Suspension/k Member/5 Lug Conversion

[Gearhead92]

Hello everyone,

So I have been thinking and planning my spring projects for my '88 LX, which is a bit preemptive, but what else can a poor college student do during the winter.

So I will hopefully be putting in a set of Eibach pro-line springs within the next month.

After that my plan is to focus on suspension and brakes. First off my shocks and struts really need to be replaced....blown bushings plus the shocks seem to be the factory original. The bushings I will be doing this month as well, but those are easy and cheap for the stock replacements.

Keep in mind:
-Street car that is my everyday driver. Everything is stock except exhaust.
-This is my first mustang that is also my project car. It runs and drives, but needs a good amount of TLC. So it will be a slow process while in college.
-I won't be upgrading the power very much if at all anytime in the next year or three
except for minor things like intake/headers/new exhaust/ and MAYBE a manifold but idk


First question: What brand shocks and struts?
-I have done my own research plus from what I read on other forums
-KYB = read god things but to me seems a bit on the lower end
-MM = expensive but certainly worth the money but I don't need such high end products on my first street car
-Bilstein = I had a great deal lined up for a set of struts and shocks for my car for 120 bucks, but the doucher sold them out from under me without letting me know or give another offer. Other than that I have read and heard many good things
-UPR = I have been told to stay away from there products unless I get their most expensive stuff, but I have read god things
-That is the extent of my knowledge
-Price limit for shocks and struts together is approx 400 MAX, the lower the better but I don't want to sacrifice quality for my purposes, plus the 200 for CC plates
-CC plates are a must if I am using aftermarket suspension, so I have been told many times.

Second: I am going with tubular K member, but what brand?
-Since I will have the stock spring and strut setup, I'll keep the stock A arms
-I have seen QA1's, but have read they are for drag not street, yet if I recall correctly, aren't tubular K members designed for drag? People just put them on street cars for weight loss and extra room in the front end to work?
-MM K members look pretty nice, but I honestly don't want to shell out 6-800 bucks for a k member, I'm thinking like 3-400, which is where the QA1's end up. Also I saw PA Racing has a nice K member around 330, plus I found a post on an other forum with pictures of the install (PA Racings K member) and it looked like it installed very well.

Third: Should I also replace control arms?
-a dumb question, since I expect the answer to be yes, since I am replacing everything else.
-I have asked about CAs before and was reamed out for not choosing MM CAs because I stated money wasn't an issue. Well money technically isn't (I'll save the money up if the part is worth it), but this isn't a drag car. It is strictly street, and an everyday driver.
-So any suggestions for CAs? Brand, price range? etc etc

Fourth and final: 5 lug conversion, including disk brake conversion for rear?
-I really want to do this, for one I hate dealing with drum brakes
-two, I want 5 lug so I can get some sexy wheels for it
-So main question here is where should I get the kit?
-CJ has a kit for about 1500, that includes slotted and plated rotors...good deal?


Thanks for reading, I know it is a lot, but I just want to get a head start on planing and shopping. Not much else to do but homework these days.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[reldla1996]

Sounds like you got the shocks/struts about right. You left off a few higher end brands off your list, but they would fit in with Bilstein or better. I do not have CC plates on my 89 Mustang, and essentially the entire suspension is aftermarket, including front coil overs, and the the suspension is set up for corners. CC plates offer more adjustments in caster and camber, but are not absolutely required. I did recently put CC plates on my 04 Cobra, and I'm on the fence if they are a plus (ability to dial in additional caster) or minus (road noise) overall. They are not as adjustable as I expected. K Members, MM is a great piece; you didn't mention UPR which is in the middle ground between MM and the more drag oriented pieces. I put a tubular K member in my 89 to take weight off the front end, to help with weight distribution (my goal was a well balanced handling car). Of course the K member is only half the weight equation, with tubular control arms and coil overs being the other half. I went with an off brand at the time, Ground Pounder by name, which is similar to the UPR piece. It worked fine for me. On control arms, I replaced the rear ones first, because that greatly reduced the tendency of the Fox Mustang to snap into 360's without warning, and wheel hop. On the front control arms, going tubular reduces weight as mentioned, but you can also get them offset forward, which increases ackerman angle and moves the CG rearward relative to the wheelbase, all of which helps handling. I believe if you search, you'll find 5 lug conversion can be done with used parts for much less than $1500. While you're at it, you should pick up some newer Mustang front brakes, which are improved over the Fox Mustang brakes.

