Suspension/k Member/5 Lug Conversion

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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 said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

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?

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.