67 coupe, New Suspension (HELP!!)

[saxymon]

Hey all, I bought a 67 coupe about half a year ago and have been working on it since. I want my winter project to be re-doing the suspension to help the ride out. right now it feels really squishy. My goal isnt to hot rod it out, just to fix up the ride. I have been looking at some "all-inclusive" kits such as these from mustang depot: http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCa...nsion/usrk.htm http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCa...n/susp-kit.htm the difference between the 2 is that the 1st has both control arms in the kit. Question: What should I be looking for? Do either of these kits seem good? and if so, what options should I choose? any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

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[OCHOHILL]

Originally Posted by saxymon

Hey all,

I bought a 67 coupe about half a year ago and have been working on it since.

I want my winter project to be re-doing the suspension to help the ride out. right now it feels really squishy. My goal isnt to hot rod it out, just to fix up the ride.

I have been looking at some "all-inclusive" kits such as these from mustang depot:

http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCa...nsion/usrk.htm

http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCa...n/susp-kit.htm

the difference between the 2 is that the 1st has both control arms in the kit.



Question:
What should I be looking for? Do either of these kits seem good? and if so, what options should I choose?


any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I have done my fair share of reading on the mustang forums. I haven't performed any changes yet but I pulled my springs last night for some upgrades.

If the control arm bushings are suspect then I would change it all while you are there. I have read that most do not recommend polyurethane bushings for the strut rods-they don't flex enough. Roller spring perches are highly recommended and can soften the feel of stiffer springs. Many claim that some of the higher rated coil springs are too stiff without this upgrade. Take a hard look at the shocks before you buy. Some claim that the high performance shocks can be too stiff for a daily driver. You might do some research on the 1" shelby/arning drop(not sure if it applies to '67). I would not recommend dropping the upper control arm any further.

In short, roller spring perches, bigger sway bar and stiffer lowering coil springs should do the trick. If you can afford the adjustable strut rods, that seems to be a good upgrade as well-according to what I have read.

To what you can to insure you will not have any tire rubbing issues after lowering the car.

David

[jcoby]

UCA drop applies to all first gen cars. '66 and earlier use a different template from '67-'68 though.

[Starfury]

I'm not a huge fan of full suspension kits. I can usually find something I don't like with each one, so I recommend buying parts piecemeal.

Ideally, unless you're made of money, you want to figure out what needs to be replaced before buying anything. For example, I've replaced just about every piece of my suspension aside from the LCA's, which are in good shape.

Like Ochohill said, poly strut rod bushings are a bad idea. Many people, including a few on this forum, have broken strut rods after installing poly bushings. The bushings don't don't flex enough, and when you combine that with 40yr old stress-weakened steel, you end up with an unsafe situation.

Here's what I run:
560lb 1" drop coils (from OpenTracker)
Roller spring perches (from Dazecars)
Stock replacement control arms (rubber bushings)
15/16" front sway bar
Shelby UCA drop
Mustangs Plus 4.5 leaf mid-eye (1" drop) spring kit
Edelbrock IAS shocks
Monte carlo bar

My car handles very well and still rides decently. Jonward now runs an almost identical setup and seems happy with it so far. If you're concerned about ride quality, I'd probably recommend KYB GR-2 shocks instead of the Edelbrocks, as well as GT front coils and GT 4-leaf rears.

The Shelby UCA drop should be considered mandatory if you're taking apart the front end, seeing as it's free and will provide the largest improvement in handling of any of the above mods without sacrificing ride quality. Likewise, an export brace should always be used, and a monte carlo bar is a good idea as well. The only reason I don't have an export brace installed is because the one I got was a Taiwanese pos and didn't fit.

Roller spring perches aren't exactly required, but they are nice to have if you can afford the extra expense. They improve suspension response, which improves handling, stability, and ride quality. 2+2GT doesn't think they're worth the money, but most of us who use them do

[Piraya33]

I agree with Starfury, that you get better parts when you don't buy the kits. I am in the process of redoing the front suspension on my 65' right now. I did a lot of research before I bought and here is the parts that I ordered:

Opentracker:
Non-roller Street UCA
Non-roller Street LCA
Roller Spring Perches
1" Drop GT Springs
1/4" Poly Spring Insulators
1" Shelby Drop Template
Roller Idler Arm

I am still up in the air on whether to go with the Bilstein or Edelbrock shocks.

While I have the front end apart, I am going to go ahead and upgrade some of the steering as well. The first part is the roller idler arm above and here is the rest:

Baer Tracker (Outer tie rod kit)
New Inner Tie Rods (NPD)

This is what I did for my 65', but there may be more preferred parts for a 67'. Best thing to do is to keep researching and listen to what the people on here say. There is some good knowledge floating around this site. Good luck!