Starting rebuilding my dads 67 vert front end. I have everything but the coil spring on. There's a problem however. The car was hit hard in the front some time ago. Enough to almost crack completely through the shock tower brace, bend the lower control arm, and i think bend the sway bar. We bought an export brace, and complete front end kit. So with everything bolted on, everything wont move all the way down like it should, The sway bar is stopping it(im thinking the wreck bent it somewhere) Should i be worried? Should i leave it, or get a new sway car? Im almost finished with the passenger side, and would like to install the coil spring, and start the other side tomorrow hopefully.

 

Sorry I cant help you out,but maybe you can help me....I am thinking about rebuilding my front too....did you get a kit or did you buy all the pieces separtley? was it a hard job? I have limited tools/no lift? I am thinking about 620lb front springs-i sometimes rub when i hit a bump- what type of shocks are you using-I heard energy suspension bushings are a excellent choice-any help or direction would be helpful...thanks scott

 

you should just start your own thread, u will get better response that way. plus it wont veer this guys thread off course.

 

I bought the $400 kit from mustangs unlimited. Comes with pretty miuch everything, except for a couple of nuts, but you should have them anyway. You dont need a lift, but a good floor jack, and jack stands will be needed. My dad bought some cheap shocks from advance auto parts, however i hear the best shocks for our cars are gas-adjust. They're cheap too. It's really not a hard job. Take a few pictures and mental notes about how things are placed. If you have a 66(like your name) it should be alot easier then the 67 im doing. I took my 66 apart and back together fairly quickly. Just remember to have it aligned afterwards.

 

ok, i'm a little confused! I assume the wreck was straightened out and that there are no cracks or issues now?
The front end always gets a little bent out of shape even just throuhg road use and age and the reproduction parts never quite fit right so its always an issue getting it all back together. I tried 3 different export braces before I ended up making some mods because none would fit (and btw the car had one on it originally, i was just replacing it).

what exactly is the sway bar stopping?
if youre just concerend about a bend it it, pull it off and straighten it. if you are going for a bit more handling and it is a stock (undersized) one, replace it. A small bend (in isolation) wont affect its performance

 

remove the bar and find out if it have full range of motion. Why not put a larger bar on there since its all apart right now? I am goin full on silly with a 1 1/8" bar for the 67, and related items.. If the suspension doesnt move freely, then you have to fix that, if something is bent an alignment is gonna be a headache.

doin the same thing on my 67, but it appears I have to buy more parts now since mine has bushings that arent available. So if you have questions.. just ask.

A word of caution.. be very carefull with that spring. you can lose body parts really easy if it comes out in a less than controlled manner. Spring compressor is a good investment, and you need the internal type not the ones they sell for strut springs.

 

6mustang6-Thanks for the reply and sorry to interfer with your thread-This will be a winter project for me! thanks again- scott

 

Well, the car was wrecked before we got it, so i cant say for sure. With the sway bar off, the suspension has full suspension travel. With sway bar on, it doesn't go all the way down. It looks like the sway bar is bent, it's bent towards the back of the car. My dad says if i cant straighten it, he'll buy a new larger one.

BTW Thumpin, thanks for the warning. I know all about springs. lol. When i did my mustang, i got the internal one. My dad went and rented the one im using now, and it's the strut type. It fells solid, and it removed the spring no problem, but i am having trouble putting the spring back on now....