 

[88LX5.Oh]

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...5-lug-brake-conversion-upgrade-thread.801400/

 

[Gearhead92]

What are your opinion on UPR? Like I stated before, I have been told bad things but read good things, so honestly I have no idea where their products fall in the quality spectrum...

And thank you for your responses, both have been very helpful.

 

[2000xp8]

If you manage your money a bit wiser, you could add alot of good parts on to that list for the same money you plan on spending.

First off, the k member is a colossal waste of money.
Cutting a few lbs really does nothing for performance on an average street car. Every hundred lbs is about .1, so at $600 for .05 seconds, you aren't getting much. You could shave that much time by not going to mcdonalds any more.
Second, the good k members that are actually stronger cost way more than your budget, the ones you consider affordable are weaker than the already stout stock k.
Most of the cheap ones are just eye candy.
K members have their place, just not at your level of performance and budget. Had you said you have every engine and suspension performance part, i'd say ok go for one of the good ones (griggs and MM), but you are far from it.

Piece the brakes together and you should be able to have a nice setup for around $800 with a little shopping and some good used parts.

That's over a grand back in your pocket on those 2 things.

For shocks, i'm a firm believer in adjustable, i'm partial to the koni reds, but there are other good ones out there. With the koni's i could physically feel the adjustment.

For control arms, go high end for sure, the street beats on the car much more than the track. A track has no pot holes or turns.
I like the MM and steeda parts.

As for my opinion on UPR, i probably wouldn't use their parts if you gave me them for free.

 

[Gearhead92]

Does your piecing the brakes together include/incorporate a 5 lug conversion? That is the most important thing when dealing with the brakes..I want disk all the way around with 5 lug. I want/need some good looking rims haha

The other reason I want to replace the K member is because whoever owned the car before hit something hard enough to put a nice dent in it.
The location of the dent is barely off center to the right if you look at the font end. In my professional opinion (engineering student) along with common
sense, the dent probably doesn't do anything structurally. So I don't need to replace it. It was suggested to me by my neighbor who has his own small business auto shop out of his garage plus he
is a top fuel drag racer, plus building up muscle cars.

 

[JordanB21]

Does your piecing the brakes together include/incorporate a 5 lug conversion? That is the most important thing when dealing with the brakes..I want disk all the way around with 5 lug. I want/need some good looking rims haha

The other reason I want to replace the K member is because whoever owned the car before hit something hard enough to put a nice dent in it.
The location of the dent is barely off center to the right if you look at the font end. In my professional opinion (engineering student) along with common
sense, the dent probably doesn't do anything structurally. So I don't need to replace it. It was suggested to me by my neighbor who has his own small business auto shop out of his garage plus he
is a top fuel drag racer, plus building up muscle cars.

do the sn95 brake swap and then yes it does!

I don't know all the fine things needed, but from a junk yard sn95 of any kind you can have 5 lug, four disc brakes. no more drums!

I would go pull another stock K member while you're at it. There's always tons of foxbodys with them left and with no engine.

and another note about the 5 lug 4 wheel disc brakes from a sn95. I own an sn95 and the braking capabilities are just miles ahead of fox's. Of course it handles better and has ABS, but it is exactly what you're looking for, and on budget.

 

[Gearhead92]

How difficult is it to do the brake swap in a driveway with jack stands? haha chances are that is how I'll be doing it unless I get luck and use my neighbors lift.....

Kind of a dumb question/statement...the sn95 swap would not entail switching to ABS, solely just the disk and 5 lug conversion...correct?

 

[89BlackGTvert]

I have all UPR stuff on my car. K-member, Control Arms front and Back, and Camber Plates. I have strange 10ways front and back. Thing handles amazingly. And ebicah front and rear sway bars.
Sent from my PI86100 using Board Express

 

[Gearhead92]

That is exactly my issue. Many people can confirm UPR is good and other won't touch it haha. Decisions Decisions

 

[JordanB21]

How difficult is it to do the brake swap in a driveway with jack stands? haha chances are that is how I'll be doing it unless I get luck and use my neighbors lift.....

