Shock tower question.

[1966ponyguy]

I've heard a lot about the early mustang shock towers leaning inwards from usual road wear and tear. Several sites list checking them, and spreading them into proper position using a porta power. Can anyone tell me what the measurements should be to check by and just where to measure them?

I have thought of using a monte carlo bar to check, but I don't have one handy, and due to the 5.0 HO motor going into the car, the bar will probably be a custom polished aluminum to match the other parts. Thanks to everyone who has replyed.

Thanks again

 

[LMan]

40" tower to tower.

 

[Ozsum2]

40" tower to tower.

But from where to where? I guess I could go down and measure from bolt hole to hole on the MC brace, but I'm in my jammies.

 

[rbohm]

usually what people do is install an export brace, and push the towers outward untill the brace bolts up. you can do a similar thing with a monte carlo bar too, just not as well as the export brace install.

 

[65stanger]

I asked myself, "What would SuperDave do?"

Obvious answer is "Read the Ford Manual!"

Unfortunately the only dimensions I was able to find were in Section 17-1 General Body Service......there is a diagram with the underbody dimensions and all measuring points come off of the subframe.

 

[StangDreamin']

Does the manual give a figure for the incidence angle of the shock towers? If it does, we could get the height measurement of the tower - say from the LCA mounting point to the upper shock mount - and the distance between the LCA mounting points. Armed with those measurements; just get the Closet Moderator-Engineer-Dawg to whip out his trusty pocket calc to do the math!


See, I knew we could make the boy work a little!

 

[Ozsum2]

No it doesn't. The MC bar is the key here.

 

[StangDreamin']

Okay, but (strictly playing devil's advocate here) how the the manufacturers know the length to make their MC bars? The proper distance tower-to-tower must be recorded somewhere.

 

[Ozsum2]

Okay, but (strictly playing devil's advocate here) how the the manufacturers know the length to make their MC bars? The proper distance tower-to-tower must be recorded somewhere.

More than likely, they took measurments from an original MC bar.

 

[StangDreamin']

I'm sure that, absent any available documentation, measuring an original MC bar is the only way to go (only reasonable way). It just runs afoul of SD's RTFM policy; and that just seems wrong in so many ways.

I can imagine the bean-counters' decision to dump all manufacturing data for the first two years; but it doesn't seem like something that engineers would do