Frustration with Front end!

[Sheriff41]

Hey, Pete, any progress on your build?

 

[PeteG41]

Hey, Pete, any progress on your build?

Nada. Was given a 2 month lead time when I talked to the shop first week of February, and am still waiting. I followed up first week of April and I am still on the list, but I am assuming a couple of their projects are taking longer than expected so no room for me yet. I am getting anxious!

 

[Sheriff41]

Well, keep us posted. I'm sure I'm not alone in waiting to read about you taking your first real drive in your Mach 1. Hang in there!

 

[PeteG41]

Well, keep us posted. I'm sure I'm not alone in waiting to read about you taking your first real drive in your Mach 1. Hang in there!

Will do!! my 4cyl limp down the street definitely doesn't count. Heading out of town for a couple weeks so hopefully when I get back I will have some good news waiting for me.

 

[AcesArneson]

put your car in park or in gear, don't set the park brake, have someone (preferably a big dude or dudette) rock the car forward and back kinda violently while you watch the strut rod bushing area for movement. You shouldn't see any movement at all.

For anyone that reads this thread and wants to replace the strut rod bushings, just be forewarned that Ford had pressed an inner sleeve into the main sleeve and flared the ends to prevent the bushings from falling out on the assembly line. You can just drill out a small bit on one side to release the collar on the inner sleeve, it's pretty malleable and comes off quick. Then the bushings just pull apart and you can re-use the sleeves.
View attachment IMG_1753.mov

 

[California 72]

"As I'm sure is usually the case, the more you dig, the more you find."

Sheeeeet, ain't that the truth! Started with a simple front suspension and steering rebuild myself and the car ended up on 6 jackstands! Now, there's probably a chance we're going to miss a second year of cruising season. Was hoping that we could make it by July, but the project has stalled since I need to replace a compressor to finish the "more I found" work properly this time around. I started looking at some of the videos on YouTube and a couple other sites for final steps and decided it was better to take a couple (dozen) extra steps past where I planned. I will admit, while some of these projects can and do become a great story line for Stephen King book or M. Knight Shyamalan movie, it's not all bad when you get the car rolling again and are very quickly reminded that it was all worth it!

I just pray that first corner I take, the car actually goes in the direction I'm turning, with the appropriate "back-steer" into the intentional rearend drift.


Edit: I missed seeing the discussion or mention of Saddle perches for the front end. I'm probably blind/wrong and it was mentioned but just in case, invest in the synthetic bushing or if you can swing it since they are costly, the needle bearing perches. The one's I purchased from the link are definitely much "beefier" than the standard version and they move freely with no effort by hand. They also come pre lubed, I believe the note said 7 years' worth but have the grease fitting installed. Just heed the warning about type of grease. Anything but synthetic will kill them.

 

[Spike Morelli]

When I first bought my Mach, one of the first things I did was to buy EVERYTHING for the front and rear suspension NEW. I mean everything ,upper and lower arms complete, springs , saddles, shocks , tie rod ends, center link, strut rod bushings, idler arm pitman arm, rag joint, new sway bar and frame bushings, and adjusted the steering box pitman shaft play, along with, at the rear, new leaf springs, shocks. Then had it aligned. Gathered up all the parts beforehand, at the time, I could get it all in Moog, then took the car to a friend's shop and did it all at once, just remove the wheels and let it all hit the floor! what a dramatic difference, tight and right, AND, you save time and money doing it all at once because some things need to be unbolted to access other things, so labor was less than doing it all piecemeal. I've been driving it now for 34 years, had to change out some things with general maintenance, but the feel when every single thing is new.........