I know this has been talked about before but I want to make sure I understand everything correctly.

Ok I have some tokico’s and ebiach pro kit springs that I want to put on.

I understand that up front I will have to have my camber adjusted so I don’t have abnormal wear on the tires and a front end alignment as well… but the tokico’s should, for the most part, bolt right up with out anything special such as caster/camber plates.

In the back, I will need an adjustable pan hard bar (it’s in the mail) to re center the rear end or at least get it back to stock. What I’m unsure about is the pinion angle differences. If I understand this correctly, I will need either adjustable upper or lower control arms to correct the pinion angle changes that happen when lowering the car with the pro kit.

Bare with me here. Ok if that is the case I also understand that adjustable lower control arms are a slightly better choice for performance reasons if I had to choose one or the other. .. but aftermarket upper AND lower control arms would be preferred. (correct?)

Now if that is true, is changing the lower (or upper) control arms something that can be done with out a specialty shop? And can adjusting the adjustable part also be done correctly or do I need to get a shop to make sure it is correct?

Does that sound right?

How bad is it to not adjust for the pinion angle changes with the pro kit? (I know this will be somewhat hard to give a definitive answer for)

Thanks in advance.
-Peteway

 

Yes, you need your camber adjusted in an alignment. You do not need camber plates. However, you do need a set of "camber bolts". These are much less expensive than the plates.

As for the rear end, yes, you will need an adj. panhard bar for re-centering and either adjustable LCAs or an adjustable UCA. Of course, it is preferable to have both aftermarket, but only one of them needs to be adjustable. There is no advantage to having both adjustable as opposed to just one or the other.

Changing the controls arms would be easy for any shop. No specialist is required. The adjustments are also simply done.

 

Thanks CrazyAL... much appreciated.
[sm=smiley14.gif]

 

Good to hear someone wanting to do it RIGHT. Im sick of idiots claiming their "springs only" lowering job works fine. Ignorant fools.

You can easily change your control arms with basic tools. Personally I would go with the lowers if your only changing one or the other. They look cool when your walking up to the car too [8D]

make sure you get a quality alignment - makes all the difference. Crazy Al should confirm this, but just the SLIGHTEST bit of negative camber in the front is nice - .5 degrees or so.

 

Al,

I change out my springs for the Pro-kit and didn't use the camber bolts. I got it aligned per Eibach's specs just using the stock parts. Did you put different setting on your alignment?

 

Not trying to start anything here Rodeoflyer, but why do you think people are Idiots for claming what they say about the lowering of their cars? Maybe to them they are happy with what they got from just the springs. I'll tell you my car handles a lot better with the Pro-kit only on stock springs. Does that make me an idiot for saying that? Maybe..Anytime you lower the CG of the car it is going to handle better. Now I know it can only get better with the more aftermarket parts I put on, and get it set up. Some people just cant afford to do it all at once, but hey they are trying to get it right.

Kevin

 

either I worded it wrong or you misunderstood me

I understand what you are saying about doing the rest doen the road - as you should.

The people I think are fools are the ones that believe they wont need camberbolts,adjustable panhard rod, etc. They may not yet - but they WILL. Unfortunately they end up not realizing it until they have a failure, be it tire wear, driveline or otherwise. It's those people that are dumb. The ones that intend to make it better are understandable, although I still believe in only paying to have it torn apart once as it saves you money in install fees. Smarter considering money is the issue to begin with.

My springs have been sitting collecting dust for months, while I saved the clams to do it all once and correctly. I just took it in last week and it was worth it.

 

or your an ignorant ***. My vote is for the *** one.

 

Kev, I did not lower the front of my car, so I did not need a front-end alignment.

As for what happend with your car, I am not sure. A good alignment shop will have done the work with camber bolts even if you didn't ask for them specifically. Camber bolts are also what the Ford factory service manual specifies for camber adjustment. These are cheap (less than $20), and most alignment shops will have them.

It is technically possible to do alignment without the bolts. However, this is poor technique. Setting camber without the bolts means that the mechanic uses a file or a grinder to elongate the mounting holes in your struts. Then, the stock bolts are simply re-used and you have to HOPE that nothing slips. With camber bolts there is an eccentric that keeps anything from slipping. If you don't have the camber bolts, there is nothing to keep the alignment set. You are just depending on friction underneath the bolt heads. Can it be done this way? Yes. Is it a good idea? NO. Especially when camber bolts are so inexpensive. Personally I would make sure the camber bolts were used, especially when it is so cheap to do the job right in this case.

 

yes, I am an ***, but not an ignorant one [:@]

i din't learn very much from doing things the right way lol. this is my 4th stang, and i've half-assed plenty. Better to do it right the first time.