Wow, this thread went all wacky quick... Back to the original question:
Pbum5 said:
What should I do?
... I plan on someday doing a full restoration of my car.... But for now and the next few years or so I would like to make it drivable. When I do decide to do the ground up resto, I plan on going with an upgraded front
suspension either from TCP, Maier, or Global West. Here is my question. Should I buy the “upgraded”
suspension now, and remove it and put it back when I do the resto, or should I just get a $300 kit to hold me over for a few years and make it safely drivable.
Ok, IMHO, you should try to make a decision about the use of your car for the future. You need a plan. You say you're gonna eventually do a "full restoration" but what does that mean? Do you intend to do a full custom
suspension from TCP, Maier, or GW, or just selectively use certain components in combination with some original type components? This will make a huge difference in whether you should do the Shelby drop now or wait. It can also help you save serious money over time.
If you plan to do the a full custom TCP, Maier, or GW
suspension, then I'd say do a basic rebuild now with urethane bushings, new
control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. Don't do the Shelby drop yet. You can only drill your shocktowers once and depending on the kit you choose it may be more than the usual Shelby 1" drop. If you want a lower stance and better handling, spend an extra $60 for higher rate lowering springs.
Now, if you plan on doing some combination of stock type components augmented by stuff from TCP, Maier, or GW, then do your research, decide which components you think you'd like to use and then build a good basic
suspension from there. If this is your approach, you might like looking at a bit of my ideas about building a
suspension, which you can find here:
DB's suspension pages .
Hope this helps...