Lower Control Arm

[podiver 10]

I am new to the forum and recently got a Mach1. I am also new to the technical part of repairs. When I inspected my suspension, I found 1 upper and 1 lower ball joint sleeve leaking grease and planned on getting a rebuild kit for both upper and lower ball joints with the lower attached to the control arm, the outer tie rods, and strut and sway bar bushings. Any benefit to using a tubular lower control arm?

[1969_Mach1 333]

In my opinion, if the lower control arms are the only upgrade to tubular, it is not worth the extra cost. I rebuilt the front suspension in my Mach 1 with OEM Ford and MOOG parts. It was a long time ago and that is why I was able to purchase control arm assemblies and lower spring perches from Ford. If I were to do it again I would go with the OEM style control arms that have been reinforced. A few companies sell them, Maier Racing is one that comes to mind. Whatever you decide, if not tubular, stick with MOOG or Raybestos brands as much as possible and not their lower end line of products.

[podiver 10]

Thanks 1969 Mach1;

I did some more research and it seems that Maier is out of my price range and application (street) but MOOG and OEM are right there. I see what you mean about just replacing the lca. It looks more and more that replacing the uca as well is happening. I know the shocks are bad and I want to change the front brakes to discs. I'm bouncing all over the road now when I drive and I want to teach my son how to drive a stick. Whats your thoughts on the packages for replacing the entire front suspension?

[bryonbush 85]

i just replaced mine a month or so back. it was easier and actually cheaper to replace the whole LCA than it was to buy the parts to restore the OEM ones. disc brake conversions are simple and if you're just looking for something to stop your car, you can easly get a stock kit from the webs under $1k. in all honesty, if you're going to be replacing the brakes, shocks, control arms, i would wait and buy everything you'll want to replace, now or later and get it all done at once. No one around me had UCA's in stock so i had to wait on that when i did mine. but im planing on doing that and the drop this winter when i replace the engine.

 

http://www.mustangsplus.com/xcart/1967-1973-Mustang-Front-Suspension-Kit-Grab-A-Trak-R.html

[70769 18]

^^^

 

Thats the kit i have. No complaints here

[1969_Mach1 333]

Nothing wrong with kits as long as the parts are good quality. Kits were not around when I did mine. On a side note, since your Mustang does not have factory front disk brakes, are you certain it's a Mach 1. I've haven't seen Mach 1's without factory front disk brakes. That doesn't mean they weren't offered with drum brakes, it's just my observation.

[harlan69mach 21]

Nothing wrong with kits as long as the parts are good quality. Kits were not around when I did mine. On a side note, since your Mustang does not have factory front disk brakes, are you certain it's a Mach 1. I've haven't seen Mach 1's without factory front disk brakes. That doesn't mean they weren't offered with drum brakes, it's just my observation.

I don't know what year Podiver's Mach 1 is but on 69 Mach 1s drum brakes on all four was standard, disc brakes were an option except maybe on 428cj.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Thanks. Good information to know.

[podiver 10]

Its a 69. Would you upgrade using a Heidts or Fatman with everything in a single package?

 

http://www.fatmanfabrications.co/products/1967-1973-ford-mustang-strut-ifs-conversion-kit/

[bryonbush 85]

That's a lot of money and work then to see the list of things you still need is pretty dumb for their asking price. If you want to go that route there are other all in one kits out there for front end replacement. In all honesty though, but the kit I linked, do the Shelby Drop, then buy yourself a power rack and pinionand you'll still be cheaper than the front end kits.

[SA69mach 39]

I have built up a 70 that was all over the road when I bought it. Leaking brake cylinders, worn steering components, springs shot....all of that.

 

I bought the car through Steve Mclennon from Hotrods to Hell, who is a custom suspension and hot rod builder in Anderson Calif. Been around for long time and builds all the fancy tubular ars and specializes in NASCAR style long arm trailing rears. Anyway- he is very experienced and cuts no corners on brakes and suspension.

 

Well, he and I tore down the old stuff and replaced all the ball joints (MOOG), all the bushings. Got the Kelsey Hayes 4 piston front disc brake kit (CSSP or SSBC) from Summit. Stock Ford LCA complete with ball joints. Stock GT springs. (cut 1 coil after fitting and setting as they were a little tall for my liking) 1 1/8 heavy sway bar. BILSTEIN RCD shocks (expensive but excellent)

Checked pitman arm and idler for wear.

