Need help/advice on my 71 suspension and brakes

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Some people shotgun parts replacement - you got out the whole cannon!

There probably isn't any harm done with what you have purchased, but it still doesn't feel like you have an understanding of how your car is supposed to work and how it is actually working. You may find that after installing all of these new parts you still have a lot of the same problems - and still don't know how to solve them.

These cars worked quite well back in the day. They would start reliably, stop when you needed them to, and handled well enough. They required more maintenance than cars of today, but that is more a statement of improvements in materials, coatings, manufacturing, and technology than some basic flaws in the original cars. Unfortunately it is getting more difficult to find technicians that understand how these cars work and how to fix them. Modern cars pretty much tell you what is wrong and what to replace - the diagnostics are built into the car - so the tech doesn't necessarily need to know how to diagnose a problem without a laptop.

Sites like this are great - up to a point. There are a lot of talented, experienced, knowledgeable people here that can and will offer advice. Some of it might actually work. The problem is, none of us have actually seen your car and we make fundamental assumptions about the condition of your car that really have no basis in fact, because all of our cars have some basic level of proper maintenance done to them. So we're just shooting from the hip at a target that is in the dark. And it's always easy to spend other people's money.

Pretty much any old car isn't the way the manufacturer intended it. Parts wear, stuff gets bent, rust weakens things, seals harden and leak, electrical contacts corrode, bushings compress, things that are supposed to move don't due to lack of lubrication, things that aren't supposed to move do, parts get "repaired" or replaced with things that don't really work - you get the point. Heaving a lot of parts at it MAY improve things, but then again, they may not because you don't know WHY the car is behaving the way it is. Do the simple, boring stuff first - like making sure your alignment is good, bearings are greased properly, that your brakes are bled properly, that the calipers actually move when you press the brake pedal, that your shocks aren't leaking and your bushings aren't cracked. That any joint with a zerk fitting on it has grease in it, that vacuum lines are attached and not leaking, that fluids are fresh. This is simple, basic, boring stuff that you are going to need to know even after your car is finished - may as well learn about them now. And they are cheap and don't take all that long to do and don't require a big investment in tools.
 
No curved Monte Carlo bar but worth a look: https://totalcontrolproducts.com/twrb-52.html
I was about to buy that same one from a different store and same cost, but I decided to buy https://www.stang-aholics.com/i-31643265-71-73-mustang-cougar-tcp-shock-tower-export-brace.html and Im going to use the non-curved monte Carlo bar and have it fabricated to have a curve. My father thinks we can do it and we have all the equipment to do it with. I think it will be unique. Thanks for the advice i appreciate it. Do you have a brace for your mustang? curious to see what you did?
 
If you have discs up front and drums in the back, the brakes on these are perfectly adequate for not having ABS and having like 8" wide tread. You should be able to lock up all 4 corners and leave black marks on the pavement. Even with cheap parts from autozone.

The usual issues are having the front calipers on the wrong side, which makes them impossible to bleed. Also, a seized proportioning valve that prevents half the brakes from working. And then not having the system properly bled. Air in the line is squishy.

Bleed the master cylinder. You can bench bleed it installed in the car. Then bleed each corner, starting with the furthest from the master cylinder. Keep going till you see bubbles, and keep going till there's no bubbles.
Regarding GiantPune's comment re: how the calipers are installed, the way they bolt up they can technically be installed on either side of the car. But, only one way is correct. If they are bolted to the incorrect side they will never, ever, be capable oe being bled correctly. Attached is a file I picked up over the years that shows why that is. Perhaps the poor performance with the brakes is due to that, perhaps? It is worth checking out.
 

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  • ___1968-1973FordMustang_FrontBrakeCalipers_InstallationOrientation_20211116.pdf
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I was about to buy that same one from a different store and same cost, but I decided to buy https://www.stang-aholics.com/i-31643265-71-73-mustang-cougar-tcp-shock-tower-export-brace.html and Im going to use the non-curved monte Carlo bar and have it fabricated to have a curve. My father thinks we can do it and we have all the equipment to do it with. I think it will be unique. Thanks for the advice i appreciate it. Do you have a brace for your mustang? curious to see what you did?
I do not have a brace on mine. It sounds like you have a good plan fabricating your own. Let us know how it turns out.
 
