Hey everybody

[valley82]

nubee to the mustang world. just bought a very straight 66 coupe. I am going to restomod it. Can some of you point me in the right direction as far as suspension and wheel/tires... I want to drop it about 1-1 1/2" al the way around and run 17" wheels with the widest tires posible. I looked at the tire chart but walked away more confused. I'm thinking tcp front suspension and new leafs in the rear w/ disk brakes all around. I am open to suggestions as this is the first car I'll be toying with. But I gotta tell ya I'm fired up to get started.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Edbert]

Can you give us an idea of your total budget? The reason to ask is you've mentioned a TCP front supspension already, if you take the same approach with the entire car (powertrain to brakes) you should be prepared to drop about $15-20K into her. If that sounds like too much then you can still build a hella car that will embarrass many new ones with less, we just need to know how much money you are prepared to drop.

 

[valley82]

I guess you could say this is my mid life crissis car. I've set aside about $20,000.00 for the car. I want to do it once, do it right and have a clean, fast car when i'm done. I've got no problems with the mechanical side of things, it's just that till now i've only lifted/lowered and tricked out new trucks.
Thanks again in advance.

 

[HistoricMustang]

nubee to the mustang world. just bought a very straight 66 coupe. I am going to restomod it. Can some of you point me in the right direction as far as suspension and wheel/tires... I want to drop it about 1-1 1/2" al the way around and run 17" wheels with the widest tires posible. I looked at the tire chart but walked away more confused. I'm thinking tcp front suspension and new leafs in the rear w/ disk brakes all around. I am open to suggestions as this is the first car I'll be toying with. But I gotta tell ya I'm fired up to get started.
Thanks in advance.

Welcome, and you will get plenty of help here. Several have their info on a site such as this:

www.historicmustang.com

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

[Edbert]

Well, TCP is certainly one of the premier manufacturers, at least was, they are under new management as of roughly a year ago. Time will tell if they continue to provide quality engineered parts.

What is your intent for the car? Cruising to the local parking lots on the weekends, recreational driver, drag racer, vintage (road course) racing? How much power are you looking for?

TCP is not the only game in town, Global West also has a tubular front suspension setup and there are many other significant kits that can transform the entire front end (Heidt, Fatman, Griggs), but they are all (including GW and TCP) going to cost you around $2K in parts when you are all done. Can you do your own welding?

Then there's the rear suspension...if you keep the fwhp figures limited to around 420 you can run a 03/04 Cobra IRS. DVS Restorations makes a kit that is pretty close to a bolt-on. Then again, many of the aforementioned manufacturers make serious track kits that retain the live axle.

If you run large rims you can get 13-inch 6-piston front brakes and 12.25 4-piston rear discs onto these cars. 17X8 is the largest you can easily run on the 65/66 models, later years can take larger than that.

 

[valley82]

Wow...I plan on driving the car mostly weekends/ mountain road stuff and probably some cruise night type stuff.
As far as power, I think I've narrowed it down to the GT-40 Aluminum head Ford Racing Motor/340 h.p..
TCP's kit looks very clean and well manufactured, but if there is something better and or less expensive and will produce the same or better results, I am all ears!
As for the rear suspension, I was thinking of just replacing the leaf springs to lower the car 1-1 1/2" and a set of good shocks, but again I'm all ears!
I like the look of 17 inch rims but need help on the tire size (front235/40/17 rear265/40/17?????)
I definitely want to run disk brakes all the way around...granada???
Thank you for your time!!!

 

[Pbum5]

Wow...I plan on driving the car mostly weekends/ mountain road stuff and probably some cruise night type stuff.

TCP's kit looks very clean and well manufactured, but if there is something better and or less expensive and will produce the same or better results, I am all ears!
As for the rear suspension, I was thinking of just replacing the leaf springs to lower the car 1-1 1/2" and a set of good shocks, but again I'm all ears!
I like the look of 17 inch rims but need help on the tire size (front235/40/17 rear265/40/17?????)
I definitely want to run disk brakes all the way around...granada???
Thank you for your time!!!

A TCP coil-over might be overkill for your needs but they do make nice parts.
I have a set of their strut rods.

You also might want to check out Maier racing for suspension parts.

http://www.maierracing.com/

I just put a set of their 165 Race leafs on my car and they lowered the back to a nice level. I just have to cut the front 620 coils to match.

The tire size you mentioned should work but you might have to tuck the fenders a bit depending on your backspacing.

