86 Turbo Coupe 351 swap January 17, 2018, 09:33:43 AM Picked up really clean 86 T coupe for my girls this weekend. Father Daughters Drag - grudge, test and tune fun car.Going with the 351 based motor I pulled out of my 67 Mustang.Lots of interesting and confussing info here. I am a 67 68 Mustang guy, never paid attention to Fox stuff..but always love the Birds. Daughters wanted the Turbo Coupe over the Fox Mustang as well, its "cooler" dad.Soooo, cutting to the chase, which Tube K member is the best to go with. I see all sorts of back and forth on shims, wont work, A arms etc....Anyone done this with aftermarket K member...want to put this thing on a diet an cut pounds wherever I can.Thanks Gydyup Quote Selected
86 Turbo Coupe 351 swap Reply #1 – February 04, 2018, 06:05:29 AM Waste of money, not much weight savings and durability of some tubular Ks and coilover kits on landing a wheel standing launch has been an issue.At the track, Ive seen Fox birds and Cougars run deep into the 9's using stock K-members. They spent the money where it mattered. On chassis stiffening and the rear suspension and axle so it would dead hook and not rip every attachment point out or have you chasing the suspension tune all weekend long to compensate.The 83-85 Cougar/Bird stock K-members use the durable stud-style engine mounts, same as Mustangs used. The 86-88 Cougar/Bird K-member was changed to use a hydraulic mount, presumably for cushier engine vibration and/or noise dampening for the gray hairs that bought them back then. It generally doesnt much dig high torque applications in stock form, so you'll want to research what will work best for you. Quote Selected
86 Turbo Coupe 351 swap Reply #2 – February 05, 2018, 04:59:27 PM I like to think the tubular k-member in both my Fox bodies were not a waste of money. Could not have fit the 1-7/8 primary LT's and a 351W in my Bird without the added space. If you are going to do a 351W based stroker we all know that Ford's love lots of exhaust with good heads so a tubular k-member will give you that added space you will most likely need. If it is going to be a street car that you take to the track my suggestion would be a Maximum Motorsports unit as they are built to take a beating on the street. Quote Selected
86 Turbo Coupe 351 swap Reply #3 – February 05, 2018, 07:59:05 PM All in what youre prepared to spend. A tubular front K often means tubular A arms, a coilover strut/spring setup, which in turn dictates a set of CC plates. If you buy quality parts like from MM, you'll have just dropped some serious coin with plenty more still required to properly do the rear suspension, cage, drivetrain, engine, fuel system, safety items, exhaust, etc, etc. For a corner carver, there is a strong argument for it, for a drag car, Id use the money elsewhere or on custom headers if the packaging requires it. If the skys the limit budget-wise, sure, do it all, but its rarely the case. Quote Selected
Topic: 86 Turbo Coupe 351 swap (Read 2807 times)
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