Suspension and sterring kit

67GTA-FB429 said:

I just recieved my X-mas present to myself. A Mustangs Plus Super Starter Kit. 620 coils, 5 leaf mid-eyes, KYBs, Poly bushings, 1" front & 3/4" rear sway bars, upper and lower control arms, and new steering pieces. Any advice for installing these boxes of fun? I am pretty excited about it but nervous about all of these changes at once. I am also considering the "Shelby Drop".

Any input would be appreciated.

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Shelby drop...yes.

Do one side at a time on the front...that way you will know how to put it back together by looking at the other side.

Be prepared to have to cut the front bolt out of your rear leafs since they are notorious for rusting to the spring bushing insert thingy. Tungsten steel blades and a sawsaw are your best friend here.

If you got the drop springs, don't expect to see a very noticable change in your front end location since if it sgot orginal springs in it now it is most likely sagged to the lowering springs stance

If you didn't get the lowering springs, don't be shocked at how much higher your mustang sits suddenly and has a nose in the air look...it will settle a little, but the new from the factory look had the nose higher than the rear

If you have a compressor make sure you have an air hammer and pickle fork set, this will make getting the front end appart that much easier...if you don't have air tools, make sure you have a hammer and a pickle fork. I bought a set from sears that works in an air hammer or with a regular hammer.

Don't forget safety and make sure you car is jacked up WITH JACK STANDS under it and not just a jack...you want the car to be very stable before you start wailing on it.

The front uppers with springs are a little tricky...some people rent a spring compressor to get them out, but I always managed to get it apart without a compressor.....drop the lower a arm, then drop the spindle and let the upper arm come all the way down till it rest on the rail, you can ussually fudge the spring out then....or you can just use the compressor....internals are the best.

Reinstalling with the drop springs is cake and you won't need a spring compressor to put them in.

Be prepared to have to cut the front bolt out of your rear leafs since they are notorious for rusting to the spring bushing insert thingy. Tungsten steel blades and a sawsaw are your best friend here.

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Here is an alternative...

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/3573/Special/spring.htm

Those 620's won't be stiff enough. I have 720's and with the 460 it dropped about an inch over where it sits with a small block.

dodgestang said:

Shelby drop...yes.

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Does the Shelby drop change some of the component angles and possiblly interfere with the rims/tires?

RGS0907 said:

Does the Shelby drop change some of the component angles and possiblly interfere with the rims/tires?

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The shelby drop lowers the a arm an 1inch (and to the rear a bit depending on year) which serves to get the steering geomeotry closer to its optimal location. So yes angles change, but usually for the better. A good example of this is with 16 inch rims.....some people report 16s hit their ball joint, but those that have done the shelby mod report a much better fit with regard to the ball joints. The overall appearance effect of the shelby mod is the car sits about 1/4 inch lower. However, what you lose in height, you gain by being able to run a more agressive alignment that tips the top of the tire into the fender lip more and improves your cornering perforamnce.

If you read through my charts you will see a section for A-arm mod...there are 2 primary mods...the shelby mod and the neg wedge which drops the a arm to its fully optimal location but requires a wedge to be installed to keep the ball joint from binding.....everyone I have talked to seems to be able to run more agreesive tire sizes with the shelby mod than without.....it might be a function of the mod itself, but more than likely its just the mind set of the people who performed the mod willing to take a chance on a larger tire

67GTA-FB429 said:

I
Mustang 70: Did you have to do any mods to get the 460 in?? Don't you love big block torque??

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My buddy made a sert of custom motor mounts so I could bolt it to the original frame mounts. Other than that, it was the usual stuff of the tranny cooling lines, radiator hoses, etc. I don't have the motor anymore. It had a lot of issues I didn't feel like dealing with. So I have the 351W back in it now.

67GTA-FB429 said:

I know what you mean, I have solid lifters and it is a joy to adjust 4, 6, 7, & 8.

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Mine kept fouling plugs because of a carb that didn't want to hold an idle adjustment. That was fun since I had to take the valve covers off to do it. Then the number five cylinder was was getting oil into the chamber. Which was probably caused by a bad valve guide. Overall, I'm happier with the 351. I think I'm just going to always be a small block guy at heart.