continued from above
The only thing I can say is that we have confidence in the type of suspension we will use in our design, and it will net us a better spindle, hub, and brake options - with an easy, modern ABS option in there, too.
Once we finalize the front suspension we will move out back - where the 9" wide wheel has some rolled fenders to make it fit. The inboard wheel room is also tight, so we will likely "flare outwards" to fit the same tire width as we use up front. I'm hoping for a 315/30/18 Rival-S at all four corners, but 285/30/18 is the fall back number. There are surprisingly few 315mm clad classic Mustangs out there that don't have MASSIVE flares - and we want to keep the Maier carbon fenders unmolested, if possible.
A racer friend of mine that has a 67 fastback bought some Maier 3.25" flares for the back of his car to clear a 315/30/18 on an 18x11" wheel - my kind tire and wheel sizes!
It was the right size to clear a wheel pushed inboard as far as possible on his suspension, but he is going to go metal flare on his car and spend more money. But his measurements and pictures are some I can trust, since he's an engineer type and a real racer. We will use these same integrated flares on Adam's 67, having the bodywork and paint done to match the existing paint color.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I hope you liked this "project intro" - I've been wanting to write this and kick off this project, and after a couple of weeks of emails, estimates, and a little arm twisting - we just got sign off from the car's owner to start.
The front and rear Maier flares are shipping and and a "new front crossmember" we are using is already on order. We might not use the front flares, but in a pinch these will make a 315mm tire fit up front, too. Then the old carbed 5.0L + T5 drivetrain comes out for the last time and a mock-up drivetrain goes in, then the carbon front fenders get properly fitted for initial suspension testing.
After we install the front crossmember, we will take a lot of measurements (possibly using a CMM or 3D scanner like the one above), and design the control arms and suspension geometry in software. Then we can fabricate the control arms, add the spindles we want to use, and then mock-up a wheel and tire package to get wheels coming. Once we have the front suspension in place I will make another post, but that might take a number of weeks.
Thanks for reading,