Let's talk coilovers.

[ZR]

Ok so scuttlbutts always been, coil overs make your Mustang ride like a slammed Honda. Turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. Cobra started out on H&R race at all four corners with fresh Bilsteins HD's controlling em. Ride was good, firmer than stock but more controlled along with a nice stance, great upgrade. Next, opted for a front coilover kit from MM along with 275 / 300 and 350lb front springs. Wow, way nicer / more controlled n stable ride on the street with 275's up front, nice improvement at lapping days with the 350's up front, money well spent.
Drove it like that for a couple of years and was very pleased but looking for more at the track. Took the plunge and ordered Koni's all round along with 450lb fronts and 650lb rear coil over set ups from Maximum Motorsports. So there was a problem with the fronts that saw me only able to install the rears before track day n have to stick with the 350 + Bilsteins on the front. Night before during road test, was expecting the rear to feel ridiculous and the front to feel too firm, oddly enough, front felt too soft and rear rides well, very well, who'd a thunk with those huge springs out back (keep in mind, coil over rates are figured differently vs conventionally located).
So with the front parts issue under control, installed the front Koni's and 450lb fronts on Sunday. Quickie alignment and off we go, be dammed if the bitch doesn't feel even better. By better I mean, dramatically more planted with an even more improved ride. WTF, does the car not realize it's got dump trk springs on all four corners? Put about 300k on it yesterday, ride is good under all conditions from smooth road to choppy secondary one in BF nowhere. Only downside I could find, when turning a corner with ruts, car does have minimal pitch side to side. Easily cured if I dropped to a 100% streed dedicated spring rate front and rear. I'd originally planned to run the following on the street, 350 up front and 450 out back. Car is good enough as is, will leave it and enjoy.
Trick is to carefully match springs and shock rates. While the Bilsteins did a terrific job with the lower spring rates, not up to the task of what I'm running now.
Long story short, with coilovers, you can have your cake and eat it to.

[Toxix]

Coils have come a long way. I love my KWs.

[RedSN]

To quote Carroll Smith in Engineer to Win, "If you are not USING the bump stops, you are running stiffer springs than you need and are therefore giving away some cornering power."



taken from MM coil-over FAQ

[TheMustangShow]

Great to see this come together on your car after trying so many different set ups.

Going to go this route too when I get the take-offs at the end of this season.

Another benefit is you can run much smaller, light-weight sway bars with a proper CO set-up and scrub more weight.


http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/JTBConsulting/2015%20PWC/file_zps8vtlejaa.jpg~original (http://s404.photobucket.com/user/JTBConsulting/media/2015%20PWC/file_zps8vtlejaa.jpg.html)


http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/JTBConsulting/2015%20PWC/file_zpsimj267jh.jpg~original (http://s404.photobucket.com/user/JTBConsulting/media/2015%20PWC/file_zpsimj267jh.jpg.html)


http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/JTBConsulting/2015%20PWC/file_zpsqtwr7sc8.jpg~original (http://s404.photobucket.com/user/JTBConsulting/media/2015%20PWC/file_zpsqtwr7sc8.jpg.html)

[b1lk1]

Let me pose this: I just got a regular set of 250lb rear springs which are linear. Raised it right up nicely. Now, looking to match up some front coilovers for 90%+ street use. I want coilovers up front as they are better in every situation. Car might lap a few tracks a few times in it's life, but the emphasis is on street. While looking I see different length and strength springs for coilovers.

What would be a good street setup for me? I'm putting 255's up front with 275's out back. If I can I may even get tubular lowers for the front to keep full turning radius (my 9" rims rub). I was thinking 12" 200-250lb springs, but I just don't understand how they are rated. Thoughts?

Please remember, I do not have a budget to make my car anything close to a corner carver. Just looking to raise the front to near stock height and have enough compliance to keep my kidneys intact. I don't mind if they are a tad stiff as long as I am doing it properly. My struts/shocks would be considered unacceptable by you guys, but they are what I can afford. I've got a coilover setup on my wishlist (with 12" 250# springs) on CJ Pony for around $700 to my door (that does include a set of balljoints and UPR CC plates too).

