71 Mach1(Trans Am) 2" nose drop

[71Rustang]

Hi, just to drive home the fact I am using the staggered shocks.Here is a pic of a 71 Penske Trans Am Javelin.

 

[droptop73]

And... I think I see sway bar links. 

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

It amazes me how good the AMC cars do today in vintage racing. With all the development the Ford guys and Chevy guys have had for all these years those AMC cars are always up from and win lots. One thing Penske had and still has was money. He would rent the track a few days before each race so his crews could go get the cars perfect for each race.
Is the link you see hooked to the plate on the leaf spring going up in wheel well what they limited the down travel on the axle with? Looks like a lever of some type on top to allow up travel and to limit how much it drops. I know some use just chains or cables that one is adjustable also.
Some of the things they do to gain a little edge. I had work in a tool shop in Sussex Wisconsin a lot, Tools, Inc.. He actually built zinc draw dies for Richard Petty and stamped them drawn quarter panels. The company I worked for, Spartanburg Steel Products, Inc., got him the special steel needed to stamp the quarters out of Bake Hard steel. Ford uses that a lot in doors prevents door dings. So by using the springy steel in the quarters they could rub other racers and push the quarter in against the other cars tire and his would spring back. That way his drivers could push others around some. If you hit something too hard would not spring back.
Here is link to the Kenny Brown Cars & Coffee he does every Saturday at 10:00 am. You can send in questions you might have. I think he is just finishing up a new rear suspension package for newer Mustangs that he is getting a patent on. Most of the time they do not go back farther than Fox body but he will answer questions for older cars. He also offers free 15 min. one on one private conversations. Just something to listen and learn more.
Only problem I have now is I forget it quickly, lol.
Be great when you get your car on the track. Maybe next year you can come to Charlotte in April and run the roval they always have track days during the Mustang show there. You can just pit in the open or you can rent one in the NASCAR garage. Also have Raceway Park near Charlotte. Of course we have Road Atlanta in the south also.
Link for Kenny Brown Live THIS Saturday at 10 AM EST on the Kenny Brown Facebook Page or onYouTubeTECH, LIVE Q&A, and MORE!

Any info you share I am all in. Get my back screwed back together and maybe get my track car going.

 

[71Rustang]

And... I think I see sway bar links. 

Yes you do

 

[71Rustang]

Hi,those long links you see attached to the spring plates are indeed sway bar end links.The sway bar is tied into the mount for the track bar.Its kind of a smaller version of the KK Watts box............................sort of. I do love Javelins I always have.If I didn't have a Mustang,I would definitely be building a TA Javelin.We'll see how the world goes until next year.I would really like to see the Charlotte show,painted or multi colored I think a lot of people would really like my little ole hot rod.Although the world could also be on fire till next year :rofl: ,so we'll play it by ear........

 

[71Rustang]

I almost forgot ,I can be certain now,that there is no more seem I am going to weld on the car,I think......................When I was doing all of the chassis welding last year I did not weld the drivers staggered shock bracket.I wasn't sure I was going to use that shock set up.I was thinking about it for months and months and doing research into every KK TA car that I could find.Not a one of them ran staggered rear shocks.They only Boss 302 KK that did use them was the test car they used to write the Boss Chassis Manual,because that was a production Boss 302.I really thought long and hard about switching my car to a standard shock set up.But if you really see how these cars were built,that's not so easy. The shock crossmember that is welded to the floor doesn't have the 2 extra braces welded inside on the drivers side that the pass side does and no shock hole.I really,really did not want to cut it apart to make and install the extra supports for just a shock.So I left that part of the car and went onto other things.I started doing research on other teams cars like Chrysler,GM,and AMC,that's when I found the AMC's that Penske built used the staggered shocks and they happen to have won the 71 Championship. If it worked for Roger and Mark it will work on my car....................so why not.My car is still going to look like a KK car,but just with staggered rear shocks.Last I welded the shackle mounts,and wow was there a lot of galvanizing smoke. One more thing,welding overhead I never change the settings on my welder.I use the same settings as I would if I were welding at the workbench or on top of the car.i only adjust the settings according to the thicknesses of the material I am welding,just be comfortable physically and comfortable in your ability.

 

[jspears]

Lares makes a 10:1 steering gear box for our cars. I have one in mine, it also takes away the progressive rate steering so when you start to turn the wheel the car turns immediately. 2.5 turns lock to lock. I got mine at rockauto.

 

[71Rustang]

Lares makes a 10:1 steering gear box for our cars. I have one in mine, it also takes away the progressive rate steering so when you start to turn the wheel the car turns immediately. 2.5 turns lock to lock. I got mine at rockauto.

Hi,I am going to use a factory manual box.I will be installing a Borgeson sector shaft and worm rack from a Saginaw 525 box.That will give me a 16:1 ratio.Less weight,less complicated,more room for exhaust.

