hi i wanted to do the 1" shelby drop (with 1/8" back) on my 74 maverick. but as i learnt the 74+ maverick have a reinforcing plate inside the shocktower on the wheel side, that is interfering with the new position of the cross shaft. has anyone done the drop to a car with reinforcing plate??? how to go around this problem???
i didn't have the plate on my car, but as this suspension is based on the 68 mustang, the drop goes only 1" down. the 1/8" back is only for 65/66 mustangs! so make sure to use the correct template...
you may want to check out Total Control Products website below link. http://www.totalcontrolproducts.com/upper.html this is for their dropped upper control arm, it lists this for all Mav/Comet years and may fit even with reinforce plate. You can always drop them an email or call them and see what they say. It all depends on what you want to do with you vehicle, rally/road racing or just lowering the front. I left my uppers alone and used 69/70 Boss 302 Mustang front coils, with 1 1/2 coils removed to lower my front end 1". These springs where rated at 620 lbs/in., great for rally/road race course but harsh for everyday driving! Technology has come along way, you can purchase OEM upper/lower control arms with roller bearings which replace the bushings for excellent response and even rollized spring perches. These rollized spring perches where probably the most noticable improvement alone. If you have unlimited budget then TCP or Global West Suspensions would be ideal, then you probably want to upgrade the rear......... Sorry for getting carried away, but check out TCP site and ask their tech department about their dropped uppers......good luck! you might want to check out http://opentrackerracingproducts.com/products/ they modify the OEM control arms using roller bearings, John did all of mine!
Was that the rate of your springs as advertised when new or after removing 1.5 coils? What is the rate of a stock 6 cyl or v8 spring compared to the Boss spring you used? Thanks, SPark
stock spring rate would be under 400 lbs/in. (takes 400 lbs. to compress spring 1 in.) 6 cyl less 8 cyl slightly more, AC equipped more than non AC, since AC is heavier......so stock height 69/70 Boss 302 Mustang springs at 620 is quite a bit more stiff.....believe me when one pushes down on stock front end, mushy, try and push down on 620 barely moves! Removing 1 1/2 coils will up that rate approx. 10%, all this is great for performance driving ie. rally/road racing, but it is bone jarring on rough streets! If you are looking for better handling without breaking the bank, first would be better tires, larger front sway bar, rear sway bar and good shocks. Upgrading your front coils to something around 500 lbs/in and redoing the rear leaf springs, either adding one more leaf would be fine. Way back when I first started working on Fords, the old thought was use the stiffest springs etc. (using bias tires, radials tires where not around yet........) now, it is better to use softer spring rates (varialbe rate springs are available too, but that can create other problems) larger sway bars and good shocks (at least these always remain the same!) for the suspension to "work". For rally/racing on nice smooth TRACK, stiffer springs are great!
There is a member here that does a great job at putting roller bearings in the control arms and spring perches, Steven Moore at MDS Motorsports. Try giving him a call at 828-280-6611. He even boxed my LCAs, very high quality work.
I totally agree with this. I used the 620 lb springs on my 70 Mach1, and while it did make some difference in the handling it certainly roughed up the ride. I then upgraded to a 1 1/8 inch anti sway bar and it made a huge difference in handling, much more so than the springs. When I start the Maverick I will try to find some variable rate springs with a larger anti sway bar. I have seen the roller spring perches but have not really heard what difference they make. I thought I had read somewhere in these forums that after certain years the Maverick came from the factory with the upper arms already lowered. I don't know if this is true or not.
i was thinking about that. but what was the difference in the suspension of the 65&66 to the 68 mustangs? why did shelby stop to make the back movement? my thouhts on this: i will go with a power R&P hydraulic steering. so my steering forces on the steering wheel ar less. and that gives me the oportunity to give the suspension more caster to make it go better straight, without having higher steering forces than before. and to give it more caster the way is moving the 1/8" back. right or wrong? or would it be very wrong go backwards on the maverick suspension? everyone one here has just done the drop? or anyone moved backward?