[ZR]

Got a link to it?

Killer stet up JT, I only wish. ;)

[b1lk1]

OK, those are US prices too.

[HyperGT]

just buy ZR's , way better deal.

[b1lk1]

No offense, but I already have some of my parts, namely my rear suspension is done and I have new in the box front struts. I'm not asking whose to buy, I need help deciphering spring rates. Besides that I'm paying less for the parts I have listed and I am getting more parts. I realize ZR's is good stuff, but they do not match the rest of my suspension by a longshot.

[HyperGT]

not offended at all. A friendly point out to very high quality parts for sale.
Good luck with your build

[Slick_89_Hatch]

No offense, but I already have some of my parts, namely my rear suspension is done and I have new in the box front struts. I'm not asking whose to buy, I need help deciphering spring rates. Besides that I'm paying less for the parts I have listed and I am getting more parts. I realize ZR's is good stuff, but they do not match the rest of my suspension by a longshot.

I just installed coilovers on my 89. I used 275 10" springs. With a 9" if used a longer spring the perch would possibly touch the rim to get the ride height I want. I like it a little on the lower side but the 10" spring would have been perfect even if I wanted it only 1-1.5" lower than stock. The 275 spring is good on smooth roads but maybe a bit stiff for the bumpy stuff. If comfort with decent handling is what you want id go 225-250.

[ZR]

Ball joint, be safe, buy Moog or other high end.

CC plates, especially when running coil overs, opt for Maximum motorsports only

Coil over kit, seen little to no problem with them, spring would be good for a cruiser.

[ZR]

Norm, while ride quality is affected by spring choice, even more important, strut or shock selection. Not that I was unhappy with the Bilsteins, Koni combined with agressive springs has it riding even better.

[RedSN]

The extra camber from the MM plates comes in real handy when getting it all aligned.
I had to flip the plates to get enough camber.

Also had to set maximum positive camber on the spindle end of the strut to get enough clearance from the rim and the frame rail. Again, the MM plates came in handy to be able to bring it back to enough negative camber, and more frame rail clearance.

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/cobra%20brakes/image_zps5aa9fcd5.jpg

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/cobra%20brakes/image_zpsfb50c56e.jpg

[ZR]

Quality parts = quality results.

[b1lk1]

Are CC plates 100% necessary when running coilovers? As you said, my car is a cruiser and I'm not going for more than 1" drop. I already have poly strut bushings, kinda hate to toss them in the not used bin. Not looking for an aggressive alignment as well.

[ZR]

Coilovers must be used with CC plates. Because the wt of your ride now rests on them, reason I suggest higher end like MM. One of those do it once and not have a failure kinda deals. Steeda premium version would also be a good choice / their single plate kit would not.
Upside, even on a cruiser, gives it a major dose of Mr Feel good + allows for correct alignment.

[b1lk1]

Got it, only spent $25 on those poly bushings anyways, no big loss. Guess I'll have to save a few more bucks for the better CC plates too, hate to cheap out $60 or so and regret later.

[1low03gt]

Some good read.
I have heard in the past that the fox/sn95 chassis were not designed for coilovers up front. Any truth to that?
I often thought about doing the M&M K member/coilover kit. I've been using the there C&C plates since the day I slammed my GT, and love them. Great quality parts.

[OldSchool]

I can only imagine what the underside of that GT of yours looks like... My SN95 scraps everything, and I have the Eibach Pro Kit, not the sportline like yours.

[1low03gt]

Suprising enough, the k member, and the cats have slight rashing.... the k member brace has taken most of the abuse. Driving can be tricky LOL

[ZR]

None, feel amazing on them.
Have a MM k member and all the assorted bits in the Cobra, stuff just plain works with no downside.
Lots of guys here running coil overs in Fox's all the way to the '04.