Kind of a dumb question/statement...the sn95 swap would not entail switching to ABS, solely just the disk and 5 lug conversion...correct?

nope, you wouldn't get ABS. Well I guess it would be possible to install ABS, but that would be intentional.
Yes you could do it yourself, there use to be a guy who would pull all the parts and sell them as kits. Google around and you'll find the shopping list, something like front and rear rotors, calipers, and everything in between. A lift would make it extremely easy, but jackstands is also possible.

It's a common swap for foxbodys, not everyone has the money to drop 1500 or 2000 for Cobra brakes, and even fewer want to.

What google yielded briefly: http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/braking-articles/498351-fox-body-sn95-5-lug-disc-brake-swap.html

http://93coupe.com/sn95-5-lug-brake-conversion/

 

[Gearhead92]

Yeah, I would love to save money that way. I don't want to drop that much money nor would I have it that soon.

Thanks for the links, very helpful

 

[2000xp8]

There is a million brake swap posts here on stangnet, should be pretty easy to find.
Keep the fox width in the rear to avoid clearance issues from 95 axles.
You will have to buy northracecar.com brackets for the rear, that's pretty much the only part you are not going to find used.
For the record, i did my cobra pbr 13 inch brakes with cobra (vented) rears for about $850 total. Most of that money went to the NIB loaded bullit calipers and the NRC brackets.
Financially you can just do gt or v6 rears, cheaper and the vents are likely a pointless waste of money.

You don't need a lift, you will barely spend any time under the car.

I just saved you 1000 bucks, put that money into MM cc plates and lower rear control arms. You keep going on and on about the upr stuff, you just aren't going to get the answer you are looking for, some like it, some hate it.
On the other hand it's unanimous everyone likes the MM stuff.

That dent that probably didn't do any real damage to your k, would have destroyed an aftermarket version.

 

[88LX5.Oh]

Keep the fox width in the rear to avoid clearance issues from 95 axles.
You will have to buy northracecar.com brackets for the rear, that's pretty much the only part you are not going to find used.

Or you can cut the brake brackets, swap the brackets to the opposite side, and install 1 washer per bolt to gap the brake bracket from the caliper bridge. Saves a lot of money.
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...h-axles-and-stock-sn95-brake-brackets.859972/

Only thing you have to buy when you do that is 4 washers and the spacers from the axles to the rotors. So you spend like $35 instead of $200 or whatever for NRC brackets.

 

[madspeed]

I have UPR k member and a arms on my car. no issues at all

 

[Gearhead92]

There is a million brake swap posts here on stangnet, should be pretty easy to find.
For the record, i did my cobra pbr 13 inch brakes with cobra (vented) rears for about $850 total. Most of that money went to the NIB loaded bullit calipers and the NRC brackets.
Financially you can just do gt or v6 rears, cheaper and the vents are likely a pointless waste of money.

I just saved you 1000 bucks, put that money into MM cc plates and lower rear control arms. You keep going on and on about the upr stuff, you just aren't going to get the answer you are looking for, some like it, some hate it.
On the other hand it's unanimous everyone likes the MM stuff.

I mean if I can do a 5 lug swap with cobra brakes for $850 ish, then why shouldn't I? I'm still saving $650...Which I can throw at control arms and CC plates, assuming I can find a set of MM control arms for $450 ish. I'm going to go shop around now haha

You have a great point, everyone likes MM, so getting MM I know exactly what I'm buying.

I have found MM CC plates for around $200, which is the middle of the road price. Hotchkis and MM have a set for $270 ish, but I think I could easily get away with the $200 set.

 

[Gearhead92]

http://northracecars.com/Brakes.html

Are the brackets at the top of that list, the cobra brackets...are those the ones you are speaking of?

 

[88LX5.Oh]

I got Steeda CC plates and they were like $209 I think. Just another option.

 

[Gearhead92]

Yeah I saw those as well. I honestly don't think it would make a difference, either MM or steeda...color I guess? haha Both are great well known quality brands....so I guess it is whatever I am feelin when I buy them.

 

[reldla1996]

K members do more than shave weight, they usually move the control arms up, improving camber gain during cornering, and the steering rack forward, improving ackerman angle which improves turn in. Most of them also allow the engine to be moved back an inch, improving traction, weight transfer, and weight balance. UPR is striking a compromise between cost and performance - they're not as good as the best brands, but they don't cost like those brands do. Make a choice between what you want and what you can afford. Years past I went more budget oriented, these days I can pay more for better parts. MM is first class and heavy duty, but some of their parts force you to do other things that I've not appreciated.