Hey guys,
I was looking on ebay for some sort of bushing kit for my t-bird and came up with this - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=7979414849&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT
It threw me off because it says its for the left and right front control arm bushings. My knowledge of suspension stuff only goes so far... So now I'm confused. I thought these cars only had front control arms? He also had an auction for the rear set... Can anyone point me in the right direction of what i need to buy and the best place to get it? This auction here was 37.99 for a set which sounded like a great deal to me.
Also, I'm wanting to get new springs too, cause the original ones are still on there. I'm not interested in anything too fancy, or anything thats going to slam my car to the ground. I just want decent springs for a good price.
Any help would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Matt
they call the rear arms control arms also, upper and lower control arms
So I would need both kits then?
if you intend on doing the rears also
Front A-arms are left and right, so that kit listed on eBay was correct for the front. Word to the wise, though: urethane bushings in our A-arms make the ride quality go waaaaaaaaaaaay down. You'll handle great but feel every little bump in the road. If you like a softer, more compliant ride, then I would suggest simply buying new 1994-98 Mustang A-arms (same as yours) with the stock rubber bushings, from Ford Motorsport/FRPP. Front control arm bushings are a real beotch to replace.
For the rear, our control arm bushings (top and bottom) interchange with Mustangs. The lower arms have oval bushings; the uppers have round.
Just outta personal opinion, I wouldn't touch the energy suspension stuff. Based on my experience with the fact that my sway bar mount and endlink bushings need replaced less than a year after I installed them. Take a look at the Prothane complete kit's for the mustangs, everything "should" fit up right with the exception of the endlinks.
Thanks for the input guys. I guess what I'm trying to do is make this one of my last trips to the shop for suspension stuff for a while. I've got a ball joint out (again, Pasadena roads for ya) and while Im there I was thinking about having the new springs put in (cause I've already got the shocks and struts in from a year or so ago) and I thought I might as well have them stab in the bushings to save me a trip and also make the thing ride a bit smoother. I was unaware of any control arms in the rear end... I should just do the front bushings then? I'm trying to get an idea of what all I need, where to get it, and how much before I take it to a garage to have the work done. I figured gathering the parts myself I could save some money. If anybody has some springs or anything like that let me know, cause I'm looking for prices etc right now.
Matt, how soft/compliant of a ride do you want? In other words, if you were to use some urethane up front, would that bother you? Our roads here in NE Ohio are absolutely shiznitty, and it's not uncommon for people to kill shocks and struts in less than a year. Nevertheless, I've done up the suspension on the convertible using a combination of stock and aftermarket components, and I think the ride is just right for me. I think that's also what you're looking for. Let me know your thoughts, and I can assemble a component list for you here.
Well the way its riding right now, anything would be an improvement. :giggle: The handling is pretty loose, you take a turn cruising along and you really take the turn with the car. The main thing I'm really concerned about is getting it to where it doesn't bottom out as much on small bumps and dips in the road. Anything more than that is an added bonus. I really appreciate your help. :)
OK, I don't know what you've got to spend, but I'm a frugal kind of dude. So here's how I see it...
- You need ball joints, but would like a compliant ride. As I mentioned before, the FRPP 1994-98 Mustang control arms are going to be the ultimate answer. You will get new A-arms complete with new rubber bushings installed, AND you also get new low-friction ball joints that have been tested to last over 200,000 miles. For around $175 shipped, that is going to be your best bang for the buck, and will give you what you want and need.
- You can probably use a larger sway bar, and urethane bushings along with it. Those will almost single-handedly tighten up your front handling. A good used bar is roughly $25 (Mustang/Turbo Coupe/XR7); figure about $40 for the urethane kit. Energy Suspension is okay...it's up to you really. So long as the urethane comes with a warranty, who cares if they wear out prematurely? Go for them. BTW, Auto Zone stocks a lot of ES parts for our cars, or can get them quickly if out of stock.
- How is your steering rack? Is it sloppy? How about leaks? An upgrade to a quick-ratio 15:1 rack, though not mandatory, makes a huge difference. But unless you're in dire need of a rack, you can put this on the back burner.
- How are your tie rods? Cheap insurance if they're old...would recommend a new set with grease fittings.
- Springs...I have had great luck with stock V8 non-sport springs. I know, it sounds funky, but they give a really nice ride and also give the car a nice look. The Sport V8 springs push the car up a bit high. The regular V8 springs hunker the car down. I think that's what you have now...if they're not broken, keep 'em. If they are broken, get stock replacements. Trust me on this. I put TC front springs in the convertible and it dropped near 2". I'm rubbing on the fender lips on bumps...not bloody happy about that. I'm putting my old stock V8 springs back in. The theory behind the stock V8 springs is that they're just going to absorb the bumps without bottoming out, like some progressive rate springs can. With urethane up front, a good set of performance tires, and good struts, your handling will increase significantly without compromising good ride quality. All the other components will do the handling for you. The springs will just compress and uncompress like normal.
