coil over on right side finished!!

I got my new lower control arms from Global finally. Got the brackets on the car and the lower bracket made. I used a piece of 2 X 2 square tubing 1/8 wall, and slipped it around the drag brace(strut rod). I drilled it to match the bolt pattern where the drag brace bolts to the lower control arm. I drilled the holes in the strut rod and the lower control arm out to 9/16. I will run aircraft bolts from the bottom up and use castellated nylon lock nuts so I can put a cotter pin through them. I welded the shock tabs to the top of the square tubing and it actually looks pretty clean. The global control arm is a boxed in stock arm with a screw in lower ball joint and a aircraft spherical bearing instead of the rubber bushing. There is absolutely no resistance at all in moving the lower control arm up or down. he next one will be a cinch!

 

"Excellant Work" You are a credit to everyone who has turned a wrench on such a project. Thank You!!!!!

 

Nice Job!

Damn Nice Job there guy!

 

Way to go, Steve. Starting to take shape!

I know a lot of other guys with 60-70's Falcons, Mustangs, etc would be interested in your set up.

I do believe a tech-article is in your future!


Continued Success,

Rick

 

Tech article

Thanks for the comments guys, and yes I am taking lots of pictures to make an article out of! Hope to get the other side done by Tuesday.

 

Are you gonna have some sort of crossmember welded between the two frame rails? Seems like you'd have a bit of twisting on the rails after a while if you don't. Not knocking your work, it looks like you've done a hell of a job, just wantin' to know if I know what I'm talking about.

 

frame rail twisting

That is a good question. I am welding in a 10 point cage plus a V-8 style crossmember of my own making. I am also considering a front motor mount plate and incorporating it into the front cage struts.

 

Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. So, what's next after that? Body or engine?

 

next project.

It will be the body. I am putting in Thunderbird tailights. I am going to cut the raised area out where the tailights are and using aircraft rivets, rivet in a piece of either aluminum (painted) or stainless (polished). I feel the Thunderbird tailights are just a little to big to really fit right on the stock panel, so putting a flat piece in there will make it look like it belongs. Plus the aircraft rivetheads will look good I think. I am still undecided about the dash, either a one piece aluminum dash or the stock one. We will have to see how the cage affects it. I am cutting the inner fenderwells for the 12 inch slicks. I am narrowing my own rear end, but I am going to buy my 4 link from Alstons. I am going to leave the existing rear frame rails in and work around those, or at least that is what the current plan is. I think it will work out fine. he latest plan is for a blown big block, the only limiting factor there of course will be the bucks, for the blower I mean. Never had one, always wanted one, am gonna have one, even if the Harley has to go!

 

You're makin' my head spin!

 

real hotrodding

Steve, this is what real hotrodding is all about! It is going to be wild when you open your hood for people, because from the outside the stock lower suspension is all that is visible, kinf of sleeper. Steve I would just like to say CONGRATS!!! Fatman makes that dropped spindle to get in the weeds

 

Wow...

Sounds like it will be great when it is done. I am very impressed with your control arms. Looks like it will be a very, very nice setup. Great work.
-Corbin

 

Ok, let me start by saying that I am extremely jealous!!!! I've been following your progress and I am also very impressed!! One thing that I've been wondering is how this would compare to just ordering the Mustang II kit from "Rod and Custom Motorsport"? The kit from them is approximately $2500 give or take a few hundred dollars.....How much money will you save by doing it your way?? I am very interested in this and look forward to a parts list and a tech article!!!!!! Good luck with everything!!!

PS- Are you going with rack and pinion steering??

Sincerely
Stephen Moore

 

Cost

It looks like I will have about 1100.00. This includes coil over shocks, lower control arms, which you really don't HAVE to have, two upper ball joints, upper control arms, rod end bearings, coil over mounts(that I modified), and the steel to do the job. If you take off the 300 for the lower control arms and buy stock you would save about 200.00. I really did think about just going with a new front end but I chose not to because a) I really enjoy building it as much as driving it, b)I wanted to be able to say I built the whole thing myself, and last not but not least, if I wanted this to be easy I would build a Chevy
Seriously though, I have always had a bunch of ideas that I wanted to try and after going through a damn near fatal helicopter crash I want this to be a very memorable building experience! I will be writing a tech article on this. I am trying to get all of my pictures posted on a site for everyone.

 

Oops, no, I will be keeping the stock steering, for now...

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