do urethane spring isolators raise the ride height on an 86 gt vert?. and if so can i cut my ford racing "c" springs to accommodate the difference in the front?
It will also depend upon the condition of your existing isolators. But in general, in my experience, poly isolators do tend to raise the ride height a smidge over worn OEM isolators.
Okay, I'm assuming you're in Southern Calf?
Have you ever seen C spring on any Fox vert? How about a 4-eye vert?
IMHO, you're asking for a problems.
About isolators:
o The OEM rubber isolators wear down over the years. That lowers the fender height. The isolators settle and.oe wear out over the years, the springs do not settle!
o Going with brand new Ford OEM isolators will likely raise a car by ~0.1" 0> 0.2". I'll pull a figure from my rear and say 0.15".
o Any new isolator will take ~1-4 weeks to fully settle. The isolators settle, not the springs!
o New Poly isolators will raise the fender by ~0.05 to 0.1" over new Ford OEM isolators. That is after they have both settled for about a month!
o For a Fox or sn95, any drop of over 1" screws up a lot in the geometry of the suspension. Please realize that with a drop of over 1", you will not have better handling. Many people that go for a drop over 1" do not have handling as thier main prority. If that's also true for you, then that lower drop is your choice. You know your drving conditions in your area. No one else does. So, you will know better than anyone else of you have to deal with speed bumps, bad road conditions, and driveway ramps. So, be careful of suggestions by people that may not fit your driving needs or desires.
o Even once you lower a Fox or sn95 by 1/2", you really should/need go with CC plates and a bumpsteer kit (*I* say get MM only!!). For a four-eye, you do not have the choice! On a lowered 4-eye, without CC plates and a bump-steer kit, your aligment specs will suck and the car will drive and handle like pure and total cr*p! IMHO, if you can't afford the CC plates and bumpsteer kit, then you can not afford to lower your car!
About Verts:
o First, in reality, spring "drop" specs are many times BS! There are many factors the determine how much an specfic Stang will be effected by any spring.
o Verts are weigh more. Surprise. So, a vert will be lower on a set of springs than a Hatch or notch.
o Since verts weigh more, total jounce amount (basically: "force required for the suspension to bottom out"), becomes even more important if you have bad roads, bumps, and so on that you have to deal with.
o *IMHO*, B springs on a vert are a complete joke. C springs are very risky on hatch or notch because they lower the car way too much for the spring rate. So, C springs on a vert are even more risky. Still, I know that some people have done in on 87-93s. The problem that you will have on a 4-eye is the reduced fender area and the difference in the suspesion geometries because of the shorter k-frame. Again, you know your road and driving condtions better than anyone else. So, it's your call on how much you can lower your car.
Yea, still working on my spring FAQ. So, let me know how I covered the above topics. I'm trying to reach that very delicate balance of "enough info" verses "too detailed and people get bored/lost". Also, I'm trying to consider the different desires of people. I'm thinking now that I'll need 3 spring FAQs. One for handling, one for lowered looks, and one for quarter mile performance. Otherwise, it seems that one group "get offended" by the info.
wow i got alot of bang for my buck. very informative; i appreciate it. to answer a few of your ?'s yes i am in so. calif. and this is the second set of "c" springs i've had on the car. i put the first set on in 1988, and had no problems. why are "c" springs not for verts? and also what is a 4-eye vert? i have not done cc plates or bumpsteer, but to me it handles great. i do have a strut tower support, full length sfc's, g-load brace,
torquebox reinforcement, and a 6 pt. rollbar. drives like a tank, which i really like. i like to feel the road. the botdots on the freeway sure are noticeable. handles like a slotcar.what i'm looking for is a little rake. i'm running 215 60 15's in front, and 265 50 15's in back. so i guess the way to do it would be to raise the back a bit. how do i do that? thanks for all the imput
They might raise it 1/8". When I removed my OEM rubber ones the springs wore through and was sitting on the LCA itself. That's not good. The iso is about 1/4", but the weight of the car and hardness of the springs will compress it about 1/8".
BTW..this was the rear of the car. The front will prolly raise up 1/8-1/4" The lower poly isos come in a tube like shape and are pretty hard. The factor uppers are pretty thick, on the OEM ones and the polys.