[1low03gt]

Good hear. Can't remember who told me such, and why. Didn't make sence to me at all. LOL

[ZR]

Heard the same thing over the years, reason I was so reluctant to try them way back when.

[RedSN]

Maybe because most fox bodies the shock towers aren't connected to the k-member anymore?

[RAT ATK]

^^^they aren't designed to take the stress of coilovers. That's where the strength of the MM cc plates comes into play. Keeping your shock towers in one piece.

[OldSchool]

I have had the pleasure to ride in Spenser's 04cobra with coils all around at mosport....... Wow wow wow. He is nuts too which helps. But with r1s on he was making the gt3 boys move over with me in the car as well. Shock towers are the least concern at that stage of performance.

[tulowd]

been running Koni shocks for 30 years in all my Foxes; went to Koni Double Adjustables all around with MM/Koni front coilovers 3 yrs ago; just ordered my rears this week (been on the to do list for some time).

Coilovers have the potential of better ride quality in most situations, since the spring and shock/damper are functioning in the same plane, eliminating bushing and balljoint bind. On stock Fox and SN 95 suspensions, the springs work in an arc/ different plane than the shocks, so the entire design sux balls on top of being a strut front and solid axle rear buggy suspension. Add in worn out 20 year old rubber bushings and flexy chassis and you have a typical Fox/Sn95.

The front shock towers were not designed for coil overs, but with the correct (aka Maximums) plate it is not an issue unless your car needs to be dragged to the scrap yard pre modding, lol.

Suspending your car's mass and making it stick to the road with your particular tire / wheel setup also has a huge impact on what can work or not. Crap or mismatched parts = fail.
This also means a flexy chassis cannot work properly because the springs and shocks are not getting the correct input from the suspension travel, as the chassis is absorbing too much of the forces. (big engineering exercise potential on this point - Don will moderate, lol)

Wheel rate is the calculated force required to move the wheels a certain amount. This is based on the location of the spring vs the wheel on the suspension architecture. ie) the fat kid on the end of the teetertotter will keep us skinny waifs up in the air, until he sits in the middle of his side.
The dampers have to control the motion after the initial hit, so the suspension isn't a pogo stick.

read this: http://www.maximummotorsports.com/faq_coilover.aspx

All of this boils down to 2 things.

1) The dampers must be able to control the spring motion
2) There is no free ride = doing this properly costs money. Has nothing to do with being a corner carver or race car; simply understanding what it is you are doing.

[b1lk1]

The more I read and learn makes me wish I had just stuck to a completely stock suspension. Even just refurbishing one of these cars to stock isn't cheap, trying to do it on a small budget is worse. I already have $5K sitting in this car and it's in my garage with not a piece of front suspension in it, and from all accounts I have $600CAD of the wrong rear suspension in it already.

Always wanted one, finally got one only because it was an inexpensive shell. Only could afford mostly used parts, but now that I am at the suspension refurbishing stage I wanted all new parts. I dropped a wad (to me) on the 17" rims and I budgeted $500US to do the front suspension as I figured what I had done out back was good for a DD/weekend cruiser. Minimum I'm finding good front end stuff, as I need everything other than my stamped arms and spindles are fine, that is being recommended is over $1K US. Not happening. Even scraping up $500US is going to be a couple month ordeal.

Now I've built cars, mostly lifted trucks, many many years ago when I had the money to play. Money now is tight, I buy/sell computer parts and make a small bit of coin, but we;re talking $100-200 a month. Some of that money also has to go towards rebuilding my 1992 Dodge B250 which is my DD. At $120+ a fill up, it leaves me precious little to squrrel away and every now and then the wife tosses me a few bucks to keep my project going. I have never been under the illusion that it was going to be cheap to build a car. I'm not upset at what I have spent, I just honestly expected to be further along by this point. Sadly, I have mis-spent a good $500 so far, one step back but not a big one to say the least.