Some factory 6 cyl springs were stiffer than some factory V8 springs. The six is not that much lighter than a V8, plus the six sits more on top of the axle whereas the V8 is moved back toward the rear of the engine bay taking the weight with it. If you add aluminum heads and tube headers to a V8 then it will be lighter than a six. This is why a 35-40 year old 6 cyl spring is worn out or weaker than an old V8 spring. Big bumper Mavericks used a higher spring rate than the small bumper cars. If you can find 60-63 Falcons/Comets spring perches they came from the factory with greaseable brass roller bushings.
I want a set of weak ass six cylinder springs. I want them to slightly lower the front and to transfer weight better on the drag strip. If any of you guys has a pair let me know.
i looked at the TCP, but i think for me its not worth the money. i dont need a fully adjustable suspension, i wont be racing with the car. but i want to improve the handling the most i can do with stock suspension parts. and im not to sure if the dropped tcp bar will clear the reinforcing plate either!! anyone knows? my goal is having a car with best street handling to drive quick around corner with precise steering to enjoy the swiss mountain streets. this means i dont want to make it too hard because i will drive the car as well here in mexico with the bad streets, and i dont just want to lower the car for looks. i want it to handle better with the drop to make a better cornering, and higher caster for better straight driving and on top the better look because of lowering the front. with the drop i will a a 1" sway bar front and back, KYB shocks all around, bearings in the upper a arms, and maybe the roller spring perches. are they worth the money? for the rear axle im still thinking how to improve it, 3-link, 4-link, or what ever there is around that will work with mi 8.8" Explorer rear end... any suggestions? my budget is not thight, but neither it is without limits. so im thinking about getting the most for my money, without overdoing with things i wont use or feel when driving sportily on normal roads.
Notice your upper control arm is designed to angle back and not be level. This is called "anti-dive" and is geometry designed into your car from the factory. You need to keep that angle after the drop. Don't measure down 1 inch from the angled plane the 2 holes exist upon or you will be moving your control arm forward slightly. Measure down on a plane 90 degrees from one of your frame rail surfaces (or 90 degrees from your floor - whichever one makes more sense). With an unequal A-frame set up like most cars have from our time frame, by lowering your top mounting holes, your suspension will begin to recover your camber quicker as you go through the turns.
I have my own spring rater, have spent many hours on a shock dyno and have raced dirt cars for 25 years. Our trend for the last 10 years or so is softer springs coupled with adjustable gas shocks and freeing up suspension movement. Makes for a more balanced car. Your springs being stiffer will only cause the body to roll less, transfer weight less and skip over bumps. The softer springs will let the suspension work, transfer weight quicker and follow a rougher surface without skipping. There have been massive gains in shock technology in the last 5 years that far surpass anything that was previously available. Same for ball joints (adjustable, low friction, rebuildable. Available from Howe, QA1 and AFCO to name a few). I would seriously work towards softer springs, a stiffer sway bar, low friction ball joints, bearings in the control arm shafts and contact points and the best gas double adjustable shocks you can buy. Even if you have to make all the mounts to get a good double adjustable gas shock in place, there are huge gains in the shocks alone. I really think a stiffer spring is shooting yourself in the foot anymore. Gas shock technology is where gains are made. We were spending thousands on shocks, messing with gas pressures, dampening rates and shock fluids to gain what we wanted. The days of a stiffer spring to gain handling should be long gone. Watch a dirt late model race if you want to see suspension being tested, and working at it's limits. It's unbelievable what can be accomplished. JMO, SPark
In the upper diagram you can see exactly what i was talking about. I have no idea why you would want to move your top A-frame outside of the normal spindle plane of travel on the later Mustangs The objective of doing this change on my stock car builds was to quicken the recovery of the degrees of camber lost during left hand cornering - not to correct that PLUS move the plane of travel forward
