jcoby

i'm trying to build my '67 coupe for cornering performance.. on the cheap. so that means no coil overs, no giant brake kits, no expensive rims. it will be driven on the street most of the time with an occasional autocross trip.

here's what I'm planning so far:

- UCA drop 1"
- poly bushings
- roller spring perches
- boxing UCA and LCA, possibly adding bearings
- 1" sway bar
- 1" lowering springs front
- monte carlo bar and tubular brace to clear efi engine
- sub frame connectors
- 17" cragar D-window wheels, 8" wide, 4.5" backspacing on all four corners
- disc brakes of some sort

I haven't figured out what I want to do with the rear yet. Keep the leafs and add a panhard and traction bars or try to fab up a triangulated 4-link. i bought an explorer 8.8 (3.73; posi) but am not totally sure the 2.5" pinion offset will work without hitting the driveshaft.

What spring rate should I go with on the front? it will have a 302 and a T5. should I drop the UCA more than 1"? I've seen you can go as much as 1.5" should I run a 9" wheel in the back?

what else can I do to make this thing turn without breaking the bank? I have the skill and tools (mig, tig, lathe, mill, etc) to make and modify parts.

Starfury

You're headed in the right direction.

I'd forgo poly bushings for everything except the sway bar, unless you like squeaks. Whatever you do, don't use poly on the strut rods.

Is this a daily driver? I put 540lb springs on my daily driver '67 that I drive very hard and I'm pretty happy with them. 620's will handle better, but they would've been too stiff for the roads here. If you have smooths roads and don't drive the car often, 620's will probably work out for you as long as you have some good shocks.

Also, if it's not a daily driver, you may consider a larger front sway bar with the addition of a rear bar. It'll make for a more finicky street ride, but it'll help with cornering on smooth roads.

CSRP has a great deal on a bolt-on OE disc brake kit for your car. I installed the manual version last year and I'm very happy with it.

Don't drop the UCA more than 1" unless you want to buy special control arms or a negative wedge kit for the ball joints. More than the standard 1" drop can bind the ball joints at the upper limits of suspension travel.

You may look for a fox body 8.8 to swap with the exploder rear. The diff is centered on that one. 5 lug axles are cheap from a junk yard.

My buddy's brother fabbed up a 4-link for his '69. He hasn't driven it hard yet, but it worked well around the shop. If he can do that, I'm sure you can do something similar. Otherwise, leaf springs and Traction Masters are cheap.

Keep in mind, tires are IMPORTANT. A crappy set of tires will hamper you just as much as a crappy suspension.

jcoby

it won't be a daily driver - it's purely a toy. i'm trying to get it into the same zip code as my m3. i will not be drag racing except for maybe a few light passes at a test and tune day.

as for the rear, i think i'm going to try and find a gutted fox-body rear and put the posi unit and discs from the explorer. 31 spline axles are only $130 from summit. will the discs from the explorer change the overall width of the fox body 8.8? are all fox body housings the same or does the 2.3 have a different rear?

i will be running sway bars front and rear.

roads here are typical nc stuff - marginally kept with patches but not many pot holes.

is there any reason to not go more than 1" with the UCA drop? i can modify the UCA or make new ones that will have the ball joint angle accounted for.

the only problem i'm having with the 4-link idea is where to mount the upper links and springs. there really isn't any hard points in the floor. I could run a piece of tubing across the floor though and make pockets for the upper link. not sure what to do with the springs though. how did your buddy's father do it?

and yeah, tires are important. i will be running UHP summer tires of some sort. I have michelin PS2s on the m3 but they're a little out of the budget for the mustang. I will probably run the general exclaim uhp tires. (i know, i know but they're a good value for the performance level and tire wear.) though 17" tires are a lot cheaper and have more options than the odd ball 18" that the m3 has.

Starfury

Not to burst your bubble, but it's never going to be anything like the M3, at least not without a massive infusion of dollars. There's a 40 year technological gap, and even with upgraded suspension, the Mustang is still using leaf springs, solid axle, SLA front with the coils on the UCA, and sub-par suspension geometry. If you can convert to a good coilover/R&P kit on the front and a really nice coilover or IRS setup in the rear, stiffen the chassis up a lot, and drop in a monster motor, it'll probably get close, but you'll still sacrifice driveability with the Mustang if you want it to perform like the M3 on the track.

V8 foxes are very easy to come by. I got my 8.8 for free. Go here for 5 lug and disc conversion info. Keep in mind, rear discs are overkill for a street car.

Like I said, more than the 1" UCA mounting drop will bind the stock ball joints at the upper limits of suspension travel. It also results in increased bump-steer, although that can be countered with a bump steer corrector kit. If you feel confidant making your own UCA's, go ahead. Global West control arms factor in something like a 1.5" drop, and I think TCP's are similar. You have to be really, really precise while making them, though. You also better be very confidant in your welds.

My buddy's brother cut the floorpan and welded in boxed supports for his 4-link and tied the front and rear frame rails together while he was at it. The supports interfere with the carpet in the rear, but I don't think he cares as he's wiping out the rear seats. Don't know about the spring pockets.

jcoby

i know it'll never handle the same as the m3 - i just want to upgrade the suspension to be squarely in the "not complete crap" category.

as for power to weight, the m3 has 333 hp and weighs some 3400lbs. shouldn't be hard to at least match that. it also makes peak power at 7900 rpm - way different than a 302's power band.

coil overs just aren't in the budget. i'm trying to make the most out of the stock or modified stock stuff.

thanks for your input.

Starfury

You'll get great handling once you're done with what you're planning. The UCA drop alone makes a monster difference. I'm very happy with the way my car handles right now, and I'm still using the OE-style suspension. UCA drop, stiffer springs, roller perches front sway bar, monte carlo bar. The only real complaint I have is with a bit of excess body roll, which should be corrected by a bigger front sway bar and a small rear bar.

One thing I just thought of, you may consider building your own heim-joint strut rods. I've heard that really helps free up the suspension.

andrewmp6

forget a 4 link make a 3 link and use a watts link or panhard bar it will handle better.

67mustang302

You can get the Mustang to handle as well, or even better than the M3 using a solid rear and SLA suspension, it's just never going to have the same ride quality. The more modern suspension doesn't so much allow for better handling, but for better ride quality with the handling. You can make an SLA/solid setup perform the same, the ride's just going to be a lot stiffer, and perhaps won't be as easy to control. You just have to make sure the suspension is set right and the alignment is right, and make sure you have good seats with plenty of butt padding.

A 4 link can handle well if set up right, but you'd need to make sure you REALLY understand 4 link geometry when you install it, so that you're chassis mounts are correctly located. It's not simply a matter of just hooking into a car. A 3 link will handle better than a 4 link though, generally speaking.

You'll need good brakes though, handling is worthless if you can't slow down enough for the turn, or if you have to slow down early and baby it on corner entry. I prefer Wilwoods myself.

andrewmp6

Smallest brakes i would run is the cobra ones http://www.mustangsteve.com/cobrabrakes.html but wilwoods 6 piston front 4 rear will stop it fast or even baer has 6 piston front and back.Look at http://www.griggsracing.com/ they have a weld in rear that is a 3 link watts link will work with a 8.8