This is what I bought so far. See list below. I emailed the folks that sell the front triangle brace I mentioned like you said and expressed the concerns but I’m not sure if they will even sell it to me cause I live in the Fort Worth Dallas area but the family shop is in the Tulsa Oklahoma area which I go back to once a month to do my work and I have a lot of time off so and it’s a large enough shop and I bought for Mustangs all to restore and it’s a big enough shot for it all plus my brother’s Corvette and my dad‘s Corvette but they won’t ship to an address that doesn’t match your billing address and I drive a newer Jeep Wrangler even with the seats down in the back I don’t think I can get it in there so I asked them about that cause I had one place when I bought parts my backseat cushion or covers from them they asked just for photos of my ID but they so they would ship it that way so I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to get it and it’s $645 I just think that’s a little crazy I mean I paid $44 for that Monte Carlo bar that didn’t fit by the way it cost $60 to ship it back so I’m stuck with it I figure I’ll take it to some of the Mustang shows and find somebody who wants it for a couple dollars or for free I don’t care I really want to wish that I could fabricate the one that owe from the earlier post from that guy‘s car I’ve got a welder but I mean I’m a girl my brother would have to do my welding for me and I’m not exactly sure how he did it cause I didn’t see the bar from the shop that he bought it from so I’m still unsure about that but I have until June is going to be my first race on an actual Speedway Hall motor Speedway there in Oklahoma so I’ve got a little bit of time to figure that part out. I made a website mostly for the Mustang IIs since there isn’t one in a forum for them since I did buy a King Cobra to restore but I also have my car on there and to keep an update on what I’m doing I get my the other Mach 1 that I bought that has the ram air option and a couple of better options it’s a light Pewter Silver is being picked up on the 18th so I’ll have it sometime this month it’s going to be the one I’m going to make it to a factory original kind of show Car you know instead of what I have now making this into a road racer just for fun here is the site just in case you wanna look at it I’ve just started on it a few weeks ago so my forum is not ready yet cause I’m I have programmed in a long time in years so it’s having to relearn the new programming. But when I get back up there in January to start installing the suspension stuff I’m definitely going to you know check over everything like you said the wheel bearings and kind of follow the suggestions from everybodyhttps://milamusclecars.com/

  • 1″ front sway bar
  • 3/4′ back sway bar
  • Prothane total bushing kit
  • QA1 single adjustable shocks. For the front and rear (you can adjust them for road racing, drag racing or comfort)
  • Coil Spring Saddle High performance
  • Leaf springs 5-leaf, stock height
This is just what I think, but you may have to test to confirm. My feeling is that your rear suspension will be stiff with that 5-leaf spring and a 3/4" sway bar. Not that it would be a bad thing but you will need to stiffen the front to balance it, because otherwise you will drive an oversteer-bias car. That's why others have recommended a 1 1/8" sway bar. Although 1/8" sounds small, that increase will give you a 25% increase in stiffness. In the rear with those springs you may be better off with a smaller sway bar, like 1/2". However, this is just desktop analysis combined with my own experience. The real analysis would be on track.

I posted somewhere else helping you with brakes. Depending on what your speed will be, this is an area that you want to upgrade. At a minimum flush all the brake fluid, add high performance DOT4 like Motul 600 fluid, use good race pads and make sure your master cylinder is in good working order. If you have the time, and space around the engine, replace the brake lines (may be challenging to replace the fronts, but they are the most important).

Also, as mentioned before, a huge upgrade is to go with ultra high performance summer tires with a 200 thread wear (200tw) rating. Unfortunately this means upgrading to probably 18" wheels so it gets expensive, but well worth it.

Just my .02! Good luck!
 
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This is just what I think, but you may have to test to confirm. My feeling is that your rear suspension will be stiff with that 5-leaf spring and a 3/4" sway bar. Not that it would be a bad thing but you will need to stiffen the front to balance it, because otherwise you will drive an oversteer-bias car. That's why others have recommended a 1 1/8" sway bar. Although 1/8" sounds small, that increase will give you a 25% increase in stiffness. In the rear with those springs you may be better off with a smaller sway bar, like 1/2". However, this is just desktop analysis combined with my own experience. The real analysis would be on track.

I posted somewhere else helping you with brakes. Depending on what your speed will be, this is an area that you want to upgrade. At a minimum flush all the brake fluid, add high performance DOT4 like Motul 600 fluid, use good race pads and make sure your master cylinder is in good working order. If you have the time, and space around the engine, replace the brake lines (may be challenging to replace the fronts, but they are the most important).

Also, as mentioned before, a huge upgrade is to go with ultra high performance summer tires with a 200 thread wear (200tw) rating. Unfortunately this means upgrading to probably 18" wheels so it gets expensive, but well worth it.