What I am trying to accomplish now is to buy a setup that is within my budget and make sure there is the ability to upgrade over to better parts without throwing away anything expensive. To me, $200 CC plates are exotic parts, I wasn't even dreaming of spending that much a year ago, now I have cornered myself into an almost impossible situation where either I buy them or go back to a stock setup.

If you managed to wade through all my whining, at this point I am either going to have to go with the UPR stuff I have posted earlier or just stop and be in limbo for quite some time. I truly appreciate honest answers given, again, I never expected this to be cheap. I guess my next question is would the parts I listed work with the KYB GR2 struts I have (they are new at least) since I can't return them and would I get at minimum a stock type ride. I would think at a minimum I'd get a better ride due to what I read on the MM site, but my budget will never allow anything better, not for a long time.

I'm to the point that I just want to drive my car. Until I figure out the mess I made and how to make it bearable, that ain't happening. I still have body work and major interior work to do as well. I was aiming to make it 100% on the mechanical end first.

Man, just realizing a very hard lesson, I should have just saved a few bucks and bought something in one piece (stock) and driven it. Building lifted trucks (we're talking back in the double solid axle days) was easy. This is just an exercise in frustration unless you have a minimum $10K sitting around for mechanicals alone.

[tulowd]

Fix whats broken, which is usually the suspension bushings and shocks. Leave the stock architecture, and use conventional springs matched to your shocks.
The CC plates will benefit you even now for getting a better alignment, which is part of the driving experience. Add some good frame re enforcements if at all possible.

Make a list of needs and wants in order of priority. You can get your car on the road - lots of decent deals out there to be had on parts. Just know what you need before you drop the coin.

Just make sure it's safe. These things had dubious sheetmetal "frames" when they were new. Lots of (hidden) rot in 90 % of em.

[Slick_89_Hatch]

The more I read and learn makes me wish I had just stuck to a completely stock suspension. Even just refurbishing one of these cars to stock isn't cheap, trying to do it on a small budget is worse. I already have $5K sitting in this car and it's in my garage with not a piece of front suspension in it, and from all accounts I have $600CAD of the wrong rear suspension in it already.

Always wanted one, finally got one only because it was an inexpensive shell. Only could afford mostly used parts, but now that I am at the suspension refurbishing stage I wanted all new parts. I dropped a wad (to me) on the 17" rims and I budgeted $500US to do the front suspension as I figured what I had done out back was good for a DD/weekend cruiser. Minimum I'm finding good front end stuff, as I need everything other than my stamped arms and spindles are fine, that is being recommended is over $1K US. Not happening. Even scraping up $500US is going to be a couple month ordeal.

Now I've built cars, mostly lifted trucks, many many years ago when I had the money to play. Money now is tight, I buy/sell computer parts and make a small bit of coin, but we;re talking $100-200 a month. Some of that money also has to go towards rebuilding my 1992 Dodge B250 which is my DD. At $120+ a fill up, it leaves me precious little to squrrel away and every now and then the wife tosses me a few bucks to keep my project going. I have never been under the illusion that it was going to be cheap to build a car. I'm not upset at what I have spent, I just honestly expected to be further along by this point. Sadly, I have mis-spent a good $500 so far, one step back but not a big one to say the least.

What I am trying to accomplish now is to buy a setup that is within my budget and make sure there is the ability to upgrade over to better parts without throwing away anything expensive. To me, $200 CC plates are exotic parts, I wasn't even dreaming of spending that much a year ago, now I have cornered myself into an almost impossible situation where either I buy them or go back to a stock setup.

If you managed to wade through all my whining, at this point I am either going to have to go with the UPR stuff I have posted earlier or just stop and be in limbo for quite some time. I truly appreciate honest answers given, again, I never expected this to be cheap. I guess my next question is would the parts I listed work with the KYB GR2 struts I have (they are new at least) since I can't return them and would I get at minimum a stock type ride. I would think at a minimum I'd get a better ride due to what I read on the MM site, but my budget will never allow anything better, not for a long time.

