That occured to me and I'm thinking that I may have to create a tapered spring purch. The shock should be fine as it's going to pivot at the top. I figure at this point I have nothing to lose. I've got to do something and if this turns out to be a failure...then it's an upgrade to M2 territory!
Why not try to do a very clean tower shave? If all you are worried about is cosmetic from the tower shaves you have seen in the past, maybe you could be one to do a pretty job. I have a pic on my computer of a very nice job. I don't know who's car it is, but they did beautiful work. Pic attached below... If you poke around here for any length of time, you will see tower shaves that range from hack jobs that a kindergardener could have pulled off to works of art. It's all in the level of detail you want to put into it. Personally, I believe the pics you have seen of "sectioned" towers are much more that that. I know of a few cars that have recieved Mustang engine bays, but none that are confirmed "section" jobs that you describe. Even the Pro-stock SOHC and Boss cars of the past used highly modded and exotic Boss 429 Mustang underpinnings to keep the geometry of the suspension. Also, cars like these were running in a straight line, therefore there was no thought into making the cars stable when turning a corner. These cars were driven either very slowing when turning in the pits, or towed. No thought in being safe for real day to day cruising.
I think the layout pic looks good. Go for it. Like mentioned, the size of the top of the mount has to be the size of the spring. I wonder if Dyno Don's car has some sort of coil over spring/shock? Might be able to cut deeper if you can find some smaller diameter spring. Keep an open mind. You might actually fins a good use for import car springs. Cleaver
Well I confirmed it tonight. I had a buddy come over that I race with to review what I had planned and he seems to think it will work also. We double and triple checked my dimensions and it should do what I need to accomplish. Keep in mind that I'm not changing any of the suspension geometry. The only thing that I'm changing is the location of the top of the spring. I've decided to cut it tomorrow. I'll post pictures in this thread as to the progress. Wish me luck guys!
I had the pleasure to actually see this car today, and the towers were moved WAY OUT. I'd bet there wasn't over 2-3 inches from the fender seam to the inside of the tower! Just barely enough room for the shock mount!
Dyno Don's car was at Carlisle a few years ago and I was liking the mod on his car. Unfortunately, it was roped off so you couldn't get close enough to really check it out. I also think there was a strut type unit used because of how small the top of the tower was.
Hey, when you get it all cut, moved and welded back up, could you...uhh,... maybe,...you know,.. just "test fit" a big block 429/460?? LOL .
So do you have a donor motor you'd like to try??? I'd love to shoehorn one in, but I don't have anything for a 460 but a set of rods these days. Anyhow, I got the first cuts done tonight. I thought that I was going to have a coronary episode, but once the first cut was complete I calmed down and it went smoothly. Only took about half an hour to cut the three sides (front, top and back). There was a lot of measuring and remeasuring involved just to be sure. The second tower will go faster I think, but I want to keep one in tact while I complete the other. I'd set up some pictures but there isn't much to see yet. I still have to cut the inside edge, but I need a spot weld cutter first. I'll pick one up tomorrow and then let the cutting proceed! I'm more and more convinced that this is going to work. Hopefully I won't have to eat my words!
I looked over Dyno don's car will close this weekend. He used coil overs and the angle of the mount is more perpendicular than stock. I'm not sure how good that would be for the street, but for a drag car, it works. Cosmetically, Dyno Don's changes are not pretty. But, it is was very functional for it's purpose. BTW, that cammer is way wider at the top than a 460. Custom headers are definitely in your future with just a shock tower mod..probably for MII mod as well.
Hey that pic was my car!!! lol...Thanks... MNT, i have been where you are going. I too am building a fast turbo Maverick. Hopefully 8 sec fast. My shock towers started like that picture. But in the end, we ended up going with the AJE front end kit. Waaaaaay better than a MII kit. But I ask you, what is your purpose with the car? How fast do you plan on going? What is going to be the motor/trans/head/exhaust mani size? All this will come into play. Really, the upper A-arm mount becomes your biggest obstacle. BTW, search for the AJE front end kit info on here....good stuff...
Here's where I get on my soapbox...LOL! First let me say that I want a street car that I can race. I've had dedicated race cars for years (10 second cars) and I personally feel that you lose some...what term am I looking for??? Contact, maybe? With the car. In other words, I was missing little things because I was only driving it a quarter mile at a time. There could be a little noise that would tip me off on the street, but I may or may not notice it on the return road. My original plan for this car was to be a total sleeper...with the hood closed. I was going with the 14 steel rims and hubcaps. I wanted to go with turbo's for the stealth aspect. Well long story short, the 9" I bought ended up being bent and I stumbled on a deal for a 35 spline 9" with a spool for a price I couldn't pass up. I then found a set of drag stars with tires for the unbelievably low price of $100. So I ended up going with disk brakes on the rear, since it was already set up for them. So that brings me to today. The limiting factor is the block. I'm sure everyone knows this. I can only make so much horsepower with the 302 before it splits down the middle. The 347 I've built for this has the Mexican block and I'm looking for 600 horsepower (which is the max most people will give you with the 302). I went with the 302 hoping to keep the front end changes to a minimum. I've got the AFR 185's and two .63 T3 turbos. I've also got a small nitrous shot to spool the turbos. Ok, back to the car...and sorry for the rambling here...but now I've modified my plan to create a car that Ford should have from the factory. Oh your original questions, I built my own headers from 1 5/8" U and J bends. The motor as I said is a 347 and I'm running a toploader (yes I'm a glutton for punishment!). I've been gathering parts the last 2 years and I'm just now assembling. So have I talked everyones ear off now???
