Suspension Upgrade

OK, SO part of the winter project is to do something about the Mustang's handling or rather lack of. It seems to wander all over the road a lot and makes a lot of noise on the road coming from front suspension. My budget is between $600 - $800. It is currently pretty much original suspension from 1973 except the shocks appear to have been replaced quite some time ago. My question is where is my budget going to be best spent on making the car handle better, maybe something a little closer to a modern car. I am considering the following route but I really don't want to just throw some parts at it and not get any better results.

New Shocks, KYB G2 or KYB Gas Adjust (all 4)

New bushings (Poly or rubber)

New front springs (stock height or 1" drop)

1" front sway bar??

Rear sway bar?

I am running 17x9 rims with front disc. 351c 2v.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

OK, SO part of the winter project is to do something about the Mustang's handling or rather lack of. It seems to wander all over the road a lot and makes a lot of noise on the road coming from front suspension. My budget is between $600 - $800. It is currently pretty much original suspension from 1973 except the shocks appear to have been replaced quite some time ago. My question is where is my budget going to be best spent on making the car handle better, maybe something a little closer to a modern car. I am considering the following route but I really don't want to just throw some parts at it and not get any better results.

New Shocks, KYB G2 or KYB Gas Adjust (all 4)

New bushings (Poly or rubber)

New front springs (stock height or 1" drop)

1" front sway bar??

Rear sway bar?

I am running 17x9 rims with front disc. 351c 2v.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

My unprofessional opinion below.

If you have wandering I would look at a a steering box adjustment or replacement, including rag joints. I think you can do that in your budjet along with a good alignment. For road noise I would use a sound deadener like hushmat or dynamat in the key areas that take in road noise. (Rear inner wheel wells, Firewall, door skins, floor pans.

I think to get modern handling you need to go with the coil-over setup and rack and pinion. (Mustang II conversion). But that will need a $6K budjet or so.

Ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, and possibly pitman arm. Worn, dry ball joints are noisy, as well as causing the front end to wander.

+1 on the rag joint, steering gear adjustment, and good alignment (hard to find someone that will do it right and to the proper specs).

While you're at it, check the bushings in the rear springs, the rear axle has to stay in alignment, too.

OK, SO part of the winter project is to do something about the Mustang's handling or rather lack of. It seems to wander all over the road a lot and makes a lot of noise on the road coming from front suspension. My budget is between $600 - $800. It is currently pretty much original suspension from 1973 except the shocks appear to have been replaced quite some time ago. My question is where is my budget going to be best spent on making the car handle better, maybe something a little closer to a modern car. I am considering the following route but I really don't want to just throw some parts at it and not get any better results.

New Shocks, KYB G2 or KYB Gas Adjust (all 4)

New bushings (Poly or rubber)

New front springs (stock height or 1" drop)

1" front sway bar??

Rear sway bar?

I am running 17x9 rims with front disc. 351c 2v.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I can offer what I did to my car. I posted about this same issue, " correct springs for the 71 Mach 1" or something like that. It was dated 10/6 /15, page 2 in this thread. My car was doing much the same thing, all original upper/lower control arm etc. etc. I had already put in new top quality (if there is such a thing) tie rods and ball joints. I chose a Scott Drake front suspension kit which included everything for about $800 Canadian. Trouble was the springs included were no where near correct for MY application. I would suggest calling Eaton Detroit Springs in Detroit. They will give you the exact spring for YOUR car. Google it for the phone number, I don't have it at hand. Trust me, it will be worth spending a few bucks extra to save the hassle I went through. Also, I have just found I needed to replace the idler arm and pitman arm, basically everything!! Going to rebuild my PS box next. As for anti-sway bars, my kit came with 1 1/8th front bar. I bought the matching Addco rear bar separately, a 7/8th dia.

Now the car goes around curves like it's on rails. I run 7" up front and 8" at back.

Not to be critical of your wheel and tire choice, but 9" up front seems a lot of tire to me and is it possible that is part of your problem!!

Anyway, I hope this helps, good luck.

+1 on steering box also. I just redid my whole front suspension, but first I had the steering box rebuilt and re geared for a quicker ratio as I was having wandering issues as well. When I got my steering box back they said it was really bad and probably the reason for wander. A steering box rebuild and sway bars should help a lot and stay within budget, most of the small steering components for our cars are not too expensive, so even if you have to do tie rods and idler arm/pitman arm it shouldn't be too long to save up for the rest. Good luck!! And I also agree a 9" wheel in front might be hurting your handling. Most sources say not to go over 7" up front.

I'd start by finding out what parts are actually worn out or maladjusted, front and rear, before buying anything. Then repair the "safety of operation" items next. If you still have money left consider subframe connectors, if originality is not a concern. These cars are "flexible flyers" and benefit greatly from the addition of subframe connectors. Some money can be saved by cutting 1/2 coil from the front springs. It lowers the front approximately .75 inch. Then consider a matched set of anti-sway bars and shocks. There are very few places I'd use polyurethane bushings on a street car. The always squeak, transmit noise and vibration, and can shatter if used in the wrong places.

Good luck with the project and let us know what you end up doing.

Chuck

It's difficult to recommend something without some hands-on inspection of the car. Especially something with as many parts as a suspension.

If the suspension parts are likely the originals, then like my car I just replaced all of the parts with a kit purchased from www.mustangsplus.com. They have about the largest selection of suspension parts and kits you will find. Replace what parts are loose and sloppy if there is play in the steering or it wanders. Install new springs if it's sagging. New shocks if it's bouncy. Bigger sway bars if there is too much body roll. You don't need race oriented parts to make your car handle.

I installed these parts into my car about 15 years ago. I did install some 620 in/lb springs and a 1 1/8" front swaybar, as well as install a rear sway bar as my car did not come with one. Standard eye 4 leaf rear springs. Ride height is perfect and it handles remarkably well for a big old car. I learned polyurethane is bad for strut rod bushings. Stick with rubber.

About a year ago I installed some roller spring perches as I heard all the hype. Only the spring perches were changed. I did not feel any perceived change after installing them. My spring perches were not worn out so maybe that's why I didn't feel any difference compared to others who have installed them. Also since I only changed this one component and not an entire array of parts at the same time, I am able to definitively give an impression on this component and its perceived benefits.

I ended up replacing my upper and lower control arms and front strut bars along with the coil saddles and shocks. I went with rubber bushings for the fact that I didnt want my front end to feel really stiff like a track car. I also replaced my steering box, rag joint, and all front steering linkage. I want to say that I bought all the parts from CJ's Laurel Mountain and a couple of parts from Oreilly Auto Parts for about $500 all in. Swapped out all the parts and got it aligned and bam, it feels like a brand new car now. I have replaced my rear shocks and the rear shackles on my leaf springs, but not the springs themselves. They are sagging quite a bit and will get replaced, but for now are doing an ok job and my ride height is perfectly level all the way around.

Thanks for all of the info. I really appreciate it. And I am only running 7's up front and 9's in back. Just wanted to clarify. When I got the car it 9's all the way around from a late model mustang cobra.