- Invest in a pair of Monroe struts, if you don't already have them. Sensa-Tracs are good, but the regular gas shocks are fine as well. I trust Monroes on all of my daily drivers...they make a hell of a strut and shock. They also work great with stock springs.
That takes care of your front end completely.
Out back...
- http://www.cheperformance.com
All you need to know for upper and lower control arms. My ride softened up with these control arms, and did not get rougher at all. For around $200 a set, you will not find a better deal nor a better set of control arms made specifically for our cars.
The stock uppers and lowers are decent for street duty but they have inherent flaws, such as a 3-sided open design that allows for flexing. Some people have boxed the stock arms, which is fine but is just a Band-Aid. And the stock rubber deteriorates, plus the rubber is a bear to replace without a press and lots of time. It is much easier to put new control arms in. Chuck's design on the CHE arms contains a nylon inner bushing and urethane surrounding it. He can custom make an all-urethane bushing for you, if you want. Personally I'm amazed at how much the CHE arms tightened up the back end of the car without making it ride rough. They took all the sloppiness right out. I think if you used them (stock nylon/urethane bushings), and got yourself a thicker rear sway bar, you will get exactly what you're looking for out back.
Now after all of this, you'll be thrilled at how much your handling tightens up. And you'll also see the flaws of the Fox chassis coming through...meaning a little too much body roll and flex. So then you need to put subframe connectors on your list. I know you're not out to make a street bruiser with your 'Bird, but once you start tweaking it never stops! ;)
Eric, you rock man! :headbang: Frugal is the name of the game for me. I don't have a whole lot of money to play around with so the cheaper the better.
So basically the bottoming out could be resolved by the changing out of the control arms w/bushings etc rather than the new springs? Hell I thought the springs were the first things that needed replacement because they were worn out or something. If they are not cracked just keep em? Thats good news for the pocket book. :)
I need to find myself those 94-98 mustang control arms then. I had a couple of bushings replaced for the steering about a year ago and had it checked out and all was ok after that. The shocks and struts are whatever Sear's uses, and after more than a year or so (probably closer to 2) they are still in great shape.
One last thing, and excuse my car ignorance here, but what does FRPP stand for?
I checked out that site you posted and found the control arms, http://www.cheperformance.com/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=12&cid=1
I need the 1994 -04?
Uh, no....not yet. ;)
These are the ones I'm talking about, for the front:
http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=6313
Try CJ Pony Parts (http://www.emustang.com) for good pricing.
FRPP = Ford Racing Performance Parts
You should be alright on the shocks and struts. For the front springs, a visual inspection is recommended, but if the shop finds they're in good shape, throw 'em back in. However, if you feel they're worn out then by all means order new ones. I'm just a firm believer in salvaging what you have if you can, that's all I meant.
Excellent. You're the best! I guess if I do the springs, I might as well do the front and back. A friend of mine had just the front ones replaced on his 88 and the front end sits up higher than the back now...looks kinda funny. Aint too cool when the headlights don't even face the right direction. :crazy:
Eric whats your opinion on Gabrail struts and shocks?
A lot of people have reported decent things about them. Back when our cars were new, though, Gabriels wore out really, really fast. They are inexpensive for a reason. Fortunately it seems that their quality has improved over the years. It just boils down to a matter of trust, and for me personally, I trust Monroes more. I've just had better luck with them. But I will say that my '88 dark Blue Max 5.0 has Gabriels in all 4 corners (bought the car that way) and they seem just fine.
Can anybody direct me to a site with stock replacement springs for my bird? Thanks!
(while we're at it, how about motor mounts as well?...)
Autozone had the stock springs for my Cougar when I was looking to replace them, and the part # was the same for the TC. I don't recall the cost though.
http://www.autozone.com
Dave
Hey I bought the whole car system from Energy suspension. I put it in along with some new springs struts,shooks,axel dampners. I love them feel that I've got now. Yes I can feel every little thing in the road. But she can carve a corner. I bet I could scare the shiznit out of you in my bird down here in these hills and corners. I used factory replacmentMOOG springs, ball jounits, inner and outer tie rods. Also monroe matic plus shocks, strurts, axle dampners. So I can say these bushings are the shiznit. Even afater a year on the road all of my bushings look brand new Even my sway bar end links. So it is up to you but I love my bushing , sping , shooks setup. I will add that this is all on my 84 T-bird Turbo coupe. If you want to carve a corner and have great grip and feel this is what you need. Beside the energy suspension stuff has a 25yr waranty
PS that factory spirngs will put the nose in the air a little but here shortly I plan on cutting the fronts and rears to lower it about a 1" and just enough on the front to give it a little rake.
Thanks guys. I'm trying to get a parts list lined out so I can get the broken ball joint, worn springs, and motor mounts fixed here in the next week or two, plus do some other inexpensive upgrades to the suspension.