helper spring to work in conjunction with the stock springs. honestly i'm not even sure that enyone still makes a version for the front anymore, i've seen some NOS sets on ebay from time to time though. i would have to say though that i would really only consider using that type on the front for a dedicated 1/4 mile car to help with weight transfer, they were very popular back in the 70's for just that and occasionally on street racers as well, otherwise i think they'd be better of being used on a truck or ranchero that was doing a lot of towing or had a big camper shell installed
 
I have been doing some more research on spring rates, it is starting to make sense. I am tracking down the spring rate I have in it now and then I can go from there. I better get to bed, you know how it is, researching stuff and time gets away!!!
 
Anybody have any idea what spring rate should be up front on a mustang with struts? I read the newer 5.0's have a rate of 300lbs/in. Let me know what you guys think. I will try to have more pics soon.

I will be posting all of my info on the Taurus R&P conversion as well.
 
I would start somewhere around 400 to 425 lbs/in. on the front. I'm running 450s with my 408W with AC and Power steering and I really like them. I've never scraped the ground due to a bounce and my car is very close to the ground, but the ride is not stiff at all.

14" sounds like the right length as well.
 
With the strut lower mount being close to the balljoint the difference in motion ratio is going to require a softer rate than you would on a spring mounted on the center of the original control arm. But in your case, until you find out the Taco 4x4's spring rate you're just guessing. Choosing a spring rate for your car based on someone's stock spring location is going to be a crap shoot.
 
AFCO makes coil over sleeves. I was thinking about getting their 10in springs and some 7in sleeves. This would also give me some adjustability. Total cost would put me at $200 for the springs and sleeves. I like the tacoma struts because they mount in the three upper shock tower mounts (with some modification of course). I really like this setup, just trying to get the right spring rate.
 
I found that the springs are 14" uncompressed and they are rated at 455lbs. Even at this rate they are way to stiff. Newer mustangs are rated at 300lbs with their struts. I am leaning more towards this. I may get the coilover sleeves and 10" springs. I guess I will be shooting in the dark here, but I am willing to do this considering I only have $100 invested in this setup so far.

When I first rebuilt the front end, I put 620 coils in the front, talk about stiff.

I have attached a pic of what the struts look like, they are on the left. The other struts are for a beefed up tacoma and a re rated at 650.
 

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Scratch that idea

I am going away from the Tacoma Strut Conversion and focusing on a strut conversion like that of RRS. I have the parts coming to my house and the best thing is that I am under $450 for a complete front end strut system. After I am done I will have:

  • Billstein Struts
  • Coilover Springs
  • Adjustable Strut Rods
  • 96 Mustang GT Brakes
  • Rack and Pinion Steering
  • NO UPPER CONTROL ARM

I will be posting pics of this conversion as I go. I am basing mine off of the FatMan Fab design, but without the cost involved. Stay tuned as I am slowly working on this.

The following website has some great information on the Fatman Fab installation:

FatMan Fab Strut install in Fast Forward Fastback
 
This is the way all new mustangs are set up.

You know why they are setup that way? Because it is cheaper. If you look at all the cars the ricers adore, they are the newer cars with dual arms, not with struts. Also, if you look at the high end track setups for the new mustangs, some of the best ditch the strut and put in an upper A-arm.

Just because people do it now, doesn't mean its better. Things people make today are designed to be cheap, not better.

I have plenty of camber, besides, later I may install camber plates up top. I am working on it now and will post pics in a new thread later.

Ok, you have static camber, and you can adjust it so your tires don't wear on the inside or outside. I hope you have that, every car has that. What you won't have is camber gain - the thing that adjusts your camber when you are cornering hard and the body is rolling towards the outside of the curve.
 
dual A-arms are much better than a MacPherson strut type setup like the new mustangs have. and Shagg is right most of the really good suspension kits for the fox body and up stangs use an upper control arm. i would stick with what you already have and just modify that until you get what you want out of it but don't ditch the upper arm.