With coilover setups, why not relocate the LCA too?

To the first Q: yes the LCA should be operating just +/- around perfectly level on a strut coil over suspension to avoid the "inferior" camber curve these setups have.
Someone mentioned a K-member and that's exactly what I'm using on my new build. Get rid of the original crossmember, get an adjustable A shaped tubular LCA, bye bye to the strut rod and steering box and in with a Pinto manual R&P. Saves a lot of weight and gets close to optimum geometry for that kind of setup. I'm using a special road race version from AJE: 64-70 Mustang The shock tower gets an adjuster plate and reinforcements as mentioned.
Just on a note, this is mostly a track car that's streetable and it's going to have hard suspension with short travel. As long as the travel is kept short I personally am having a hard time confirming that a strut setup is inferior to the classic geometry UCA/LCA. My current ride is fully modded with Global West UCA, boxed lowers, OTP roller perches, Rosehill Performance strut rods, PU bushings, adj. SPAX gas shocks, stiff springs etc.

I have to question if there is a universal "best" suspension, it really depends on driving style/needs and taken from that on suspension travel, stiffnes, caster/camber/toe settings etc etc. I hate driving with 750lbs springs and 3° camber on the freeway but love it on the local short, twisty track. A soft sprung 0.5° camber setup is smooth on the street but kills the tires in 2 laps.

Just my 2c (€)!

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Hi!
Exactly why did you go with this setup, as your current one sounds pretty nice?
Are you in need of more engine compartment space or something like that?
Do you have R&P with your current/old setup?
Thanks!

Those links work now, and they're really cool! Thanks!

fast_back_gta said:

Hi!
Exactly why did you go with this setup, as your current one sounds pretty nice?
Are you in need of more engine compartment space or something like that?
Do you have R&P with your current/old setup?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

The current setup stays, the AJE is for a new car.
And yes, I need a bit more space to run headers forward to meet the turbo. But the main reason is that the AJE setup saves a lot of weight up front and takes some load of those poor front tires. It also gives us the possibility to move the engine a bit rearward, again improving weight distribution.

The current setup is with an old but tight steering box. Looking forward to R&P!

Yeah too much static camber hurts straight line tire contact and braking performance.

you could also replace the stock power steering pump with a GM saginaw pump, there are quite a few conversion kits available, mostly for broncos but the pump brackets are the same for each engine so what fits a 302 in a bronco will fit a 302 in a mustang, you will need to have hoses fabbed or find some kind of adapter fitting most likely but that's kids stuff to do.

if you get an Opentracker, Maier racing, Global West, etc. "re-aligned" or Negative Roll/negative wedge upper control arm and lower the pivot point the appropriate amount you change the tilt of the tire in corners from tilting out to tilting in.

the biggest drawback to suspension geometry on the early mustangs is actually in the spindle not the suspension at least once you change the pivot point of the UCA anyway. currently nobody is making an aftermarket spindle with improved geometry but you could possible adapt a Wilwood Mustang II "Super" spindle which has a lot geometry improvements over a mustang II spindle and some over a stock early mustang spindle.


there are all kinds of low buck big brake kits available using late model calipers and rotors as well.

Hi, do you have some more info on that MII spindle?
Thanks!

a big part of it is the spindle pin location, ideally it would be located higher up in the knuckle, effectively lowering the car and also allowing wider wheels and tires. the scrub radius isn't all that great either if you are running a wider than stock wheel/tire combo and the tie-rod location isn't ideal if you have converted to a rack and pinion setup.


you can see the wilwood spindle on their website, it's really designed as an improved replacement for a mustang II application but could be adapted to the early mustang with a custom steering arm but again it's not ideal either, IIRC it had something to do with caster, i'l have to try and find it in my collection of suspension information but it might be easier to do a search for wilwood spindle on www.corner-carvers.com and it should be relatively easy to find.

no unfortunately there isn't a factory spindle that would be any better. the lincoln versailles and granada spindles are basically identical, functionally, to a 70-73 mustang disc brake spindle and other than than the spindle pin diameter and tie rod taper size they are the same as the 68-69 mustang disc spindles. about the only realy difference between a versailles spindle and any of the others is the size of the lower ball joint which is much larger on the versailles than any of the others including the granada spindle.

Fatman Fabrications has a dropped spindle based on the granada piece but i've heard that it changes the track slightly and pushes the wheels further inboard which can result in the wheel/tire rubbing on the lower ball joint and steering arm, not sure what size wheel was used but one guy used the same wheels he had previously with stock granada spindles and he said his wheels started rubbing in those places after the fatman dropped spindles were installed. so that makes that spindle questionable at best. i believe it is also either a cast spindle or a fabricated spindle (memory is slipping) which could throw another wrench in the works as well.

Hi bnickel,
I've glanced at those wilwood drop spindles, and at standard MII spindles too for that matter.

It looks me as if the MII uses a front steer rack and spindles, is that correct?
If one were to use the MII spindle in an early mustang you have to place the r&p in front of the axle (assuming you'd use a r&p).

Would it be possible somehow to use the MII spindle with a rear steer rack?
Could'nt the spindles be swapped left for right, so the spindle arm ends up pointing rearwards? or would that throw everything off?

Also, It looks as the wilwood spindle uses bolt on arms, what if those were either flipped or changed from side to side, also meaning they end up pointing rearwards?

I'm really no expert at this, as you've might allready guessed.

here's a link to what I'm working on:
Mustang -69 sportsroof project pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots