Hello again!
Sometimes I feel like I'm bothering you with strage questions, but when I get a "new" car I simply like to know what are the weak poits I should take special care of.
You probably don't know much about Poland, but it's rather poor country and our roads are kinda rough sometimes (especially after strong winter). That's the reason why I decided to keep my T-bird on 215/70R14 tires and haven't thought of 16'' rims and lower profile tires.
I'd like to know what's your opinion about fox-body T-bird suspention? Is it tough enought if I may hit a bump from time to time and how long would it last? What are the weak poits of front and rear suspention? Is it a big job to replace front control arm bushings and ball joints? What is it like comparing to newer lightweight suspentions?
Thanks in advance for your opinions!
Have a good weekend!
Mariusz...
Well I know the front is tough. Tough enough to slam into and get on top of a median strip ( atleast 5 inches high) without even knocking the alignment out. Only damage was a bent rim. No suspension damage what so ever.
All thanks to some friggin woman in a honda :mad:
Living in eastern Canada I can relate to the rough roads. The suspensions in these cars are quite tough, and very simple. The ball joints are easily replaced, especially if you have the tool that presses 'em in and out of the control arm. The control arm bushings are easily replaced as well (when compared to other vehicles). Tie rod ends are a 15 minute job, and even the steering rack is relatively simple.
Ditto to what Thunder chicken said.
The others are right.......These cars are pretty tough and simple........Only thing not mentioned is the sway bar endlinks and bushings tend to be the spot needing attention from time to time due to wear and breakage.
What about the rear suspention?
Beefy axle and decent control arm setup in the back, it's not the most rigid but you won't break it with regular springs and stock stuff. The only thing I can definitely recommend is subframe connectors for uneven roads and stuff. Chuck W cracked a windshield(windscreen to you? :-) and someone else popped the windshield out because of body flex. But it may not be an issue for you with stock suspension.