Hey guys. It's been a while since I was on here. Picked up a '78 Bronco that, until recently, has become the focus of my effort. But, now that I'm in a "holding pattern" with that project, my attention is being turned back to the Maverick. Feels good. So, to kick things off, I have a question: Does the Maverick share it's front suspension geometry with any other Fords? Reason being, I'm doing the "Shelby-Arnig Drop" and the details specify the UCA drop to be 1" down and 1/8" back (perpendicular to centerline) for '60-'66 Falcons and Mustangs and 1" down, only, for '67-'70 Falcons, Cougars, and Mustangs. So... any of these share front suspension geometry with a '70 Maverick? Thanks, Eric
Mustangs falcons and cougars do share the same basic setup as the maverick. Only real difference being track width. I do believe (Not certain) that the mavs/comets get the 1" down w/o the 1/8" back due to space limitations. I am sure someone who has done it will chime in with all the gritty details...Good luck!!!
1" straight down, I dont believe the control arm will fit in the tower 1/8" back. I did 1" down on mine, seems to work well.
Did the 1" drop on the Comet and paired it with the roller sprong perches. Night and day difference over the worn out stock stuff. Got the template from Toporanger.
As Mad Goon just mentioned Topranger sells a tool steel jig that you bolt up to the stock holes and drill your pilot holes. The jig also has a 1 1/2 so you can choose. Bob (Topranger) also makes some other quality parts exclusively for our cars, check them out. Oh yeah, and there is no room to shift 1/8" back as the shock tower narrows as it goes down, as Mavman72 stated.
maverick should be similar to 67 mustangs. i did the 1" down only drop. here is the template i made, if you want to fabricate one for yourself.
Thanks guys. Truth be told, I've already done the drop to the passenger side using a plate template I made. I used the 1" drop without the 1/8" back. Just wanted to be sure I was on the right track before I drilled into the driver side. Hey MaverickDan, did the drop lower your ride height any? Did anyone else experience a significant height drop? I'm not looking for one, but, I want to plan accordingly if that's what's gonna happen. Thanks, Eric
I don't have the motor in mine yet but others have told me expect about 1/2" to 3/4" drop, so not much.
Cool. That means my wheel/tire combo will still work out okay. Last questions: All-in-all, did the drop really improve the cars handling to a noticeable degree? If you had to do it again, would you? Did you guys have the car re-aligned to the post-drop "performance" specs, or, did you just keep the factory set-up? Thanks again, Eric (It's been a while since I've, even, looked at my Maverick and I find myself frequently asking, "now, why did I do that?" :16suspect I think I even threw away my engine-bay wiring harness cuz, now, I can't find it. )
I can't say it was just the drop that improved my car's handling as I did all the suspension steering mods at the same time. I can say however that the car feels confident while cornering now, and there is a drastic decrease in body roll.
While I can't speak as much to the typical drops(I always use heavier drops combined with additional castor setback).. the biggest net gain in geometry correction is under extremely hard low speed maneuvering. You'll never tax the suspension in that manner at speeds. Unless you're trying to correct major mistakes, of course.
Thanks for the feedback. This is a DD and I just want to get the stock suspension as responsive as possible without doing major parts swapping. A "mild situation" (read: "life") arose and has forced my hand in getting the Maverick back on the road before I could complete my build the "right" way. So, competent and acceptable corner-cutting have to be part of the plans, for now. Doing more with less, Eric P.S.- Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. It's good to be back on this forum. Maybe, it's time I re-instated my supporting membership.
