buster_22

I'm doing a complete restoration of my 68 coupe and I'm going to begin the suspension part. My question is whether the lowering coil springs are worth it? I have not seen this application used before, I just don't want to be diappointed. I have read other posts and soemone mentioned that the lowering spings will relocate the A-arms which is a good thing ( right ? ) Second question whats the deal with shocks, everybody has there own version you could spend $60 - to a million on those things. I have seen adjustable shocks for a pretty penney are these worth the money? Let me know what way I should when purchasing some shocks becasue as you can tell i'm clueless. Thanks to you all that respond

paddy187

the reloctaion of the upper control arm, shelby drop, is to improve handling, lowering springs may not lower you car 38 of gravity my have lowered more in case so a lowering spring can increase ride height. As for shocks I am going for koni super expensive but they are meant to be the best adjustable, dutch made and good enough for shelby i think they should be good enough for me also i don't like a firm set up as I have always owned european cars. KYB seem to be popular and not to pricey even for the gas-a-just.

Soaring

I have KYB gas adjusts as do many other classic Mustang owners. Koni's may be a better shock, but I have absolutely nothing but praises for the KYB's.

valley firearms

Hey Buster,

I also have a 68. I was just going to do a few things to make her look nice. But, as luck would have it, it has been a great project and I'm not nearly done. I found quite a bit of rust that had to be removed. This included rebuilding the torque boxes and front frame rails. I also replace one of the rear frame rails. I cut rust from the doors and patched those holes. The list goes on. Then I decided to just restomod her( I decided that from almost the begining ). I can say as of now I have well over 6,000 dollars into her just this summer and like I said, I not close to being done. I can say though, without Soarings blessing, she is going to be one bad *** restomod head turning SOB for sure. whichever turn you decide to take, restomod or stock restoration, I'm sure you will have a great time. I have done every bit of work myself and take pride in that. Good Luck!

MY 68 MUSTANG

paddy187

As soaring says for daily driver gas-a-just (not sure why they are called a-just when they are not) I went for koni because they are dutch and adjustable I like a firmer ride than most would and don't personally like american cars soft suspension. Those were my reasons, not totally rational the koni are over double the price in the US. Remember new shocks will improve the handling and breaking of your car, thus safety, and is relatively cheap and easy to do.

THUMPIN455

Springs are one of the things that you need to install, let settle for a month or so, then you can cut them to length. Since cars vary so much in terms of weight, and suspension dimensions one size does not fit all. its a trial and error process, and never cut off more than 1/2 a coil at a time. A 1/4 coil is much better then put it back in and see where it sits.

Coupled with the shelby drop, low profile wheels, drop springs can make your car sit too low and then your headers and exhuast system take a beating. Our 70 GTO and 72 Formula are both very low cars and the exhuast gets banged up pretty bad and quickly. Headers for the 72 run over $500 a set because of the heads it has on it. Not forgetting to mention the oil pan sits VERY low in Mustangs/Cougars. My 67 cougar has a nice dent and brazed hole in the pan..

replace all the bushings, I like polyurethane but stock types work well too. Get quality ball joints, tie rod ends, and center link. An idler arm is a great idea too, since its a wear item. Your upper control arm shafts may be worn, if they have groves cut in them where the control arms ride, then they need replaced. Also take the time to replace the bushings on the strut rods that go to the radiator support, without those in good condition, your car will do all sorts of bad things.

Before you go cruising around with your rebuilt suspension, either trailer it or drive very carefully to get the front end aligned. it may take a while to locate a shop that can do your car correctly, because most cars these days are only adjustable in toe. Yours will take some effort and probably at leat an hour to get it right. Most techs wont like to do it because they arent making fast money on the old cars. make sure you get a print out of the specs on your cars alignment, and if it doesnt drive safely, or has fast tire wear take it back immediately.

I like to do my own alignments, but since I cant anymore its sometimes fun to watch some kid try to figure it all out..lol

Soaring

OK, here is my basic understanding. There are basically three types of shock absorber designs: mono-tube high pressure gas, twin-tube low pressure gas and twin tube hydraulic (non-gas). Each of these designs has a certain ride and performance characteristics that can enhance the performance of a vehicle. Gas adjust simply means the shock becomes stiffer (more resistance) when the road conditions are rougher than normal, therefore "adjusting" to the conditions of the road. I know this sounds pretty simplistic. Maybe one of the smart guys can chime in and correct me.