Suspension/k Member/5 Lug Conversion

Unless you're building a dedicated track car, I personally think a tubular K member is pointless.

Gearhead92 said:

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.

Click to expand...

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first. UPR Products are Made in America, they carry a Lifetime Guarantee, and they work really REALLY well. UPR racers have won dozens of racing championships, and we have thousands of happy customers using our products on the street daily. (plus we offer Stangnet members a discount)

Now, for your specific needs, I probably wouldn't start off with a k-member. Since your car is stock and you're a "poor college student", that's not a great place to start.

I'd recommend Strange 10-way adjustable shocks and struts. They fit your stated budget (less than $400/set) and they work well on the street. They are easily adjusted with no tools, it only takes about two minutes. You can stiffen them up for cornering or soften them for drag launches.

http://www.uprproducts.com/strange-mustang-adjustable-strut-87.html
http://www.uprproducts.com/strange-mustang-adjustable-shock-79.html

You mentioned "Eibach Pro-line" springs. Here's the situation: Eibach offers Pro-Kit springs which lower the car about 1.5" and work well for street driving and cornering, and they offer Sportline springs which lower the car about 2" which is mostly a cosmetic upgrade, since they sacrifice ride quality for aggressive looks. I'm not sure which springs you have in mind, but I'd actually recommend their Pro-Kit springs, for greater functionality. That said, Eibach manufactures UPR's Pro Series springs to the same specifications as their Pro Kit springs. (but our springs are less expensive, with the same Lifetime Guarantee)

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-eibach-pro-series-competition-springs-v8.html

Caster-camber plates are not required for lowering a Fox, but they are strongly recommended for two reasons: first, they give you more adjustability than the stock plates so they allow you to dial in the alignment. Second, with a car like yours, they are also a maintenance item. The bushings in the factory strut mounts (caster-camber plates) are soft rubber. Since yours are still stock, the bushings are most likely worn out. Think about this- all of the front suspension is connected through the strut mount. As the front tires travel up & down or steer left & right, the strut shaft is moving in the mount. If the bushing it rides in is worn out, it makes the handling really sloppy. So anyway, Here are the cc-plates I'd recommend for your setup:

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-steel-caster-camber-plates-urethane-79.html

(personally, I wouldn't touch the k-member or a-arms until you're ready to upgrade them with a tubular k-member kit. It is not necessary now)



Moving toward the rear of the car, subframe connectors will help you get the most out of your suspension. They help keep the body more rigid (less twisting, squeaks, and rattles) and let the suspension do the work. These full length sub frame connectors work really well, but we do have a cheaper, shorter version-

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-full-length-subframe-connectors.html


For the rear suspension, (assuming you'll already have the shocks and springs at this point) the biggest improvement is to upgrade the control arms and delete the factory quadshocks. There are suspension snobs who will tell you not to use polyurethane bushings on your rear control arms because they bind. That's nonsense. If you said you are building a no compromises racecar, I could set you up with some control arms with spherical bearings on both ends which have zero bind... but you're building a street car on a modest budget. UPR's Elite Series tubular chrome-moly control arms with Energy suspension polyurethane bushings are the best option for a street car:

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-chrome-moly-rear-control-arm-suspension-kit.html

To do it right, I'd recommend taking your car to a shop who could seam weld your factory torque boxes while the control arms are out of the car. This will help keep them from separating as they are prone to do on older cars. Also, it's a good idea to replace the bushings in the axle housing, although I'll admit that it's a bit of a pain in the butt. Here are the bushings we recommend:

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-billet-polyurethane-bushings.html



^^this full setup I've described above offers a decent ride quality and plenty of grip, and it does so on a reasonable budget. Plus, all of the UPR parts carry a Lifetime Guarantee.

I have Strange shocks and struts and so does my dad. I haven't had any driving time on them, but dad loves 'em on his car. 10 way adjustability all with the turn of a knob.