Front suspension and rack and pinion steering

[Topless69GT 28]

I am looking to do a coil over suspension and a power rack and pinion upgrade this winter. I priced out the total control products kit and it is not cheap. I don't mind paying for a good product but I don't know anyone who has installed it. I want to hear what other people have installed and if they installed it themselves. Any opinions and advice is welcomed!

[SM69Mach 68]

I would suggest calling and talking with Shaun at Street or Track.  I did that a few times before deciding on his Coil over set up in front with matching rear Bilstein shocks.  He also will probably recommend unisteer PS setup, which he did for me and I could not be happier.  Install was easy for all of it and the ride is SO much better.  I went with the street set up as my car will see very little track time, but I will say car still handles great and doesn't beat me up over bumps any more. One of the best mods I have done to the car and Shaun was great to work with and we talked through several options before I pulled the trigger.

 

Good luck as there are a lot of great options out there, just letting you know my personal experience. 

[Topless69GT 28]

I want to make sure that this is the company you are talking about out of Michigan. http://www.streetortrack.com/

[fvike 173]

I have the TCP coil overs and power rack 'n pinion. Totally worth the money in my book. The TCP rack is the best on the market, I think all agree on that. As for the coil over kit, I don't know the street or track system, but I would imagine the Bilstein coilovers to be better than the Varishocks that comes with the TCP suspension. I've had some problems with mine, I've had them top out a few times. But I do live in Norway, and we have shit roads. Seriously. Some places the main highway here where I live don't even have a yellow stripe.

[Alan_Mac 48]

I also have TCI Coil over front conversion suspension and manual rack.  Never had problems with my coil over, well made stuff.  I love my manual rack and agree with fvike.    

[SWPruett 83]

I want to make sure that this is the company you are talking about out of Michigan. http://www.streetortrack.com/

 

That's correct!  Make the call.....

[Alan_Mac 48]

The SoT coilovers looks very good.  I wonder how it rides compared to TCP..  I am not sold on the varishocks either.    

[SWPruett 83]

The SoT coilovers looks very good.  I wonder how it rides compared to TCP..  I am not sold on the varishocks either.    

 

I have driven them both.  There is no comparison.  The Bilstein dampers are light years ahead in quality and performance to any Varishock ever made.  Completely different ballgame.

[Alan_Mac 48]

good to know. 

[Total Control Products 24]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.  Frode, get that car out of the garage and back on the road already!

 

Topless69GT,

Thanks for taking the time to call us about your Mustang suspension and steering needs.  As one of the first companies to produce a performance suspension system for the early Mustang we have seen a lot of changes come to the market and have been able to evolve our system over time.  When TCP moved ten miles further up the road to become part of the Chris Alston's Chassisworks family we were able to take advantage of their superior manufacturing capabilities to improve our system even further.  Our lower control arm and strut rod pivots are a good example of this.  Both feature TrueCenterâ„¢ pivot sockets which eliminates the potential binding of our earlier, often duplicated, traditional rod-end based pivots.

 

The VariShock coilover was developed exclusively for this application to give maximum clearance for stock-style anti-roll bars yet still have an excellent suspension motion ratio.  There are literally thousands of VariShocks in use on cars all over the world from six-second pro-mods to daily driven pickups. They are constantly evolving and completely rebuildable.

 

It's true, our rack and pinion is not cheap.  We didn't cut corners by using an off-the-shelf rack from another vehicle which had 'close enough' geometry and 'not exactly' the same amount of travel. We worked and kept developing until we had a system that is completely our own, easy to install, and super easy to drive.

 

Our factory supported race car has the power rack paired with the Pro-Pump system. Kevin (who is the owner and driver) likes it because it helps him expend less energy when he's battling for first place with Porches and Corvettes in SCCA competition. It also has our coilover system, rear torque arm suspension, subframe connectors, and double-adjustable VariShock coilovers at all four corners.  As much as it wins,  it's a pretty simple car. It just works really well. Kevin has the same parts on his 65 street car and '67 GT350. Except the GT350 still has leaf springs in back.

 

I don't get onto this forum nearly as much as I should. I love talking about our components. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM, email, or call me directly at ext 247.

 

 

Oh yeah, you can watch a few install videos on our site.  Here's a new one from CJ Pony Parts that shows the FCOC install on a '70 Mustang.

 

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

I don't get onto this forum nearly as much as I should. I love talking about our components. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM, email, or call me directly at ext 247.

I talked with someone a month ago on the phone asking for some basic dimensions of the coilover shocks. I provided my email and they said they would get me some information. They have not provided that information. I'm very disappointed about that. It's more disappointing that they told me they would do something and didn't as opposed to simply saying they can't.

[Total Control Products 24]

I talked with someone a month ago on the phone asking for some basic dimensions of the coilover shocks. I provided my email and they said they would get me some information. They have not provided that information. I'm very disappointed about that. It's more disappointing that they told me they would do something and didn't as opposed to simply saying they can't.

