question about ford strut rods

[bryant]

i have a maverick. it has the same suspension of the 60s mustangs.
so when its lowered the strut rod ends up at an upward angle.
is it worth mounting it to the bottom of the lower control arm to get it closer to being level to the ground?

ive looked at a lot of the aftermarket bolt on suspension stuff for mustangs and mavericks and none seem to address this. my plan is to use a roller bearing type strut rod to eliminate the bind problem with the bushings and to rollerize and box the stock lower control arm, so this would the time to move the strut rod mounting location.

[GrabberGT]

I dont think it will matter much other than to have less stress at front mounting bushing. It will also give more clearance for a larger sway bar if you wanted one. I believe the lower control arm would have to be modified in order for them to fit. You may also run into turning radius and wheel fitment problems.

[bryant]

the modification to the lower control arm is no problem. i didnt really think about the tire clearance possibility. ill have to check that. i do have all 3 of the addco sway bars for the front so the extra clearance may be needed.
it seems to me that their should be some gain in suspension geometry from putting the strut rod at a better location in its arch at ride height.

[Marcus SC&C]

There`s no gain (or loss) from mounting the strut rods under the lower control arm. The pickup points that dictate the geometry are at the center of each mounting bushing at the frame and the center of the pivot ball of the lower ball joint. None of these points move if you relocate the strut rod on the LCA so the geometry is unaltered. Your idea of using spherical pivots is a a good one though. Particularly if you plan to use adjustable strut rods to adjust caster and wheel fit (fore/aft). The best execution I`ve seen is by TCP. Their grease able delrin race pivot ball assemblies are beefy and dirt/weather proof and maintain the proper front pickup location.

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

Just like Mark said, moving it below the LCA won't change the geometry. But they're not blue anymore; they're silver hammer-tone now. You can read more about the TCP Strut Rods by Clicking Here.