 

[droptop73]

Hi again,here is a couple more progress pics. Reworked and boxed Moog upper control arms,and installed rear springs.The front of the springs use a 5/8 mono ball and the rear use a sleeve with stock rubber bushings. The leafs are new from Eaton Detroit Spring.They built all of the KK Trans Am springs originally and still have all the blue prints. They are 1 3/4 wide 210lb.This is the Bud Moore set up,which will require me to build and install a Watts link....................

View attachment 44279

I have my upper control arms out and am looking at boxing them. Is there a particular reason you boxed the outside of the arms rather than the bottom? 

 

[71Rustang]

I have my upper control arms out and am looking at boxing them. Is there a particular reason you boxed the outside of the arms rather than the bottom? 

Yes, there are a couple reasons I did it the way I did.I have seen pics of Trans Am cars both with and with out boxed sides.A lot of new hot rodded racy go fast stock appearing upper arms have this done.The side plates do add to the weight but are less weight than boxing plates on the whole bottom. Boxing the bottom also complicates things in terms of you have to make access holes and clearance for getting to the shocks and spring perch bolts.And lastly I like the fact that added the outer plates turns the stamped arm into having quasi box tubing outers,like those fancy tubular control arms without all the extra weight.Don't forget if going this far the TA cars had a 2'' round plate added on top of where the spring perch mounts,14 gauge,1/8'' will work fine also.

 

[droptop73]

Thank you! My thought was a plate going from the opening in the middle to the bottom of the side just boxing each side of the arms. I will still need to make an opening for the spring perch bolts. Were the reinforcements just under the spring perch? I suppose they were running a ton more spring rate than I am but I do drive on Michigan ruts... I mean roads. For my use it's likely all overkill but it's just cool. 

 

[71Rustang]

Thank you! My thought was a plate going from the opening in the middle to the bottom of the side just boxing each side of the arms. I will still need to make an opening for the spring perch bolts. Were the reinforcements just under the spring perch? I suppose they were running a ton more spring rate than I am but I do drive on Michigan ruts... I mean roads. For my use it's likely all overkill but it's just cool. 

Here's the perch reinforcements.

 

[droptop73]

I've been welding the front chassis section on my car over the last couple weeks. I've got a whole new level of appreciation for the amount of time and work you have invested in yours.  

 

[Fabrice]

I've got a whole new level of appreciation for the amount of time and work you have invested in yours.  

+1 on that. It's only when you start do/fab/fix things that you realise the insane amount of time that all these things takes. Here we have near zero roads in bad condition, so that's one rare thing I won't need to do!

 

[71Rustang]

+1 on that. It's only when you start do/fab/fix things that you realise the insane amount of time that all these things takes. Here we have near zero roads in bad condition, so that's one rare thing I won't need to do!

And it takes lots of labor.If I remember correctly.I know I read somewhere that the original Trans Am prototype Boss 302, was built in 3 weeks..................could have been 3 months,there was a 3 in there somewhere.Either way should be some motivation.Now that the weather is starting to break I will be in,hammer down mode on the car.

 

[droptop73]

I look forward to watching your progress. Thanks for the motivation to improve my car as well. 

 

[71Rustang]

Hello once again.I have some Watts progress.Building this is a slow,tedious process,because the prints are for a 69/70 and I assume would fit a 67 or 68 also.But since the rear floor is way different I have to fit all the parts to car,so there is a ton of back and forth.So here is what I have so far.This is the back plate to the Watts box.The entire assembly will be made from 1/8''.You are looking at the inside of the box. The threaded blocks are the rear sway bar mounts.I made them from 1/2'' and the bolt holes are 5/16x18.I now have it under the car so I can fit the front panel to the floor.

 

[71Rustang]

Hi again.Here's the completed Watts box,I just finished all the edges and taking the warp out of it today. By some stroke of luck it even still fits where is should. it's ready to install,so I have to prep the car and put the axle back in.It's all 1/8'' and weighs in at 25.2 lbs.The lower front side is for the staggerd shock mount.The mounting hole for the pivot bar will be put in after the box is welded to the car.Building the axle brackets and the wiffle bar(pivot) will be next,i think,maybe the traction bars,or maybe the rear sway bar mounts.

 

[71Rustang]

Hello.So here are the rest of the Watts parts minus the heim joints and bars.The bracket with the bolt is the drivers side and the longer bracket is the passenger side. The part with the holes is the propeller.On the prints it's called a wiffle.The picture with them taped to the rear is how I'm going to try my damnedest to make those parts work with the staggered shocks,by switching the sides they were designed for,which is why I didn't install the stud in the longer mt yet.So I will be experimenting on making this work.If I'm not happy with it,I will convert the the car to a standard shock set up,which will suck.I really ,really don't want to cut into the floor to build and install the shock bracing that isn't there.

 

[71Rustang]

I decided to pic a battle that I could win in one shot.So I built the front shock spacers.They are 3/4'' ,6061 and a copy of the Bud Moore spacers.I'm going to use the stock mounts for now and see how they do.If It starts to eat the bushings I have a set of the 67-70 mounts and a set of the tall Maverick mounts.The longer bolts are grade 5 carriage bolts from Tractor Supply.