FB suspension upgrades.

[$100T2]

One of the things I'd like to get rid of on the FB are the weak control arms. As an avid car enthusiast (not just rotaries, not just RX-7s) I constantly check out things like Street Rodder, Hot Rod, etc.

A lot of companies offer Mustang II suspension upgrades for early 30s street rods, and the control arms look custom fabricated.



Is there any reason why we can't make something like those for our cars? As long as the mounting points and geometry are unchanged, can we create a stronger part?

[warwickben]

we can do it. i was thinking the same thing instead of the respeed kit. since i have had ball joint problems ect.

theres a week spot on mustang 2 front end but its a easy fix. ill try to find the mag i have that explain the problem and how to fix it. i mite not have it tho sice i cleaned the house out. the good thing about this set up is you dont need the shock tower any more since it uses a upper and lower control arm. well from that kit pictured i think you would need to ill go look for the kit for you. whats new with the motor i gave you?

[warwickben]

ok good your in luck i did not trash the mag when i was clean the house. when i get my scanner working ill scan the pages for you. you know your spouse(sp?) to have to weld the cross member in right? but you could weld a plate to the top of it and just bolt it in.

the mod you should make is pretty simple and can be done in less then 3 hours if you have a welder and some scrap metal. you need to box the end's and add gussets in some places.

[jgrewe]

Just curious, what are you finding to be a problem with the stock parts?

The stock ones I know have handled 1.3+ G's on SCCA Prod cars on slicks. I would think just boxing in the lower opening of the arm would be the first step if I was looking for improvement. Even then I don't know if the loads and load paths they see would call for that.

[warwickben]

the ball joints suck . Hard to find new ones ect. It's a cheap stamped steel part. If some one Can help me find a good ball joint that's easy to buy iam gonna make a set of lower spelling control arms.

[Whizbang]

i have been thinking about making a set for my hill climb project

[warwickben]

it shouldn't be to hard if you have a height gauge and surface plate. they hardist part would be drilling the holes/ mounting plates for the sway bar, and the tension rods(i think thats what there called). would not be that hard tho. would just need some advice on what type of metal to use tho.

[Whizbang]

i have also thought about just boxing the stock unit, then replacing the ball joint by retro fitting a model that is a replaceable style

[Kentetsu]

I haven't had any issues with them at all. Changed the ball joints myself last year, no big deal. I think there are other areas of suspension that I would attend to before worrying about the control arms, but that's just me.

[warwickben]

Kentetsu iam with you, i know there not the worse thing you can have but you have to admit its getting harder to find good ball joints. at least for my 80 sa.if you want a after market setup i belive racing beat still sell's them. i had to take a chance with some random internet site. Moog stop make the ones that came with a retaining clip so you could reuse the lower control arms. i dont know any one who makes the ball joints like that.most people say if you replace the joints you need to get new lower control arms but if you do you showed put a few tack welds on them. some people say you dont have to tho. when i replaced them i didnt. lasted about a month then one popped out so i had to remove every thing, and re press them in and fire up the welder.

Kentetsu did you get the Moog ones with the clip,if not did you tack weld them in or did you replace the whole lower a arm.

side note i got the whole respeed setup like you have but with kyb gr-2 shocks struts. still looking for better shocks struts for the sa setup. dont want to have to drop all the money yet for later year swaps.

[Kentetsu]

The ball joints I used did not have retaining clips, and I did not weld them, and I did not replace the control arms when I did it. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I haven't had any issues. I was very careful when I pressed the old ones out, and the new ones in, and I used a hand press to do this rather than a hydraulic press.

Can't say exactly why it worked out well, but it did.

[warwickben]

hand press you mean the thing that looks like a giant c clamp . i used that and only the front left came out. i had to drive 10 miles home with the whell turned 90 degs to the right to go straight.