 

The result was a stunning improvement. I love driving that car, it is so tight and just fun. Now that is all basically stock Mustang items. Steering and brake components wear out, and after 35-45 years they will be shot. However, you do NOT need fancy custom kits to get great performance from a Mustang. Steve makes and sell that stuff, but he did not push it on me. I have a built 68 Camaro with all his suspension, and it is scary, but for a few reasons, it will pay you to just replace worn parts, upgrade to a disc brake front end, and get a good wheel alignment

 

1. Easy to get Ford parts

2. Still pretty much OEM Mustang which many folks like

3. Inexpensive

4. Good reliable performance

 

Wheel align specs I recommend;

1/2 degree negative camber (stock settings will be zero, or positive camber)

2.5 to 3 degrees positive castor (manual =2.5 degrees, P/S =3 degrees as it makes the wheel effort harder)

1/16 to 1/18 inch toe in.

 

I think my brake kit was around 900 dollars complete - rotors calipers, pads, new master cylinder, hoses, Timken bearings and hardware

LCA's, coils springs and ball joints and stuff is cheap, over the counter stuff.

 

If you still want a complete kit, I recommend talking with Chockostang about brakes, he is a good guy and will set you right for your car (good for P/S and other things too)

 

Shaun from Street or Track has good kits and is good to talk with. Mustang guy too!

 

I have a nice original 69 Mach 1 as well, and this car is low mileage, (35000)and well cared for. I went through it and only changed out the shocks for BILSTEIN RCD's like my 70. Both cars feel the same on the road, tight and precise. The 70 is marginally better to drive, probably due to the front springs being a little stiffer. So, I know you can trun a dog of a car into a sweet ride with stock items and good attention to detail.

 

Go for it!

[1969_Mach1 333]

I agree with SA69mach, for a street driving car, the results of the stock components can be great. My preference would be to upgrade a few items over original, the coil springs and insulators, sway bar and bushings and end links, and shocks. Also, if its in your budget, consider the reinforced stock style upper and lower control arms. Lastly, I would also incorporate the 1" Shelby drop for the upper control arms. That is free, just some labor making a template that bolts to the existing mounting holes in the shock tower and has pilot holes to locate the new drilling location, and drilling the new holes.

 

There is an old reference book, (thin like a magazine) titled Boss 302 Chassis Modifications. It has several different stages of chassis modifications to stock suspensions. It may be old technology by today's standards but has some interesting info in it for stock suspension upgrades.

Edited November 5, 2014 by 1969_Mach1

[podiver 10]

Thanks for the 'back to reality' check. I was getting worried that all my budget was going to go to the front end. I found the 302 Chassis Modifications book:

 

http://www.mustangtek.com/Library2/BOSS302ChassisMod.html

 

and am going to go over this. I've heard about the 1" drop on the UCA. Without taxing my brain too much on the physics(not my greatest subject), what does this do for the ride and feel on the road? Also, would you go to progressive springs? I checked with Summitt and am going with SSBC for the brakes.

[jmlay 80]

Some good reading:

 

http://dazecars.com/dazed/drop.html

http://www.mustangbarn.com/PDFs/ArningShelby%20Suspension%20Drop.pdf

http://budgetrestomod.weebly.com/shelby-drop.html

[1969_Mach1 333]

That's the book. Even if you don't use any of the modifications in there, it's still interesting to see what was done back in 1969 and 1970. I tend to be old school and still like books.

 

The 1" UCA drop won't effect the ride and feel of the road. It will lower the front of the car a little. From geometry, it will be much less than 1 inch. There are thicker coil spring upper insulators if that is an issue. What the 1" drop does is reduce the camber change as the wheel moves up and down throughout the range of suspension travel. This keeps the tires in better contact with the ground when cornering. To simplify, the camber angle is a measurement indicating how much the top of the tire leans inward or outward. The top of the tire leaning outward is positive camber and leaning inward is negative camber. A vertical tire has 0 degrees camber.

Edited November 5, 2014 by 1969_Mach1