Just my .02! Good luck!
And Always I think you. Keep in mind, im only doing fun races with the shelby and other ford during the annual 2 day race im oklahoma. Its all for fun but yes its still a race but nobody wants to wreck their half a mil shelby. and then im going to do test and tune days. Now if I fell i have a knack for it then I wont be racing my 71 i will be building a different car to race, maybe a foxbody coupe, lightweight and tons of parts and not as costly. So I think my upgades are perfect for what Im doing. I got some great shocks that have like 23 point adjusable which setme back about 1K but worth it. I got full ne bushing set, ill check everything while im installing including the bearings. etc. I'm starting this on the 4th and then i have to go back home to Texas on the 14th I also just had my second 1978 king cobra delivered the first i knew was king cobra and its onthe the rarest mustangs ever, well this one I was buying for 2500 for parts but it was in good enough shape that i coujld of got it running and doubled my money, well first thing i had my dad do was check the buck tag and sure enough it said KC, so the guy didn't know what he had and i would have paid 8 K for it , its an automatic so I'm going to fix it up nice not show car like my other one and sell it. I also have my second 1971 mach 1 with the ram being picked up in Maryland on the 6th and delivered to me. it would have been sooner but the two people that one the bid got banned so Uship gave me 50 dollars off but really the bid came in and i only saved 24 dollars and loss of time. Now that car is going to be my show car. So now I have 4 mustangs and i bought my dads 1972 corvette so he could buy a are 1970 with the special motor option. I wanted it because my dad has cancer and he wont be around for ever so ill always have it as he first taught me how to built corvettes when iwas 7 years old, how to patch fiber glass, everything about them but im a mustang girl. I did try my hand at building a 1991 corvette and finished it but the cost for pats was so stupid so i sold it during covid and only drove it once after i finished it and the prices for cars went up so i got about double what it was worth.

But He i took your advice, i bought hipo brake fluid, i have not found which pads I want yet, first i have to know what size i need and its hard to do that until i get back up there on the 4th, now the cylinder is fine but its rusty as can be so i bought something to kill the rust then ill paint it, the cover is fine. I also just bought these headers after studying George Reids book on 351C and explained which ones to get and how the exhaust manafolds he dyno and it was costing 20 HP and equal torque which is a lot, also send i spent so much money on CJponyparts they gave me 50 dollars as a reward, now im going to take them to the same place ive take others to have them ceramic dipped . https://www.cjponyparts.com/hooker-...ition-black-4-barrel-351c-1971-1973/p/EXHD57/
 
And Always I think you. Keep in mind, im only doing fun races with the shelby and other ford during the annual 2 day race im oklahoma. Its all for fun but yes its still a race but nobody wants to wreck their half a mil shelby. and then im going to do test and tune days. Now if I fell i have a knack for it then I wont be racing my 71 i will be building a different car to race, maybe a foxbody coupe, lightweight and tons of parts and not as costly. So I think my upgades are perfect for what Im doing. I got some great shocks that have like 23 point adjusable which setme back about 1K but worth it. I got full ne bushing set, ill check everything while im installing including the bearings. etc. I'm starting this on the 4th and then i have to go back home to Texas on the 14th I also just had my second 1978 king cobra delivered the first i knew was king cobra and its onthe the rarest mustangs ever, well this one I was buying for 2500 for parts but it was in good enough shape that i coujld of got it running and doubled my money, well first thing i had my dad do was check the buck tag and sure enough it said KC, so the guy didn't know what he had and i would have paid 8 K for it , its an automatic so I'm going to fix it up nice not show car like my other one and sell it. I also have my second 1971 mach 1 with the ram being picked up in Maryland on the 6th and delivered to me. it would have been sooner but the two people that one the bid got banned so Uship gave me 50 dollars off but really the bid came in and i only saved 24 dollars and loss of time. Now that car is going to be my show car. So now I have 4 mustangs and i bought my dads 1972 corvette so he could buy a are 1970 with the special motor option. I wanted it because my dad has cancer and he wont be around for ever so ill always have it as he first taught me how to built corvettes when iwas 7 years old, how to patch fiber glass, everything about them but im a mustang girl. I did try my hand at building a 1991 corvette and finished it but the cost for pats was so stupid so i sold it during covid and only drove it once after i finished it and the prices for cars went up so i got about double what it was worth.

But He i took your advice, i bought hipo brake fluid, i have not found which pads I want yet, first i have to know what size i need and its hard to do that until i get back up there on the 4th, now the cylinder is fine but its rusty as can be so i bought something to kill the rust then ill paint it, the cover is fine. I also just bought these headers after studying George Reids book on 351C and explained which ones to get and how the exhaust manafolds he dyno and it was costing 20 HP and equal torque which is a lot, also send i spent so much money on CJponyparts they gave me 50 dollars as a reward, now im going to take them to the same place ive take others to have them ceramic dipped . https://www.cjponyparts.com/hooker-...ition-black-4-barrel-351c-1971-1973/p/EXHD57/
Good luck. Whatever you do with brake fluid do not use DOT 5.
 
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