so ive been trying to find the time to get a little done on my fox here and there after work, and against the opinions of many i decided to throw the motor back together cheap (bought the car with it apart) just for awhile so i can enjoy it and then eventually do a full motor build. id like to get the car to handle and ride a little better though before i spend much time on anything else..i am planning on subframe connectors for sure bc ive heard theyre a must but what else should i do? the car is a 79 notch 302 and stick car, it is going to be a weekend toy that might see the occasional track day but mostly street time. i wouldnt mind the car having a little lower stance but im not very familiar with the whole suspension area so im open to anybodys suggestions
needing advice on suspension
- Thread starter smanderson6571
- Start date
When you say track day are you refering to drag racing or road courses. I am personally biased to road courses. For that I would go this route
H&R race springs
Tokico adjustable struts/shocks or Bilstein HD
SN95 front control arms with offset poly bushings
tubular rear control arms
CC plates
MM steering rack bushings
You can find a lot of this stuff second hand and probably collect the entire batch for $1500, give or take. You will be amazed at how your 30+ year old chassis can handle.
H&R race springs
Tokico adjustable struts/shocks or Bilstein HD
SN95 front control arms with offset poly bushings
tubular rear control arms
CC plates
MM steering rack bushings
You can find a lot of this stuff second hand and probably collect the entire batch for $1500, give or take. You will be amazed at how your 30+ year old chassis can handle.
probably drag, nothing serious though just be able to run for fun, i would like the car to corner well and just handle in general if possible
I agree with Wheelhopper... I'm running lowering springs with Caster/Cambers and a bump steer kit, KYB Adjustables (Probably going to swap them out for Tokico's soon), Weld-In Subframe connectors, FR Rear Upper Control Arms, Maximum Motor Sports lowers. I've done a 5-lug conversion using SN95 front spindles in the front and 31 spline axles in the rear, Baer Big Brake Conversion with rear disc...all on 17X8 FR 98 Cobra R Rims and 245-45-17 Yokos..... This car handles amazingly and isnt to harsh, but was pretty expensive....There are cheaper ways to achieve similair results, but if I were you I would do it once and do it right. Good Luck!
If you want it to perform well on the drag strip, it is not going to be a great handling car on the street. A drag suspension is designed to quickly transfer the weight to the rear for traction, and keep it there. The front end tends to be bouncy and dive more than factory when you brake. How about this set up.
Megabite Jr rear lower control arms
CE 70/30 struts
CE 50/50 shocks
Eiback drag launch springs
Okay that makes sense, i guess i didnt think about the fact that they are basically going to be opposites. The car will mostly just be to cruise around town in, and i want it to ride pretty well, i understand that a suspension set upto ride and handle will not be the right setup to make it hook up. considering it wont be crazy power due to the motor is rebuilt pretty much stock other than a cam and some mild headwork, is there anything i should do do just get a nice driving car that rides well and will hook up decent enough at the track (just to have fun not be a top competitor or anything like that)or should i just go with something close to that first setup you posted? thanks for all the help and i dont mean to keep asking the same question or close to it i just want to get the best route figured out before buying anything
All in all i want my coupe to be comfortable enough to jump in and drive daily when its nice out, cruise across the state to a car show if wanted and handle some corners when i want to have some fun. I might take it to the strip once in a great while but not often so i probably could do something geared towards handling more and just deal with it at the track as it would be strictly for fun?
and one last question..this might sound odd but i know foxs tend to have a hard time keeping the rear under them when under power in corners. that doesnt bother me..in all honestly i enjoy it from time to time lol, if i got the route of that first reply would i lose that? if it will give it a better ride i could deal with it but im not necessarily trying to get rid of that completely if that makes sense
oh and i think i forgot to mention that when i got the car already had a five lug swap done on it..i was told that it is sn95 front end and a late model fox rear but i do not know how to tell any of that for sure. I know that with some of the 5 lug swaps ive read about an "outer bearing style hub" causing problems, The car has the factory tribar wheels on it now and they all seem to fit good so how to i know if i have the newer style hubs? and also, i crawled under the rear and the verticle shocks are in place but the horizontal shocks have been removed, everything else seems to be stock ford parts..will this cause any problems?
Alright, based on your last post, go with my first recomendation, except use the H&R Super Sport springs. They are a little softer than the race springs but an improvement over the stockers. I had them on my car it handled very well and rode pretty good too.
Not sure to tell what hubs you have. I have not heard of any major issues involving hubs on any Mustang.
Sounds like your quad shocks are gone. No big deal. They were installed to eliminate the famous Ford wheel hop. Using the better control arms, stiffer springs, and better shocks should take care of that problem.
Not sure to tell what hubs you have. I have not heard of any major issues involving hubs on any Mustang.
Sounds like your quad shocks are gone. No big deal. They were installed to eliminate the famous Ford wheel hop. Using the better control arms, stiffer springs, and better shocks should take care of that problem.
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