TCP front coil conversion

Slobin3d · Aug 30, 2011

The plan for my new 72 mustang will include some local SCCA events. I used to run my focus back when, now that I am the proud new owner of this 72 I want it to handle as well as possible.

Has anyone here used the kit, I searched and found mention of it but nothing describing it. Is there something better, major drawbacks (I know ride comfort will be affected) major problems, or do you absolutely love it?

I want to know if I should invest my money on this kit or if there is a better one. I'm not a fan of doing things twice, or wasting money, that being said I don't mind paying more for a quality product

Rusty67 · Aug 30, 2011

I'm not personally a fan of the coil overs. If I was going to put coil overs on my Mustang I would want the spring to reuse the top spring perch on the shock tower.

Talk to John over at OpenTracker Racing. He should be able to give you some really good insight. The 71-73 Mustangs aren't as common as the 65-70 when it comes to suspension modification, at least from what I have seen.

Slobin3d · Aug 30, 2011

from what I understand is the TCP reuses the stock mounting locations. I will look up opentracker, thanks for the info

Rusty67 · Aug 30, 2011

Maybe it is different for the 71-73 cars....

I looked at their website and what I saw was the coil over mounting to the lower control arm (good) but the top mount bolted to a bracket that in turn bolts in where the stock spring would fit (bad IMO).

DukeGnarley · Aug 30, 2011

I don't see an issue with it. the forces are all going in pretty much the same place.

Slobin3d · Aug 31, 2011

Brought my car home tonight

S-Car-Go · Sep 1, 2011

I haven't used TCP, but they have an excellent reputation. Two other kits you might want to look at are Street or Track (they use Bilstien coilvers). I'm a big fan of Bilstien and have their coilovers in the rear of my car, Bilstien shocks in the front. And check out RideTech.They put the coilover on the upper ball joint.

Good luck

Psydwaze · Sep 2, 2011

Slobin3d said:
from what I understand is the TCP reuses the stock mounting locations.

We (TCP) actually have a couple of different front suspensions to choose from, all mounted off existing factory mounting locations. If you are building a dedicated autocross/road course car I would absolutely recommend running a complete coil-over conversion, which moves the lower shock mount to the lower control arm. A double-duty street/autocross cars could get away with running what we refer to as a bolt-on coil-over; one that mounts the lower end of the shock to the upper control arm spring-perch tabs.

If you provide more details on your performance goals, installation resources, and project budget I can give you a more meaningful recommendation on assembling an effective package. Feel free to PM me or post publicly.

Lino
TCP/Chassisworks

P.S. Nice choice on the '72. I really enjoy seeing 'outside the box' builds.

Slobin3d · Sep 4, 2011

Psydwaze said:
We (TCP) actually have a couple of different front suspensions to choose from, all mounted off existing factory mounting locations. If you are building a dedicated autocross/road course car I would absolutely recommend running a complete coil-over conversion, which moves the lower shock mount to the lower control arm. A double-duty street/autocross cars could get away with running what we refer to as a bolt-on coil-over; one that mounts the lower end of the shock to the upper control arm spring-perch tabs.

If you provide more details on your performance goals, installation resources, and project budget I can give you a more meaningful recommendation on assembling an effective package. Feel free to PM me or post publicly.

Lino
TCP/Chassisworks

P.S. Nice choice on the '72. I really enjoy seeing 'outside the box' builds.

Thanks for the reply, It's nice to see the manufacturers actively involved with the public.

as far as the car goes, I want to revamp the entire suspension to make it handle like a modern car. I used to drive a 01' Suby 2.5RS then a Ford Focus zx3 in my local SCCA and I really crave that on rails feeling. I know our classic cars aren't the greatest design for on on track driving, but it doesn't mean we cant try right.

I don't plan on the car being a daily driver nor a track only car but I want it to be ready for what ever I decide to throw at it, and look good at the same time.

As far as budget, I'm not going to drop 10K tomorrow, I simply cant afford to. I am Stashing cash away just for this car and don't mind paying for what I want or need, the problem I have is shelling out unneeded cash for something that doesn't do what I want or is for looks.

I know I already Know I want your subframe connector and am looking into either a 4 link rear or I had been rolling around the idea of building a T-bird based IRS too. I fully expect to spend way more on the suspension then any other part of the car, paint not withstanding.

Rusty67 · Sep 5, 2011

You want the car to handle and you are going to put in a 4-link suspension ? IMO a 4 link is horrible for handling, it is mainly a drag race setup. Go with a Cobra IRS or a Jaguar IRS if you want an independant setup. There is also the T5 IRS but I don't know if they make one for the 71-73 cars. The T-bird IRS is ok but there aren't many performance parts. The Cobra IRS was built from what the learned from the MN-12 body cars IRS setup. If you decide to go with the Cobra IRS get the delrin/aluminum bushing setup from Full Tilt Boogie Racing.

If you want to stay with a solid axle there are a lot of options out there for the classic. I'm a fan of a panhard bar or a watts link. There are all kinds of solid axle setups and it can be argued any number of ways.

For your money, I'd go IRS because it will handle better and be a more comfortable ride then a solid axle.

Psydwaze · Sep 7, 2011

The downside of 'outside-the-box' builds is that you'll be a little limited on available performance parts. That does not mean that you can't put together a great package.

It sounds like you're looking for a versatile solution, so I'll give you a couple of different options for the front suspension.

Front Bolt-On Coil-Over

The cool thing about this option is that it offers full coil-over system benefits of a spring rate selection, spring load adjustment, and adjustable shock valving, AND can be used with OEM or aftermarket upper arms. A great option if you're limited on budget or taking smaller steps towards converting the front suspension.

