Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Topic: Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed (Read 6746 times) previous topic - next topic

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #15 – December 22, 2016, 10:59:58 AM

Quote from: Aerocoupe;458595

I went to a alignment shop that was recommend by a buddy that I considered all knowing in things of cars at that time in my life (I was 18 or so) and they installed smaller diameter strut bolts in the top holes which allowed them to gain just enough camber to stop the wear issue. This is something that can be done but the bolt could slip over time.

I've slotted the holes on the struts to allow for the same type of thing on several cars. Really, unless you whack something really hard, they really don't move when they're tightened enough. At least I've never had one slip.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #16 – December 22, 2016, 02:07:31 PM

I would trust the slotted strut over the smaller diameter bolt just because of the torque value the larger diameter bolt can hold. I do remember several guys slotting struts back in the day and carving up the top side of the strut towers. CC plates were one of the best things a person could install on a Fox body car next to subframe connectors.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #17 – December 22, 2016, 03:38:01 PM

Quote from: Aerocoupe;458595

If you are keeping all of the original control arms in the rear then replace all of the bushings with rubber and I would do the same on the front control arms. The stock rear control arms are pretty flimsy so my suggestion would be to box them (both uppers and lowers) with the old bushings in them. This will aid in pressing the old bushings out and installing them new ones.

Boxing the lowers is fine but not the uppers. I talked extensively with Jack at Maximum Motorsports. They do not recommend doing anything to the upper rear control arms besides replacing the bushings with new rubber pieces. The upper arms need to flex to keep the suspension geometry correct. Using poly bushings and/or boxing the upper control arms takes that flex away, leading to possible snap over steer. Even with the maximum Motorsports rear lower arms I just have the stock upper control arms with new MOOG rubber bushings on my car.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #18 – January 12, 2017, 11:56:07 PM

Good thread.

I recently got back my 86 5.0 Elan after a 6 mos loan to my stepson. Drove it about 70 miles today to my buddy's body shop for paint. Now I'm used to my '14 Focus that handles very well. The Bird felt like it was floating all over the road, not wandering, just not the rock solid feeling I get with the focus. The Focus rides surprisingly well and I feel totally in control. The Bird just seems to flex a lot and I'm not sure how much of it is body and how much is suspension. The car is very quiet and rattle free, but creaking noises eminate from behind both doors when I hit bumps. I feel this may be body flex and that is why priority one is subframe connectors.

I was going to purchase the Global West SFC's. Do you have to remove the seats and carpet to protect them from the heat or is this a non issue?

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #19 – January 13, 2017, 12:24:54 AM

upper control arms need to be untouched with new rubber bushings and from what ive read lower control arms its ok to box them and have one poly bushing on chassis side and rubber on axle side but idk where you can find new rubber bushings for lower rear control arms :/

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #20 – January 13, 2017, 10:13:05 AM

GW Subframes - if memory serves me correct (it's been about 20 years since mine were welded in) you do not have to remove seats or check under the carpet. I also have GW units in my Coupe (installed over 15 years ago) and no issues there either.

So Energy Suspension makes a complete rear urethane kit for the Fox Mustangs which also fits the Fox Birds and Cougars.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/4.3115

With that said we can infer that the control arm bushings between the cars are all the same. On a side note the Fox Mustang (79-93) front control arms work on the 83-86 Birds and Cougars and the SN95 Mustang (94-04) front control arms work on the 87-88 Birds and Cougars.

Moog still has the bushings for the rear upper control arms (UCA) for our cars but they do not make them for the rear lower control arms (LCA) anymore. I did see that Rare Parts makes the larger elipitical bushing for the lower but I have not found the round bushing for the lower. Might be the same as the UCA to body bushing but one would have to do some research or measuring. They are stupid expensive anyhow so if you cannot box the lowers without ruining the bushings (if they are good to begin with) then just go aftermarket with the Maximum lowers and the stock uppers with new bushings or a complete CHE kit.

http://m.oreillyauto.com/h5/catalog?path=%2Fsite%2Fc%2Fsearch%2FControl%2BArm%2BBushing%2F02936%2FC0106.oap%3Fmodel%3DThunderbird%26vi%3D5007584%26year%3D1985%26make%3DFord&search=true

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #21 – January 13, 2017, 01:01:15 PM

I haven't forgotten about this thread. I've been doing research and gathering part numbers.