 

I'm sorry to hear that.  We keep a fairly small, but very knowledgeable, staff so sometimes things can get overlooked in the shuffle. Maybe they copied your email down incorrectly and didn't have another way to reach you? All the shock dimensions are available on our website. If you can't find what you're looking for I'll be happy to help.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

I'm sorry to hear that.  We keep a fairly small, but very knowledgeable, staff so sometimes things can get overlooked in the shuffle. Maybe they copied your email down incorrectly and didn't have another way to reach you? All the shock dimensions are available on our website. If you can't find what you're looking for I'll be happy to help.

Based on the way the person on the phone talked, I'm sure it got "overlooked" or my email was copied incorrectly.

 

I was looking for detailed outline dimension drawings of the following two example part numbers as I was trying to make my own axle housing mounts and determine where to position a crossmember on the car along with the associated bracketry. Yes, I understand the concept of mocking up parts, but some idea of dimensions before purchasing helps give me an idea of what to expect and be able to plan out how I want to make things.

 

The catalog only dimensions extended and compressed eye to eye lengths,bearing width and ID info along with relative lengths for the mounts

.

8A 2 21 11 -6 (standard length base and top)

 

8A 2 11 91 -6 (short length base and top)

[Total Control Products 24]

I was looking for detailed outline dimension drawings of the following two example part numbers as I was trying to make my own axle housing mounts and determine where to position a crossmember on the car along with the associated bracketry. The catalog only dimensions extended and compressed eye to eye lengths,bearing width and ID info along with relative lengths for the mounts.

8A 2 21 11 -6 (standard length base and top)

8A 2 11 91 -6 (short length base and top)

 

These aren't valid VariShock part numbers.  Send me a PM with your email and a link to what you're looking for regarding mounts and we'll try to work it out.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

These aren't valid VariShock part numbers.  Send me a PM with your email and a link to what you're looking for regarding mounts and we'll try to work it out.

I'm reading your Varishock Custom Builder Shock catalog and I'm pretty sure they are legit.

 

In any case, below is a summary of what I was looking for.

 

 

8A22111-6

 

8A = Coil-Over with standard 50% thread length

 

2 = double adjustable

 

2 = Base Style = Standard Length (1 = short)

 

1 = Base Hardware = 0.5" x 1" Com-8 Bearing

 

1 = Top Mount Style = Standard (9 = short)

 

1 = Top Mount Hardware = 0.5" x 1" Com-8 Bearing

 

-6 = Travel Length (6.15")

 

 

 

8A21191-6

 

8A = Coil-Over with standard 50% thread length

 

2 = double adjustable

 

1 = Base Style = Short Length

 

1 = Base Hardware = 0.5" x 1" Com-8 Bearing

 

9 = Top Mount Style = Short Length

 

1 = Top Mount Hardware = 0.5" x 1" Com-8 Bearing

 

-6 = Travel Length (6.15")

[Total Control Products 24]

Ah, the custom shock option.  Those are typically ordered directly through Nick, the VariShock manager, so I didn't recognize the format. Looking at the breakdown of 8A22111-6 it's exactly the same as THIS SHOCK.

 

The second shock is the same configuration except with short base and short eyelet so it would be an inch shorter.  Short base is -.5" and short eye is -.5".  That would yield an extended length of 17.1" and compressed length of 10.95".

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Ah, the custom shock option.  Those are typically ordered directly through Nick, the VariShock manager, so I didn't recognize the format. Looking at the breakdown of 8A22111-6 it's exactly the same as THIS SHOCK.

 

The second shock is the same configuration except with short base and short eyelet so it would be an inch shorter.  Short base is -.5" and short eye is -.5".  That would yield an extended length of 17.1" and compressed length of 10.95".

yes. I've been able to previously read your datasheets. As mentioned in my earlier post, it only dimensions extended and compressed eye to eye lengths, bearing width and ID info along with relative lengths for the mounts (e.g. 0.5" shorter or 2" longer...).

[Total Control Products 24]

...what other dimensions do you need?  It is company policy that we do not publish engineering schematics so I can't just email you a drawing, I don't even have access to one. That said, it's a coilover shock, they are all shaped pretty much the same.  O.D. of the whole assembly is under 3.50" assuming you don't select an extremely high spring rate.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

...what other dimensions do you need?  It is company policy that we do not publish engineering schematics so I can't just email you a drawing, I don't even have access to one. That said, it's a coilover shock, they are all shaped pretty much the same.  O.D. of the whole assembly is under 3.50" assuming you don't select an extremely high spring rate.

below were the dimensions I was interested in.

 

I don't have coil-overs laying around to measure. I have a full set of your double adjustable smooth body shocks on my other car, but the features I was interested in on these are different.

 

I'm very familiar with the issues of proprietary and controlled documents. I deal with it everyday.

 

[Total Control Products 24]

The smooth body shocks use the same eyelets as the coilover, providing they are eye/eye configuration.

 

Standard Eyelets

A = 1.25"

B = 2.20"

C= 1.40"

 

Shortened Eyelets

A = 0.75"

B = 2.20"

C= 0.90"

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Standard Eyelets

A = 1.25"

B = 2.20"

C= 1.40"

 

Shortened Eyelets

A = 0.75"

B = 2.20"

C= 0.90"

beautiful. thanks.