upgrade suspension on a budget????

freddyfender · Jul 30, 2007

After reading this site for a while and other mustang magazines and articles. I think I finally have come up with an idea for my front suspension. I have to do this on a budget so I hope these components will give me the desired ride for the price. I need your opinions if you have a moment. I am trying to get the old 65 coupe to handle somewhere between the sloppy suspension it has now and a race car. I want to be able to drive fast to a nice song on the radio with out wandering into the ditch!!!

Here it goes:

Upper control Arm. Rebuild existing arm with Spicer Professional grade front control arm shaft kit $37 each = $74 (ball joints newer so leave in place.)
Spring perch: Opentracker roller spring perch $199
New springs GT coil springs $80
New Shocks KYB Gas-A-Just Shock Set $90
Lower control arm leaving as is. Newer ball joints put in not long ago $0
New adjustable strut rods from Opentracker $369

I will do a 1 inch drop for the upper control arm. After alignment and all the changes are made, adjust the steering box. Try and remove some slack it has.

So what are your thoughts? Will this change the handling enough? Am I wasting my time and $812???

geostang351 · Jul 30, 2007

freddyfender said:
After reading this site for a while and other mustang magazines and articles. I think I finally have come up with an idea for my front suspension. I have to do this on a budget so I hope these components will give me the desired ride for the price. I need your opinions if you have a moment. I am trying to get the old 65 coupe to handle somewhere between the sloppy suspension it has now and a race car. I want to be able to drive fast to a nice song on the radio with out wandering into the ditch!!!

Here it goes:

Upper control Arm. Rebuild existing arm with Spicer Professional grade front control arm shaft kit $37 each = $74 (ball joints newer so leave in place.)
Spring perch: Opentracker roller spring perch $199
New springs GT coil springs $80
New Shocks KYB Gas-A-Just Shock Set $90
Lower control arm leaving as is. Newer ball joints put in not long ago $0
New adjustable strut rods from Opentracker $369

I will do a 1 inch drop for the upper control arm. After alignment and all the changes are made, adjust the steering box. Try and remove some slack it has.

So what are your thoughts? Will this change the handling enough? Am I wasting my time and $812???

What type of tire and size are you running 175 70 14?

CraigMBA · Jul 30, 2007

To that I'd add a 1" or 1 1/8" sway bar.

Is your upper shaft worn out?

2bav8 · Jul 30, 2007

Sounds like a good setup.
A 1" front sway bar would be a nice addition as well though.

freddyfender · Jul 30, 2007

i am currently running 15 " tires. I think there is already a sway bar. not sure what size it is?

2bav8 · Jul 30, 2007

Don't forget that decent tires are a must for good handling as well.

Cyclone · Jul 30, 2007

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My BluePrinted Fly-Ford Racing Suspension will
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SadbutTrue · Jul 30, 2007

The little parts add up quick. Most say monte carlo bar ($20), export brace ($60), front/rear sways ($100 each), shocks (my kybs were... cheap, forget how much), shelby drop (free but $100 for alignment) to start. If you want to take apart the suspension, then new springs (mid eye 5 spring in the rear is a good one, and 540 or 620 coils in front) and poly bushings come next. At this point you're only five or six hundred down and you'll feel a huge difference.

After that the price increases start getting bigger if you want more. And quick. You can spend as much as you want to on a classic mustang suspension (i've heard of people putting c5 corvette suspensions under 60s mustangs, as an example). And look in any NPD catalog and you'll see packages for front suspensions ranging to 10 grand, and independent rear setups for about the same. Interesting when people are spending ten times what their car msrp'ed for on suspension rebuilds

I've done all the above except new front springs and bushings and the difference is big. When I deem my front springs worn out I'll complete the deal and get 540 coils, better UCAs and bushings. But thats a big job, and i'm lazy.

fostereast · Jul 30, 2007

Suspension

Several thoughts,
1) for good first dollars, rear suspension is more important, it moves all over the place. Hardpan bar, good shocks, check springs, etc.

2) The best first dollars spent are on steering, get a R&P

3) The front supsension upgrades you suggest sound pretty good. If you can get graphite impregnated poly bushings, it may be worthwhile. The guys I know with poly busings complain about the squeaks.

I think you are being very realistic, trying to do this on a budget as you are, most of the money spent on suspension upgrades for a street car are over the top. With this approach, you will get a lot of benefits for a minimal investment as opposed to a lot of investment for a minimal benefit.

69gmachine · Jul 30, 2007

I would recommend the KYB GR2 shocks vice the Gas-Adjusts. I replaced the Gas-Adjusts with GR2s in my car and it really made it more fun to drive, and handle even better. Many of the top suspension tuners subscribe to the less is more philosophy with shock rates (and springs). Remember F=ma. You only need as much shock as it takes to keep the car from oscillating. The less your front end weighs (m), the less shock you need. The slower you go in the turns (a) the less shock you need. The Cup cars go super fast on banked ovals, and they're fairly heavy. They use ungodly spring rates and stiff shocks. You're not going to be going that fast, you're not going to be driving on a banked oval, and hopefully you've removed as much weight off the front end as is practical. Keep your unsprung weight to a minimum and remove as much as you can off the nose. Then use as light a spring and shock as you can. It will make it very compliant to the road.

Otherwise your aproach seems sound. You have lots of good advice from others

Westmus · Aug 1, 2007

freddyfender said:
New adjustable strut rods from Opentracker $369..

Will those make any noticeable difference on a street car? I think I would use those $$ on new rubber bushings on the stock strut rods ...and a FlamingRiver steering box instead. It will give you more bang for the buck, I believe.

And remember an alignment to modern spec, makes a big difference in how the car handles on the road.

Tubo(2-bo) · Aug 1, 2007

Cal called it right, stiffen up the chassis, Monte Carlo Bar & Export brace, 1in. Shelby/Arning Drop, Swa Bar 1in or 1+, At this point I'd go with sub frameconnectors & add a torque box, KYB"s(I like the Gas a Justs, but with springs no firmer than 520) Roller Spring perches & GT springs. The articulated strut rods are not a budget piece, they are for later when $$ are available, for budget Hard rubber strut rod bushings. A long term piece would also be R&P.
This is about the setup I'm using, except I use the Pro-Motorsports Progressive springs, and dont have the articulated strut rods, which will be added soon.

Jester67 · Aug 1, 2007

freddyfender said:
Spring perch: Opentracker roller spring perch $199
New adjustable strut rods from Opentracker $369

Like stated above stiffen up the car first then.If you can weld you can make the spring perches your self and save money. If not the Opentracker ones are a good addition. I would just upgrade the rubber on the strut rods for now but NEVER USE POLY here as you could break the rod.

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