89' LX Hatch on the cheap

[DrFraZZy]

Time for some coil-overs for sure and an anti-roll kit plus strut tower sway for your chassis!

[LERM]

My buddy stuck a camera on the side of my last weekend too. He just sent me the footage... I decided to share it even if its totally self incriminating. NEW. GUY. DRIVER. The video has been very helpful to me actually.



As for the "strut tower support", there just might be some "new to me parts" in the works that would negate the need!

[LERM]

I should wait until its acutally on the floor of my shop, but I can't contain myself. My turd of a go-fast car has some parts enroute. For all that are unfamiliar, the fox mustang is based on a VERY outdated strut design that does this:
under hard cornering.

For a VERY fair price, i've just aquired a BartsWorks SLA front end with coilovers for the front of this rustang. Fixed Camber curve, lower roll center, etc...


Can't Fing WAIT.

Next up, mooar TIRE....and possibly grumpy wife.

[chunger]

Tubular K members are definitely good for shedding weight and keeping the tires where you want them. However, I was under the impression the Griggs one was the only one that was actually certified for street use.

[Chev Korbin]

Nice! I would also like to install an SLA so I really look forward to your progress and seeing how it changes the handling characteristics.

[LERM]

Tubular K members are definitely good for shedding weight and keeping the tires where you want them. However, I was under the impression the Griggs one was the only one that was actually certified for street use.

I had the opportunity to bounce a bunch of questions off the designer of this suspension. He was a huge help. The K member (the only part that is not of his design) he actually warned against. The SLA parts were meant for the factory geometry K member. If the AJE one does not measure up I may be skipping it. As far as the Griggs stuff being certified for street, I dunno honestly. I haven't seen any of the major manufactures toting their stuff as "certified for the street" though. I would have been ecstatic to get ahold of ANY of the available SLA front ends for my car be it Barts Works, Griggs, Agent 47 or other. This one just happened to fit my budget.

Chev'- I'm pretty excited about it. I'll be sure to keep you (and all the other fellers i'm pestering with my junk on this site) updated.

[Protour_Pinto]

Whats going to happen with all the stock stuff you take off? Im in the market for a complete setup.

[LERM]

Whats going to happen with all the stock stuff you take off? Im in the market for a complete setup.

It'll probably end up on craigslist. I'll PM you as well once its all loose from the car.

Shipping SNAFU has me still waiting for the SLA stuff to get here. Hopefully Monday. Not that I have time to install it anyway right now.

The majority of my house looks much like this:

[Protour_Pinto]

It'll probably end up on craigslist. I'll PM you as well once its all loose from the car.

Shipping SNAFU has me still waiting for the SLA stuff to get here. Hopefully Monday. Not that I have time to install it anyway right now.

The majority of my house looks much like this:

I know that Interior decorating scheme well being a Low Voltage Installer.

[linkstar69]

Cool story and great budget racer

[Z06killinSBF]

I'm loving this car, very nice work so far.

[Crestronwizard]

Cool. This is the right way to do it enjoy the car between upgrades. I have a bad habit of building stuff forever. Keep us updated.

[Chev Korbin]

Out of curiosity, what brake set up are you going to be able to or have to run with the SLA? I guess, specifically what size rotor and what calipers fit the spindles?

[LERM]

Cool story and great budget racer

Thanks sir.

I'm loving this car, very nice work so far.

Trade ya'... straight up... i'll even deliver...

Cool. This is the right way to do it enjoy the car between upgrades. I have a bad habit of building stuff forever. Keep us updated.

I've learned that lesson the hard way a couple of times. I've killed at least two cool projects with delusions of grandeur. I'm sure i'll do it again... but for now, i'm having a ball driving this one like I hate it. I'm loving the "seat of the pants" differences with the upgrades too. Those are hard to feel on dusty jackstands...

Out of curiosity, what brake set up are you going to be able to or have to run with the SLA? I guess, specifically what size rotor and what calipers fit the spindles?

Luckily, this kit uses a, sn95 hub. So, all my sn95 cobra brake parts are a direct fit.

[chunger]

You left the engine/trans in place while changing out the K-member?

That would speed things up!

[Protour_Pinto]

Quick question, I picked up a 89 crossmember from pick a parts the last 50% off day and grabbed some 94 spindles too, I was going to go with the 89 LCA but was looking at the later arms and noticed they were a bit longer, did you have any trouble getting enough adjustment from the struts to make them work? On my Mullet Truck the Mustang front end is already 10 inches wider than stock but was wondering if you felt a big difference with the arm swap?

Were you able to go wider on the wheels too? Im hoping to go with the Cobra knockoff 9 inch on the front, Think its possible?

Also, where will the autocross be on the 31st?

Thanks!

[LERM]

You left the engine/trans in place while changing out the K-member?

That would speed things up!

It did make for some good adrenaline reaching under a motor swingin' from a sling...

Quick question, I picked up a 89 crossmember from pick a parts the last 50% off day and grabbed some 94 spindles too, I was going to go with the 89 LCA but was looking at the later arms and noticed they were a bit longer, did you have any trouble getting enough adjustment from the struts to make them work? On my Mullet Truck the Mustang front end is already 10 inches wider than stock but was wondering if you felt a big difference with the arm swap?

Were you able to go wider on the wheels too? Im hoping to go with the Cobra knockoff 9 inch on the front, Think its possible?
Also, where will the autocross be on the 31st?
Thanks!

Its hard to say if I felt a difference in the wider front as I changed just about everything else at the same time. I did have to use Maximum Motorsports CC plates to get the alignment in check though.

I'm running 17x8's in the front but only cause I got them for free. My rear wheels are 17x9 with 275s. I tried them up front today just for grins. They'd fit just fine if I pulled my fenders a bit more.

The autocross i'm shooting for is at Qualcomm stadium.

I got the front end all bolted up today. I found some small hangups.
*Driveshaft will need cut down a bit.
*I'll need to move the swaybar mounting brackets forward a bit.
*Exhaust will need shortened to accommodate engine setback.
*My heim joint rod ends are the wrong size for the new spindles.

Here's where I left off today:

[Protour_Pinto]

Thanks for the reply,

The new setup looks good!

[Protour_Pinto]

You wouldn't happen to want to sell the CC plates would you?

[LERM]

It's back on its wheels.

I tried the 20* in 20* out method of measuring caster, but I was getting suspicious results.

I was getting 1* negative when it was visibly more than that?

Luckily, there is a flat spot on the spindle upright that is damn near perfect parallel with the upper and lower ball joint at ride height. I used that to get me at least even side to side, and ballpark to the -6* I was shooting for.





Still waiting to hear from my drive shaft shop. Cross yours fingers for me that they come through... It'll be tough to go racing if they don't.