built67

i am looking into buying this grab-a-trak suspension kit from mustangs plus.

http://www.mustangsplus.com/xcart/pr...at=2080&page=1

has anyone used it at all/have any comments on it? also what's the difference between the "eyes" in the leaf springs. reverse centers etc... thanks

Starfury

I usually recommend against the Grab A Trak kits. They use polyurethane for almost all of the bushings, which can make for a very squeaky and rough ride. For a street car, the only thing I'd recommend using poly on would be the sway bar bushings, which don't squeak that much.

I do have M+ mid-eye 4.5 leaf springs in my car, though, and I'm happy with them. The mid-eye spring is a 1" drop, the reverse eye is a 1-1/2 to 2" drop, iirc.

built67

which suspension kits/brands would you recommend then? i thought most new kits use polyurethane bushings

Starfury

Many kits do, because most people see 'polyurethane' and associate it with being better because it's stiffer. In reality, it tends to be very squeaky. Rubber bushings work just fine on the street and are much quieter if lubed properly. If you really want the stiff bushings, polygraphite or midolyne are much better than plain polyurethane.

I believe Laurel Mountain Mustang has a non-poly kit. I can't recall if it's rubber or midolyne. Or you could just piece together a kit from Glazier's.

jcthorne

Id recommend you check out:

www.opentrackerracingproducts.com/

They have been most helpful to me. From pure stock to flat out vintage racing and just about anything inbetween they got it covered.

I wanted a stock look with improved handling and ride quality and the part quality I recieved has been first rate. Just now installing most of it.

I would agree on staying away from the poly for the most part.

baddog671

Tad, Laurelmoutainmustang carries "midolene where applicable" for their suspension kits. Exactly which are rubber and which are mid, I can't say for sure.

I bought their full suspension kit which included all wearing parts front and back, and I'm pretty happy with it. Quality is pretty good for the price.

One thing I must say though is I wouldn't suggest their spring saddles. I threw mine right in the trashcan and bought a set of rollerized saddles from opentrackerracing.com

Norm Peterson

Many, if not most, of the kits use poly. It's cheap and readily available. But it has a number of 'downsides', the squeaking mentioned by Star being only one.

Unfortunately, the aftermarket generally caters to the straightline street/strip crowd first, meaning that all the other things that suspension bushings are supposed to be able to cope with, do, or not do are mostly ignored. Most poly sort of works in spite of itself (I know, that's kind of a backhanded compliment, but its the best you'll get out of me on this topic).

That said, there are a few work-arounds and end-user mods to the poly that can make at least some of them better suited to all-around driving (and this includes addressing the 'noise' aspect).

In any case, poly bushings will not necessarily last as long as the OE rubber ones. They should probably be considered regular maintenance and disposable items.


Norm

Starfury

+1 on the roller saddles, although I got mine from Day @ DazeCars. He did a great job for me and I really like them

68dustin

ive done the grab a track suspension on my 68.
-620 coils (cut 1/2 coil off to lower) very stiff and not the best for drag racing, no weight transfer
-roller perches
-front sway bar
-mid eye 5-1/2 leaf springs
-grab a track shocks (all 4)
-rear sway bar

Over all for the price of the kit, i think it was very well worth it. If you plan on doing alot of drag racing this might not be the setup you want. The car handles great around corners with no body roll what so ever. Another down side, its a very stiff ride and you can feel the road. i personal think best investment ive put on my car. Good side, the tightness of the supsension really makes you feel you have control of the car.

built67

thanks for all the help guys, i wouldnt say i am going to be doing a lot of drag racing, but i want traction. i plan on putting a decent amount of power to the wheels, so when i launch at a light (or if i ever have the nerve to bring it to the track) i dont want to just sit there and spin my tires...