azmustang

Well I just ordered a bumpsteer kit, camber plates and shocks for my 06 GT with 60,000 miles on it and I was just wondering if there is anything that should be replaced that may be worn out since I'm taking everything apart.

Thanks

btw everyone is right about lowering your stang with just the springs, the factory shocks get old quick.

Norm Peterson

Sounds like this will be the second time that you'll have the strut bolts off. I'd strongly consider getting the newer fine-thread fasteners (that get torqued to 160-something instead of the 140-something that the older coarse thread fasteners are spec'ed at).


Norm

Sleeper_08

Norm - good suggestion and it is 166 so a long torque wrench is nice to have.

They are also somewhat "reasonably priced" for a Ford suspension bolt.

RoadRacer78

I just pulled all of my suspension components off and they only had 10K street and backroad miles on them and never saw rain. I was surprised to find that my front and rear swaybar bushings which I greased to death with Mobil 1 synthetic grease when I assembled them were “dried” up and had a LOT of resistance. I could rotate them (once the Endlinks were unbolted) and they would stay wherever I put them. The resistance at the bushings had to increase the bar(s) rate, probably exponentially, and may have been binding at times. Which is probably why the car was a bit “evil” on the limit. I re-greased them and put them back together and now they are “loose” in their bushings. They seem much happier.

I had the same issue with my Metco LCA’s but they have a ton of resistance/won’t articulate at the best of times. I need to ditch them for something that is not drag race focused.

I would suggest re-greasing anything with a bushing.

Good luck.

Norm Peterson

Friction adds damping, not rate. So it's more like a shock or strut than a spring or sta-bar.

What that means is that the bar will behave like a stiffer one only during the time the car is actually in the process of rolling from one angle to another or during the time that the car is pitching under braking or acceleration (nose dive/rise). Once your car has achieved the steady state position for whatever maneuver, these friction-caused forces essentially disappear.

Depending on how much friction is developed at the front bar (two bushings) vs the rear bar (smaller diameter, but four bushings), this effect is trying to shift the handling balance either a tiny bit tighter or looser. You may or may not notice this in back to back testing, so it may or may not matter.


FWIW, early shock absorbers used friction to damp out ride motions, rather than hydraulic fluid flow through small orifices (and could be adjusted by tightening up the clamp load on what looks like a tiny multiplate clutch assembly). Friction adds harshness, because it is pretty much an all-or-nothing effect with no transition between static and sliding behavior. In the case of sta-bar bushings, probably very little, but still there.


Norm

RoadRacer78

Your right, if the bushing/bar interface has increased resistance it would be considered damping. But if there is any stiction (bar not moving within the bushing) that would create rate.

That being said if bushing “drag” is increasing damping it is not nearly as consistent/predictable as the damping a real damper provides. Certainly not wanted.

Sleeper_08

Norm

As an aside -do Morgan's still use these or have they graduated to real dampers yet?

RoadRacer78

Is Norm “Ducky”?

Norm Peterson

When I was younger, I'm afraid that I did not look like Illya Kuryakin.


Norm

6-Speed

I bought this Precision Instruments torque wrench (top in photo) to take care of the big jobs ... it goes up to 250 lb-ft.