I'm to the point that I just want to drive my car. Until I figure out the mess I made and how to make it bearable, that ain't happening. I still have body work and major interior work to do as well. I was aiming to make it 100% on the mechanical end first.

Man, just realizing a very hard lesson, I should have just saved a few bucks and bought something in one piece (stock) and driven it. Building lifted trucks (we're talking back in the double solid axle days) was easy. This is just an exercise in frustration unless you have a minimum $10K sitting around for mechanicals alone.

Sucks eh? Well we all do as much as we can! I have some front springs you can have for free, but they are APEX and have a coil cut. With new isolators they may not be too low....at minimum it will allow you to get the car back together. I do not believe they were as low as your last springs. I know you're getting those seats Thursday, I can make arrangements to get those springs to you if you'd like. PM me.

[b1lk1]

I have already welded reinforcements in both front rails, passenger shock tower had a 2"X6" spot that is fixed. Torque boxes are nice, interior is out and no cracking and I will be welding in some reinforcing there. I have bushings for the front a-arms.

Has welded in frame connectors, floor is nice other than small hole where floor pan meets firewall section under clutch pedal, that;s getting fixed now. I do all my own welding, I'm no expert but I can make strong welds.

At this point, I see little sense in continuing with a coilover setup, anything good is just too far out of my budget. There's a couple of sets of front springs on Ebay, one from a 03-04 Cobra and another for a 95 Cobra R that are cheap enough and would let me get my wheels back on the ground.

Always wondered why there were so many over priced unfinished projects out there, now I know why. BTW, leaning towards those 03-04 springs, my struts can handle them I believe, and the bonus is they are about $110CAD to my door.

Thanks Slick, at this point I am stuck finding full length springs or the ass end will be much higher than the front. I do appreciate it though! Can't wait to get those seats, one more small step forward.

[Slick_89_Hatch]

Why not try to just get some stock springs from somewhere, probably for free, then chop 1 coil off. You'll be good to go!

[b1lk1]

Only reason not going stock is that most will be worn out. I'm really hoping to find an almost new/new set of fronts for the cheap, although I would like something stiffer than stock LX springs. I'm taking my time on this one, gonna makes sure whatever I put up there is better than stock. As I said, Ebay has more than a few sets of Ford OEM's (Cobra) for a fairly good price that I can afford.

The rear springs I put in are almost new and they are not drop springs. I wanted my car back up in the air, those Drop Zone springs were garbage to say the least for my taste. I'm old (only 47) and sore (LOL!) and need something that will help my old ass enjoy my car.

PS: Someone should, if they have the time, make a good sticky on suspension work so that others can benefit from some of our mistakes and learn from the guys that mostly figured it out.

[ZR]

Key, post up your proposed combo before purchase. Lots of guys willing to share their thoughts and experience.

[OldSchool]

Only reason not going stock is that most will be worn out. I'm really hoping to find an almost new/new set of fronts for the cheap, although I would like something stiffer than stock LX springs. I'm taking my time on this one, gonna makes sure whatever I put up there is better than stock. As I said, Ebay has more than a few sets of Ford OEM's (Cobra) for a fairly good price that I can afford.

The rear springs I put in are almost new and they are not drop springs. I wanted my car back up in the air, those Drop Zone springs were garbage to say the least for my taste. I'm old (only 47) and sore (LOL!) and need something that will help my old ass enjoy my car.

PS: Someone should, if they have the time, make a good sticky on suspension work so that others can benefit from some of our mistakes and learn from the guys that mostly figured it out.

For the RECORD springs aren't the only cause of a rough ride...... stick a set of gas shocks Like cheapo KYB gas adjusts 2 and be ready for a pee break every block.....

Ok that being said. IMO those factory springs you listed (I've had / have both) aren't worth the effort. Get a good set of Eibach pros or H&Rs spend the money ONCE.

