early mustang guys suspension help please.

[67cougnut]

so I am using the strut front end from gateway classic mustang similar to the RRS setup. I went ahead and bought tubular lower control arms and adjustable strut rods from street or track. heres the dilema the front end wont align. I need .5-.75 neg camber and with the lower control arms sucked all the way in (towards the motor) best i can get is neg 2 deg camber and the top camber adjustment on the new spindle is maxed.


SOOO..... now I have been in touch with gateway and they seem to think that my tubular control arms have too much negative camber built into them. which kinda makes sense since the lower ball joint does seem to bound up. So I have decided that I should go with the opent tracker lowers but heres my other dilema a few guys have said now that all my load is on the LCA the stock balljoint will not support the weight of the car so now i may have to have open tracker box a set for me and set it up with a screw in ball joint.

any thoughts?

[Dee T]

The early Mustangs, and Cougars can have some issues with the shock towers. Have you checked the welds and metal around them. I have seen some in pretty bad shape on some cars that were otherwise driven fairly normal. Forty years of wear and tear on these cars tend to show up from time to time. If you look down the shock towers in the engine compartment look for a good amount of separation where the metal is doubled up. It will almost look like the tower has short wings. May or may not be your problem.

[Z06killinSBF]

Have you considered making a new inner (frame) mount for the control arm? Maybe even something that has some adjust-ability built in?

[67cougnut]

The early Mustangs, and Cougars can have some issues with the shock towers. Have you checked the welds and metal around them. I have seen some in pretty bad shape on some cars that were otherwise driven fairly normal. Forty years of wear and tear on these cars tend to show up from time to time. If you look down the shock towers in the engine compartment look for a good amount of separation where the metal is doubled up. It will almost look like the tower has short wings. May or may not be your problem.

yeah ive already looked and there is no shock tower separation at all on this car they are still really tight.

[67cougnut]

Have you considered making a new inner (frame) mount for the control arm? Maybe even something that has some adjust-ability built in?

the lower control arm mounts are adjustable on the 67 on up cars.

[kiwigt]

What year is your Mustang ? Dr Gas makes a Vario-Centric camber adjustment kit for 64 1/2 to '66 Mustangs.

http://drgas.mybisi.com/product/vari...r-adjuster-kit

I've got it on my '66 Mustang, it's been on for about six years and works well in adjusting camber. It mounts on the inner end of the lower control arm (LCA) bolt that secures the LCA to the chassis, and as you rotate the plate around through the various adjustment holes it moves the LCA in and out, impacting upon camber. There's a litlle bit of welding required in installing it.

[Dee T]

I think the street or track components are supposed to be used with upper control arms, I reread you post and it reads as if you are not using upper control arms . Is this Right?

[67cougnut]

I think the street or track components are supposed to be used with upper control arms, I reread you post and it reads as if you are not using upper control arms . Is this Right?

yeah. I no longer Have upper control arms. I'm using the strut front suspension setup from gateway. its basically the RRS setup with some improvements.

[67cougnut]

What year is your Mustang ? Dr Gas makes a Vario-Centric camber adjustment kit for 64 1/2 to '66 Mustangs.

http://drgas.mybisi.com/product/vari...r-adjuster-kit

I've got it on my '66 Mustang, it's been on for about six years and works well in adjusting camber. It mounts on the inner end of the lower control arm (LCA) bolt that secures the LCA to the chassis, and as you rotate the plate around through the various adjustment holes it moves the LCA in and out, impacting upon camber. There's a litlle bit of welding required in installing it.

it is a 67.

[kiwigt]

it is a 67.

Some '67's came with adjustable LCA's. Early 67's didn't and can use the DR Gas system outlined above. It provides about 1/2 degree of camber adjustment from memory.

[Dee T]

You may want to call gateway and see what the overall length of the lower control arm is(from bolt hole to the Center of the ball joint). It could be that the LCA lengths may be where your problem lies. If your street or track LCA is longer (It don't have to be by much either) you may not be able to get to the specs you need. If there is nothing inherently wrong with the car, it may be the mix and match of the different manufactured parts. You have to remeber, Street or Track components are pretty much designed to be used with a stock style spindle and an upper contol arm, and is a coilover type suspension. Gateway and RRS used late model spindles and struts w/o upper control arms.