1960 Falcon

[Walther]

I found this project on Facebook. Because of my project, I was focused on the flares. They sure make it look easy. It's not, but I'm encouraged none the less.

[Walther]

This week I continued working on getting the chassis rolling on it's own four wheels. The beauty of the 2015 IRS sub-frame is that all the alignment and mounts are a non-issue. I just have to fit the sub-frame to my chassis. Here are the rear mounts. Pretty straight forward. I gusseted the frame rails so they wouldn't crush when I torqued the sub-frame mounting bolts.

[Walther]

The front mounts for the sub-frame I found to be a bit more complicated. Using scrap pieces of 2x2 square tube, angle iron, 1/4" plate I was able to get it mounted. Not having a frame table slowed the process down considerably, as I had to move the sub-frame in various directions several times to get it squared to the chassis. I'll probably add more gussets and cross braces. I obviously don't want the sub-frame moving around. I'm more concerned with lateral movement, as I anticipate tremendous side loading. If y'all see anything I should add or that I missed, please comment.

[Z06killinSBF]

That's an awesome Mustang, whos building it? There are some pretty good tutorials out there on fender flare making. Look up on FB or IG "Cut Worm Specialties".

[Walther]

That's an awesome Mustang, whos building it? There are some pretty good tutorials out there on fender flare making. Look up on FB or IG "Cut Worm Specialties".

Timeless Kustoms in Camarillo, California. Thanks for the tip.

[Chev Korbin]

This is going to be a fantastic project! look forward to the progress

[Motown 454]

Sweet project I like what you doing. It's nice to see someone catch a brake for a change like the Mustang rear you got,good deal.

[Walther]

I got some more important steps accomplished today. First, I finished both sides of the front sub-frame mounts. Now that they are plumb and level, I started finished welding parts of the frame that were tacked in place.

Next on the list was the upper shock mounts for the IRS

And finally, I made shock simulators after calling the guys at Ride Tech to get the ride height of the shocks (12.5 to 13 inches, as it turns out)

[blade]

nice project can't wait to see more. Great progress so far.

[Godbolt]

The Cortex Racing 66 mustang got some pretty serious flares too-

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/1207p...-ford-mustang/

[Godbolt]

And a Cougar they did, but not as extreme-

[Walther]

And a Cougar they did, but not as extreme-

I am really torn as far as attempting to fabricate the flares myself, or outsource them to a reputable fabricator. I'm confident making floorpans, etc. but "fine" metal work like scoops and flares is another topic entirely. My single biggest issue is that fenders and quarter panels for this year/model are really difficult and expensive to find, and there are no reproduction pieces. If this was a Fox Mustang (example) I would dive straight in because a failed first or second attempt could be scrapped without a huge hit to the overall build budget. Regardless, I'm still 4-6 months away from making the decision.

[Josh@Ridetech]

Awesome, Walther. I'm happy to be a part of this project! It's coming together great!

[Walther]

I've been doing a lot of reading about aligning the rear sub-frame. Apparently a factory flaw with 2015+ Mustangs is the rear assembly tends to shift under load. Several aftermarket companies have developed different devices to adjust the sub-frame, but I wasn't convinced that the set-up would work in a custom application. My solution was to add angled control arms and a track bar. The idea is I can adjust the track and pitch of the sub-frame at any time, should the assembly move under load. That, and I have been using a common tape measure so far, and I doubt the alignment is where it should be. So now, I will be able to loosen the mounting bolts (1/2" x 6" that go through bushings that are 1.125" ID) and adjust the control arms and track bar to align the sub-frame. Then tighten the mounting bolts again and its fully aligned. I just ordered the threaded tubes to complete the set-up.

[Walther]

nice project can't wait to see more. Great progress so far.

Thanks

[LowFast]

Question, why not just "hard mount" the sub frame without the rubber bushings, effectively isn't that what the bracing is doing?

[Z06killinSBF]

On the flares just remember if you can make it out of cardboard you can make it out of steel. It'll just take some thinking and laying out.

[Walther]

Question, why not just "hard mount" the sub frame without the rubber bushings, effectively isn't that what the bracing is doing?

My issue/concern was getting the sub-frame perfectly square, side to side and front to back. I'm confident that it's with a 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch now, but that's enough to cause the car to "dog-track" or be unpredictable in turns. My original plan was to weld the sub-frame in, but I do not have a frame table. I tried plumb-bobs too, but I couldn't find a "uniform" place to hang them from. So I figured that until I get it to a four-wheel alignment rack, I better have a way to adjust it. Please note that the rear suspension itself is not adjustable, so I opted to adjust the whole assembly. Did I over-think and over-engineer this? Possibly. I've been guilty of that more than once.

[Walther]

On the flares just remember if you can make it out of cardboard you can make it out of steel. It'll just take some thinking and laying out.

I am confident I can do some rat-rod style flares, but I've never done "fine" metal work. I am willing to try and learn, but body parts for this car are hard to come by and expensive when you find them. My thoughts are; If I screw up I have to drop several hundred dollars after searching for a replacement part. The way I see it, the flares are going to be the first and most notable aspect of the car that people will notice. If they look like crap, it doesn't matter how nice the rest of the car is. IMO.

[Walther]

I just recently purchased a NASCAR style, 3 piece sway bar from Speedway Engineering. Tech guys there walked me through the process of getting it to fit my application. When it arrived the dimensions were perfect, however my originally anticipated mounting location revealed that the arms of the bar would be very close to the tie-rods and steering arms. My solution was to mount it above the frame rail rather than below. The engine will be set back far enough that clearance won't be an issue. I still have to gusset the lower a-arm mounting points as has already been suggested.

The threaded rods arrived from Coleman Racing. My intent all along was to make the alignment of the sub-frame adjustable. In reading different forums about 2015 Mustangs, there is evidence that the sub-frame moves around under high loads. I didn't want to weld the sub-frame directly to the chassis because I don't have access to to a frame table to assure the sub-frame was perfectly aligned. I didn't want to build a frame table for one project, so this was my solution. Now that both the front and rear suspension are fully mocked up, I will be lowering the body over the rolling chassis in the coming weeks.