I also am in the middle of a 4-wheel disc swap. You have a decent budget, so I would recommend just buying a NEW brake kit to make your life easier.

 

[wannabegt66]

I think you will probably be happy with a modified stock suspension with the big wheels tires and brakes, I know I am because I can embarrass the hell out of my buddies 02 modified trans am in the corners, I am running the 17 inch bullitts with 13 inch front cobra brakes and drum rear brakes for now, I can also still out stop him. Also if you dont mind a stick or some metal work put a t5 or t56 in it, the overdrive is nice and they are fun to drive. Dont forget to add some ridgidity to the frame with some sub frames and braces up front.

 

[valley82]

pbum5-thanks for the maier link!
wannabegt66-nice ride!!! that's what i'm talking about!!!! btw-what do you mean by modified stock...a-arms and springs? if so what kind/rate?

 

[Pbum5]

I think he means the TCP, GW, MAIER suspensions based on the stock setup but with improvements and not the Coil Over systems. A Shelby drop is recommended/ required with the TCP,GW and MAIER Upper Control arms. Not everyone on here agrees that the aftermarket stuff is much better than stock but it does look cool.

If you do go with the aftermarket “stock” style this is what you would be looking at.

Upper Control Arms $450
Lower $300
Adjustable Strut Rods $300
620# Coils $80
Roller Spring Perches-- Talk to OPENTRACKER
1” or 1 1/4”sway bar $90
Export Brace and MC Bar $80
Sub-frame Connectors $100
Rear Leafs $200 to $400 depending on what kind.

Prices are estimates to give you a Ballpark number.

 

[Edbert]

There are a lot of terms that get bandied about, most of it due to marketing I think, and there are raging debates about which ones are best and even if they are needed or not. The stock 65-70 Mustang suspension is not really a bad one. Short and Long control arms are the way to go and are a better design than modern struts. Most manufacturers today use struts to simplify construction, standardise on parts, and to keep costs down. Some of these manufacturers get amazing handling out of them too (Think BMW). But a SLA arrangement is still considered to be a premium design.

The Mustang suspension has it's warts though. In stock trim it will understeer heavilly and it has an incorrect camber geometry when it is compressed. These bad traits can be corrected for under $500 and completed in your garage with simple hand tools. Of course buying a $2K suspension kit is gonna really look/perform awesome too.

The only other part of the stock suspension that is not up to modern handling is the steering. A recirculating ball and worm gear are definitely not the best. But correcting that with the addition of a rack-and-pinion will cost you more, and is not in the $500 figure I mentioned above..

 

[HistoricMustang]

nubee to the mustang world. just bought a very straight 66 coupe. I am going to restomod it. Can some of you point me in the right direction as far as suspension and wheel/tires... I want to drop it about 1-1 1/2" al the way around and run 17" wheels with the widest tires posible. I looked at the tire chart but walked away more confused. I'm thinking tcp front suspension and new leafs in the rear w/ disk brakes all around. I am open to suggestions as this is the first car I'll be toying with. But I gotta tell ya I'm fired up to get started.
Thanks in advance.

Welcome. Before you go out and spend a ton of money be sure to read all opinions and do some searching and research as the after market stuff is not needed with attention to just a few key areas in the early models.

I will leave it at that for the time being.

In other words, just because you have not spent a zillion dollars trying to get the front of these things to turn does not mean you are not welcome at Stangnet.

How is that boys and girls? Told you I had become kinder and gentler! It pays to get a little therapy every once in a while.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

[69Rcode_Mach1]

Wow...I plan on driving the car mostly weekends/ mountain road stuff and probably some cruise night type stuff.
As far as power, I think I've narrowed it down to the GT-40 Aluminum head Ford Racing Motor/340 h.p..

I would recommend building the engine yourself. It is very easy to do and you will get a lot more power for the same money. I recommend squeezing in a built up 351 Windsor. Then you can make that baby scream close to 500 horses and you can spank any vipers or ferarris that come your way. All of which will cost you around the same as that crate engine. Firstly get your brakes and suspension handled no point in having the power if you can't plant it, or for that matter STOP THE CAR.

Welcome to one of the best hobbies out there.

 

[wannabegt66]

My description of the modified stock consists of the shelby drop, 620 coils, a poly urethane bushing kit, boxed control amrs, and a lot of elbow grease. Not to mention an alignment guy that actually raced them at one point... However in the future i plan on making some of the roller spring perches and adjustable strut rods.