Front Coil-Over Conversion System

This will get you to your performance goals for the front suspension. It features the same shock and spring benefits of the other coil-over system, but with an improved motion ratio, which allows the shock and spring to work more effectively. The control arms and strut rods feature pivot-ball mechanisms or teflon-line rod ends. This is primarily what makes the most noticeable difference in perceived vehicle handling.

Steering
So here's where choosing a '72 begins to limit your product selection. I do not have a rack and pinion kit specifically designed for the '71-73 Mustang. However, due to the versatility in how our rack mounts to the vehicle, it can be easily adapted to fit your car. (If you were considering installing an IRS, this is completely within reason.) The process is similar to this Fairlane installation. Unfortunately, I don't have an official set of instructions for the '71-73, but the install can be done without too much grief.

Subframe Connectors
Our subframe connector system does not fit the '71-73, but there are other manufacturers that do offer them.

Rear Leaf-Spring Suspension

You're a bit limited on the rear suspension choices as well. We do have a rather nice leaf-spring package that includes our adjustable valve VariShocks; the perfect compliment to the front suspension. If you wanted to take the next performance step, a torque arm can be added that includes mounting tabs for your existing rear end housing. Or, a FAB9 housing can be factory assembly with the mounting tabs. You will have to fabricate a simple crossmember to anchor the front end of the torque arm.
This obviously is not a leaf-spring housing, but you can see the simple mounting method. We also, offer a weld fixture to correctly position the tabs.

Canted 4-Link
If you really want to do something cool that works extremely well, we offer a weld-in triangulated 4-link system through our Chassisworks product line.

Another StangNet member posted some pictures from his project. He selected our billet-aluminum links, but we also offer adjustable-length tubular steel links, which I would recommend for a handling focused project.

Sorry, didn't have a smaller image on the web server.

NOTE: There are different types of 4-link systems. Chassisworks manufactures at least half-a-dozen different styles of 4-links. Some of which are designed specifically for drag racing and others are setup with geometry that is more suited for street or handling applications, such as the canted-4-link shown above.

Slobin3d · Sep 7, 2011

Thank you Very much for the Info. I had looked ar the Rack&pinion but saw that it wasn't offered, not that hasn't stopped me before.

I looked at tons of different SFC's so I may have been confused about your making one for my car. Too bad you don't, But I understand demand isn't there....yet

I had looked at 4-link rear really hard. I've been doing offroad for several years and well versed in all the different advantages of a good 4-link, there not just for drag racing

I'f I'm going to do it I'm going to do it right.

On your complete front conversion can you dial it down enough to make for a somewhat comfortable street driving, so if I travel to a car show or on a cruise I wont need to take a dentist along for the ride

Since you don't have a SFC for my car do you recommend another brand, since your in the business you probably know more then I do about whats out there and who's crap and who's not.

Thanks for all the help

Psydwaze · Sep 8, 2011

Slobin3d said:
On your complete front conversion can you dial it down enough to make for a somewhat comfortable street driving...

Absolutely, a lighter spring rate can be selected and the shocks set at an appropriate level to achieve a comfortable and perfectly acceptable ride. Stepping up a spring rate will net you a slightly stiffer ride, but with the benefit of reduced chassis movement should you decide to lean more towards enhanced handling over a smooth ride.

Slobin3d said:
Since you don't have a SFC for my car do you recommend another brand...

I just learned something new. We actually do offer weld-in subframe connectors for the 71-73 Mustang through our Chassisworks line.

65-73 Mustang Weld-In Frame Connectors - Product Page
Installation Instructions

Honestly, I don't have a lot of experience with them. If they fit like our other Chassisworks connectors, they butt up against the end of the front subframe, the floor must be notched for the connector tube, and the rear bracket aligns the rear of the connector with the inside edge of the rear frame rail. If you need more detailed info regarding actual fit and installation, speak with one of our sales techs, Mike or C.Ray, at 888.388.0297. I believe both of them have been with us for over 15 years and should be able to add something to the info I have provided.

Slobin3d · Sep 9, 2011

I don't suppose there is a complete conversion package deal?

Slobin3d · Sep 18, 2011

Whats the advantage, or purpose of the Dropped Pivot, and eccentric eliminators?

Psydwaze · Sep 21, 2011

The dropped pivot shaft actually has two effects on the suspension geometry. At ride height, the lower shaft position places the upper control arm at an inclined angle. This leans the tire inward as the suspension compresses at a quicker rate than when the pivot shaft is in the factory position. This increases the amount of negative camber gained and improves the suspension's ability to keep more of the tire tread in contact with the road when cornering. The second effect of the lower pivot shaft position is a higher geometric point at which the front end of the chassis rolls, commonly referred to as the "front roll center". Raising the roll center closer to the vehicle's center of gravity reduces the "roll rate" and the amount of force required to counteract body roll during cornering.

The eccentric eliminators create a fixed-position mounting hole that does not have the risk of shifting when heavily loaded during cornering. By rotating the plates and choosing from the three holes, the lower arm can be mounted in eleven different positions, affecting track width and static camber just as with the factory eccentric hardware.

Slobin3d · Sep 21, 2011

I've been talking with a buddy of mine who's been helping me with my car setups, he used to be pit crew for Mickey T back in the day, and he was explaining roll center and camber gain to me, All the cars I'd owned prior and scca'd had had stock suspension and weren't that adjustable.

He was telling me that with my car as big and heavy as it is the roll center adjustment will be a big deal to help with over steer and body roll, and to help keep the rear end under control.

TCP front coil conversion

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