[b1lk1]

I agree OldSchool, not blaming springs in general, but the springs I had were crap and my car was basically riding the bump stops. They were an impulse buy and I got them used and sold them for what I paid, no harm no foul. As of this moment, I have no front springs at all to put in the car. I'm looking for a set of 03-04 stock Cobra springs as I feel they will be an upgrade from stock LX springs and will still be workable with my other budget parts. I'm in damage control mode so buying a whole set for $250+ is out of the question.

It's not a matter of worth the effort, I cannot afford any of the supporting mods to get my car on the road. If I can do that then I can sit back, read, read and read some more and then listen even harder. As ZR stated, if I'm gonna start going for real upgrades it's time to sit back, post my potential list and listen to the advice I've been given. As of late, I have mostly ignored advice and went with what I have because my mind says "it's good enough".

I also realize my struts are far from ideal, but that s the other reason I want to stick to a stock set of springs. Makes no sense buying good springs with my cheap dampers.

[OldSchool]

second hand Eibachs are near the same $$ as the other items. That is what I have done.
How does 04 Cobra Stuff work on SRA car?
the Cool part of the Eibach's for SRA cars (can't speak for the HR or sportlines ones) is they are progress rate springs. offering the best of both worlds.

[b1lk1]

Only looking for front coil springs, no other parts. I have yet to see a real set of name brand name springs go for less than $200 used. If I'm lucky and fine some local, I'm hoping to spend $50 or less.

[Slick_89_Hatch]

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-auto-parts-and-accessories/hamilton/03-04-mustang-cobra-a-arms-springs/1017361851?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-auto-body-parts/city-of-toronto/1999-ford-mustang-cobra-springs-front-and-rear-4-springs-irs-on/1069440171?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Couple things i found on Kijiji

[b1lk1]

I'm praying those springs in Markham are still there when we get paid on the 27th. I saw those too, just no wiggle room at all to go there now.

[ZR]

Cobra rear / IRS springs will not work in a solid axle ride.

[b1lk1]

Did not think so, already have rears anyways. I just need fronts.

[ZR]

Your good to go on the fronts, may need a lil trim to adjust for ht though.

[Speedtospare]

Well you have driven mt setup rick. Drive like a stock fox with a complete drag coilover set up and soft springs. Spring wont last as long but hey a 60 bux a spring I dont mind replacing them

[ZR]

It rides and drives with great street manners.

[Uncle Buck]

Late to this thread. Kind of busy this past weekend. ZR, great to hear you're all dialled in and happy. I think I need a ride in that red beast one of these days.

[ZR]

Your on.

[1low03gt]

^^^they aren't designed to take the stress of coilovers. That's where the strength of the MM cc plates comes into play. Keeping your shock towers in one piece.


This is what I do remember being told to me.
In ways I could understand why, but in other ways I couldn't if one was to choose the proper components/parts.

[ZR]

My only regret running coil overs, not doing it when I bought my first Fox. Good chance those preaching against it way back when based their opinions on either crappy parts or poorly chosen combinations. Either way, quality options out there that deliver in spades with improved ride and handling.

[b1lk1]

What kills me is that is seems if you spend under $1500 all in you may as well stick to stock style suspension.

[ZR]

Some decent bang for your buck set ups out there. For yours

-prokit or similar springs
-KYB's for all four corners
-Maximum M lower rear arms
-FMS or used '99 up uppers
-Maximum CC plates
-Maximum alum rack bushings

If your more into handling, sub a set of MM road and track springs for the Eibach.
Above is assuming you've already got Steeda SFC's
Want more, do the following as the budget will allow
-MM STB brace
-MM 4pt G load brace

Ran similar to above for years on both my former Fox and '00 GT with great results, car performed and rode well.

[RedSN]

^^^ran the same setup on my '90 notch and my current '94GT.
Eibach Pro Kit + KYB shocks/struts. Used camber bolts prior to getting the CC plates, and Steeda LCA's prior to the MM's.

