(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp01.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp02.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp03.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp04.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp05.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp06.jpg)
Wow! Love it
Oh, great, now you'll have to worry about folding that convertible in two when you pile onto the brakes :hick:
Oh yeah? Is that all you got? I have small drum brakes in the rear,and tiny front disc breaks !!!!! Yeah,I brought it.Whatcha gonna do now?
I'm thinking perhaps the reason for the thread is misunderstood. ;)
After 7 years, the suspension is finally detailed.
Front and rear calipers/brackets have been painted.
Switched to SN95 brackets to hold the e-brake cables back.
And finally...after putting up with an inferior paint job that originally came on the Y2K Cobra R rims and resulted in lots of chips and scratches, I got them stripped and powdercoated. It's a new chrome-like finish whose color is indescribable. A light pewterish silver with a reflective clearcoat might be the best way to describe it. New shoes go on Saturday 5/23.
Hence the 'purity' moniker, as nothing in these photos will ever look as good as they do now. Just sharing the joy...
I knew that.I'm happy for you.They look awesome.I will be happy when I can get the 11 inch brakes on the front.Discs in the rear will be some time from now.,
Even your springs look shagy. lol. Looks awesome!
Eric, you have too much time on your hands.
Lokks sweet eric!!!
I know exactly how you feel. nothing on my car will ever look as good as it does after the first day that I pull it out and drive it..
Hmmmm... maybe I should never drive it. What if it gets dirty under there. More stuff to worry about now :hick:
Looks good.
Looks good. Thanks to you I'm now reminded that I have to go out and paint the front brake calipers on the 88 again.:hick:
Ditto. Just FINALLY squirted the car and finished (for the most part) putting it back together. Just needs the inner fenders front lights, tweak the cat-back and a final detailing. It looks great but i hope i can keep it looking as good as i does now.
Looks real nice and clean. Did you do the wheels or did you send them out?
How do you like the Bilsteins?
Brent
Eh, I don't like the rim color - that's the same color my intake turned out after using the most reflective "chrome" powdercoat available with a clearcoat on top. It's glossy but with the effort I put in, I figure I may as well just went standard silver with clear and forgot about all the black basecoat I had to do as prep.
Good powdercoat will hold up really well though, even to a pressure-washer help right up to the material to get them all looking new again! It I had a way to powdercoat my entire rearend, I would as I don't think the paint will hold up.
Gotta love clean parts!
Brent, I sent the rims out. Couldn't beat the price: $80/rim to beadblast, powdercoat and clearcoat. They came out better than new on both sides.
The Bilsteins are pretty ed nice. They're stiff as hell, but this car rides like a truck anyway and because of its extra weight, I need all the support I can get. It's just nice knowing that A) I can get them revalved with its lifetime warranty, and B) possibly the last new pair of Bilstein 1980-88 T-Bird/Cougar shocks are on the back. ;)
Seek, I sort of understand what you're saying, but I'm still loving the results here. Much better than before. Besides, if I wanted real chrome I'd have gone that route. This was exactly what I was looking for.
Once the sun comes back out in a few days, I'll get some outside photos. They're pretty stunning in sunlight.
Thanks everyone!
Oh, I agree with you there - I'm not fond of chrome myself but there was no way I was going to spend 100+ hours perfecting the intake to have an aluminum finish. I'd go brushed aluminum on everything if I could :p I'd do rims if I could but I don't have big enough of an oven. We know the snowflakes really need a decent finish with all their ribs grabbing brake dust!
I personally don't mind the Bilsteins at all - they're a bit more firm (could easily quickly depress halfway when they were out) than my 230k mile stockers but nothing too aggressive. Great strut and it appears my sn95's are like 1/2" longer than the stock tbird struts? I'm behind though - still have the 7.5" drum rear with 2.73's and stock control arms on the car to be replaced next month.
-why does the song, "i'm too shagy for my...." suddenly pop into my head?????:flame:
-j/k...looks awesome Eric.....:bowdown:
So thanks to this thread I spent a hour and a half repainting my calipers this morning. After I put the Snowflakes back on I found out that you can't even really see the calipers. So I now have nice shiney silver calipers that now one can see unless they bend down and look through the spokes. Thanks :hick:
but you know they're there :p
You just need the right rims now, to show off your new painted calipers. Easy solution. ;)
yep, ditch the lame snowflakes
Hey, I like my snowflakes! I spent a lot of time working and refinishing mine! grrr, lol.
also, what car did you just finishing squirting? lol
Agreed, $80 a wheel is not bad at all for the results.
I put a set of Bilsteins on my Lightning and I really liked them. Improved my lap times while at the same time they had a better ride than the stock shocks.
I currently have Koni reds and I wouldn't change them except when I put the SN95 spindles on they won't fit without the spacers so I was thinking about switching to Bilsteins but if they are noticably stiffer then I might just put a Mustang Koni on the front instead.
Thanks for the info.
Brent
Reason #1 as to why I went with the Mustang ones with Chuck's adapters ;)
FWIW -- I'm thinking of buying an entire second set of shocks/struts as a "just in case"
Car looks good as always ;)
But I like the Snowflakes :hick:
Painted the Mustang
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b174/shame302/IMG_0212.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b174/shame302/IMG_0211.jpg
Good to see you fixed it!
Man, you should've posted the painting in a thread. I would've like to see the progress
Ah, I have them, just didn't want to bugger up Eric's thread. I have pics from stock, to swap, to completion (well this weekend I will). Ill post them in my original thread for this car when it can be called complete (sans SC).
Final product:
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp07.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp08.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp09.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp10.jpg)
(http://www.coolcats.net/eric/86convertible/images/09susp11.jpg)
Are those the Caps that used to be for sale over on the NECO forums?
I am not sure, Paul. I got them from a now-defunct company in New England probably about 6-7 years ago. They were called Muskat Racing.
Eric, can I have your car? Please, lol.
Beautiful. Absolutely Beautiful.
Haha I remember them...
Heck yeah Eric. Been awhile since ive seen new pics of your car!
Yup! That was them! ;) I used to have the site saved for them on my favorites ;)
Wow the car looks so clean:D. Oh wait I see some drit in one of the tire treads. Time to re-wash it :p
Seem to match better now and they look great.
very sharp Eric.... but you forgot to straighten the wheel on the '84... LOL. BOTH cars look awesome....
Eric, I will now admit that I have never like the looks of the convertible. But your version is incredible. You have really turned that into a real looker. Asthetically it is very balanced. And the side pipes, I love side pipes. I just read your write up on 'em. Great stuff. I may consider this.