 

[valley82]

Thank you guys for all the feedback, I am looking into the "modified stock setup" and stiffening the body. My plan is to start buying components in about 1 month. By then I should have the car stripped to the bone and ready for plastic media blasting. Again thank you!!!!! My Ears are still open but my eyes...are starting to see more possibilities...it's a beautiful thing!!

 

[XXBULLETSXX]

Let me also welcome you to Stangnet and the Mustang hobby.
My first suggestion to you would be to get out the pen and paper and write down exactly where you want to take your stang. This way you can do all the research to make sure things will work together, have an idea of how your budget will work, and most importantly keep you from going into different directions with the car. Oh, and don't forget those little things, those will seperate your stang from the rest of the heard.
But for your suspension question. I think the Total Control products are way too much for a street car. If you intend on racing, go for it. But I can say this, I have two stangs 1) 66 fastback and 2) 00' GT Conv. I have modified both of their suspensions and lowered them both. I did the Mustangs Plus Street Heat suspension kit which had all the springs and new sway bars (big ones) and I'd say that my 66 will corner as good as my GT any day. The kit costs about $600 and I love it. That's a lot cheaper than the TCP suspension and leaves a lot of money left over for the other stuff you'll need.
BTW the kit lowered my car about an inch from stock in the front and about 2 in the rear with the reverse eye springs I requested when I ordered the kit. I went back and lowered the car a bit more because to me it looked a litte high still.
I am also running 17X8 wheels with a 4.75 back spacing. No rubbing and I love the look...sort of Pro Touring I think. Check it out..also if you have any questions just email me or instant message me.

 

[valley82]

xxbulletsxx, that is a very nice ride!!!!!
The way your car sits is the look I WANT!!!
If I may...what size/brand tires are you able to run?
And by the way THANK YOU! ALL!!!

 

[Edbert]

There's been a bunch of good advice in this thread, this forum is a treasure!

I think $20K is a reasonable number for building a really nice restomod. These things always run over budget, so don't try to add up suspension/brakes/engine and think that is all you'll spend. For example I spent $300+ just on hoses and tubing the other day, all of those small $200 here $500 there will add up in a big hurry! Even the weekly $29.95 trips to the local parts store will end up being big money over time. I added up my receipts not too long ago, and counting the price of the car itself I was at about $22K, and that is without a full TCP coil-over suspension. I have GW UCAs and a TCP manual rack (the only "expensive" parts I have) added into that figure, but I don't even have my front discs yet.

I would recommend against completely building your own motor unless you have done it many times before. Doing it "right" is VERY time consuming and tedious if you are building a high power mill. You can save a lot of money over a crate motor by getting a pro to build you a shortblock and finish it out yourself, the rest of the stuff is child's play compared to blueprinting the bottom end. I went with a DSS "Pro Bullet", and had the shortblock fully built/balanced/blueprinted to support 7,500RPM and 550fwhp, then I put the rest of the components into her to limit it to about 6,250RPM and 420fwhp. That is how you make the engine "bulletproof" in my opinion. DSS has built thousands of Ford racing motors, and I trusted them to do it right. I got a foundation that blows away the FRP GT40/385 crate as far as what you get for the money (in my opinion).

 

[69Rcode_Mach1]

Edbert has a good point, I don't have much experience with pro builders but if they are cheap I say go for it. I haven't had any trouble you just have to read up and if possible have someone who has done it before guide you through the process your first time. It is very tedious measuring and clearancing but pretty simple when you learn how, and the feeling of satisfaction when you are done is amazing. I still need to fire mine up though to make sure I did it right though.

 

[TT670]

Alston Chassis is pretty darn reputable so I have no doubt TCP products are going to be as good as in the past. For a street car IMO theres 1 reason to go with just TCP uppers.. no shims and easy adjustability,for a street driver the rest is overkill. The following is IMO the perfect chassis setup for street cars. TCP uppers( or stockers with the shelby or lower negative wedge drop), rollerized spring perches, boxed stock lowers with urethane bushings and a set of adjustable roller pivot strut rods. I like adding components to increase the adjustability,like the TCP uppers and strut rods. Those who have dicked with alignment on these cars can appreciate the desire for adjustability. Spring and sway bars are obviously a personal preference. In the rear, springs of your choice for ride height with global west or urethane bushings. I really like Maier racings subframe connectors, they tie it all together more completely than the other mfgrs. Im running 4 wheel wilwood discs, the car is lowered with 245/45/17's all the way around. I too agree on building your own motor, I built an aluminum head 331 making better than 400hp for way less than a crate motor and Ive got the pride of saying I did it myself.