Setup was fine for the street. Not so great for the road course.

[OldSchool]

Don, Your new setup, how extreme is the differential from front end handling characteristics to the rear handling behaviour?

can you feel the balance difference ?

[b1lk1]

I have longtubes, no 4pt brace. Gonna fab up my own 2 point brace. As for strut tower brace, that's on my mind as well. Also gonna fab up my own shock tower brace. Finished pulling the interior out today, now the only thing that should be able to catch on fire when welding is the paint. I think I'm out of welding gas though, had a rough time fixing a hole in my B250 yesterday.

[Speedtospare]

$1500 bucks just for my two front coilovers with springs......

[b1lk1]

At this point I am no longer worried about anything other than finding a good set of front springs to get it back on the ground. I found a set that I'm hoping are still for sale next week and will use them until I can save a couple grand to do it right. Current;y, nothing I have can be used for any type of handling suspension. I'm OK with that. Just need front springs to get it back in one piece and drivable. Once I get this done I am gonna focus on getting it through e-testing, although I have it running very well right now, light years better than when I failed so I am confident it will pass. Once I get to this stage, it's time to do some long hard thinking. Thanks to the info I have learned here, you guys just saved me about $800 on the wrong parts, and I think it is time to just get my car to be a streetable car. Anything more is just out of reach for me. I figure if I can finish the bodywork and paint it next spring I may just start looking for something old and slow, something someone is willing to trade me a for my Fox for.

Drove by a Galaxy 500, looked to be a 67-68, that made me drool. The kind of car that will not necessarily be fast, but it would be a major pleasure to drive. I love big old boats. If I could find a 70-72 Olds Custom Cruiser wagon in good shape then I'd jump all over that even faster. But I digress, this thread is a wealth of info, should be pointed to to anyone contemplating spending money so that they spend it right.

[ZR]

If those front springs fall through gimme a holler, have stock Cobra fronts here for sure.

[b1lk1]

I love old boats. I had the chance to drive a 62 Impala a few years back. Had to hit the brakes quick and as usual, one of the front drums was not adjusted properly and the car dived for the ditch. No worries, I was basically ready for that. I grew up driving old boats, my first car was a 1978 LDT II and I absolutely LOVED my 1974 Impala with a 400 in it. I've owned at least 500 cars in my lifetime, many for just a few weeks as they were junk when I got them. Add to that I was a driver for a used car dealer and we picked up the junk they bought at auction that was often extremely unsafe to drive. I love old cars.

As for my Mustang, I'm just trying to prevent any more poor choices, as I have already made a few. Most things I've done people would agree with. I spend a buttload on exhaust getting good ceramic coated headers and new high flow cats. I put together a good bolt on special for the engine, makes great power for me and it's fun to drive. I now have proper size rims/tires. I have yet to do the brakes, but I'd waiting for this winter and since I'm sticking to 4-lug I've already accepted the price premium that is going to come with getting that right.

Old cars I can fix and I know what to do to them. Problem is, I have no idea how to modernize then to current new car performance levels. Suspension is very tricky to get right and this thread is proof positive of that. There's not just one formula, but there are lots of budget combos out there that do not deliver what is expected.

I'm comfortable and confident with my plan as of today, now that I understand it all much better I realize you either go balls deep if going coil over/race suspension, or just upgrade stock style as required and realize there are the inherent limits still there that were there when the car was new, but you can raise those limits enough to have some fun. I usually know better than to let parts descriptions online fool me and as I learned this valuable lesson, I've saved as much as I have wasted so it's technically a wash.

[Speedtospare]

I love old boats.

Without reading every thread.


What are you trying to modernize?

[b1lk1]

My 88 Mustang.

[Speedtospare]

My 88 Mustang.

lots of part available pieces.

[b1lk1]

lots of part available pieces.

If you HAD taken the time to read the thread you would have realized your statement is pointless.