I'm going to start taking the car apart and ordering parts next week. I'm going to do the front suspension first then work on the back suspension.

Here's the plan. I'm going to replace the ball joints, inner and outer tie rods, sway bar bushings and end links, control arm bushings, and struts. I'm going to get the Maximum Motorsports CC plates too. I plan to cut half a coil off the front springs just to see where that puts it.

Does anybody know what the stock ride height is? I don't currently have a stock car to compare to. I measured from the ground to the fender opening and got 28" on the front and 28.5 on the back. Here is what it looks like now.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread, especially Aerocoupe. I thought about "paging" you in the topic when I made this thread as I've always found you very knowledgeable on this kind stuff but didn't want you to feel obligated to partite. I'm very glad you did.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #22 – January 13, 2017, 01:08:55 PM

Oh yeah, I think I found the reason for some of my weird ride characteristics. I was pressing down on the corners of the car and the front passenger side was very firm but the driver side was very mushy.

The car has the PRC struts from the TC, just without the actuators on top. I used these struts because I swapped the TC spindles and brakes on the car and needed the different width struts to go with them and I'm cheap. Turns out one of them was set to firm and the other to soft. I played around with the little adjuster on top and got them both to be the same firmness. It ultimately doesn't matter since they are being replaced, just thought it was interesting.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #23 – January 13, 2017, 02:38:23 PM

Ed,

I have a Ford specification book that I'm pretty sure has the factory ride height specs in it. I'll take a look this weekend.

In the meantime, here are some pics of my car when it was not quite 3 years old for a visual of the stock ride height.

Brent

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #24 – January 13, 2017, 04:25:00 PM

Quote from: Aerocoupe;458895

GW Subframes - if memory serves me correct (it's been about 20 years since mine were welded in) you do not have to remove seats or check under the carpet. I also have GW units in my Coupe (installed over 15 years ago) and no issues there either.

So Energy Suspension makes a complete rear urethane kit for the Fox Mustangs which also fits the Fox Birds and Cougars.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/4.3115

With that said we can infer that the control arm bushings between the cars are all the same. On a side note the Fox Mustang (79-93) front control arms work on the 83-86 Birds and Cougars and the SN95 Mustang (94-04) front control arms work on the 87-88 Birds and Cougars.

Moog still has the bushings for the rear upper control arms (UCA) for our cars but they do not make them for the rear lower control arms (LCA) anymore. I did see that Rare Parts makes the larger elipitical bushing for the lower but I have not found the round bushing for the lower. Might be the same as the UCA to body bushing but one would have to do some research or measuring. They are stupid expensive anyhow so if you cannot box the lowers without ruining the bushings (if they are good to begin with) then just go aftermarket with the Maximum lowers and the stock uppers with new bushings or a complete CHE kit.

http://m.oreillyauto.com/h5/catalog?path=%2Fsite%2Fc%2Fsearch%2FControl%2BArm%2BBushing%2F02936%2FC0106.oap%3Fmodel%3DThunderbird%26vi%3D5007584%26year%3D1985%26make%3DFord&search=true

I had read somewhere that the SN95 front control arms will work on an 86 Bird if one uses the entire SN95 assembly, including spindles and tie rod ends.

is this in error?

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #25 – January 13, 2017, 05:11:38 PM

Yes, this is an error. The 87-88 Cougars and Birds have the revised front suspension with the longer control arms.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #26 – January 16, 2017, 10:35:13 AM

Here are the specified ride heights from the Ford Car Specifications book.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #27 – January 17, 2017, 11:01:19 AM

Thanks Brent! I'll see what I can figure out. I looked at some older pictures of the car from when it was stock and at pictures at some of my other stock cars I've had and it does look like it sits a bit higher than stock.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #28 – January 17, 2017, 03:48:28 PM

SN95 springs front and rear with poly spring isolators. Sits about like a stock Turbo Coupe/XR7 with about a 1.5" gap between the tire top and fender/quarter lip.

Stock LS/LX springs sit about 1/2"-3/4" higher. If you have the stock Cougar LS springs or if you use poly isolators with the springs your car will ride higher.

Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed

Reply #29 – January 19, 2017, 06:16:33 PM

I have stock 87 Turbo Coupe springs on the car.

I started taking the suspension apart yesterday and will be ordering parts tonight.