66' Road Race Mustang

[358Mustang]

Ok, I will start a little thread about my car. I am not great at taking good pictures or documenting things well, but I wouldn't mind creating a little discussion about the car and get some input.

Tires are going to be 315 in the front and a 315 or 335 in the rear and 18" wheels.

Don't mind all the ghetto mock up tools, I need to build a jig of some sort, but for now......

Here was my car before I did some weight savings.

Here is where I am now. I figure the motor is about 7" back from the stock location and 3-4" down. I may need to shorten the pan a bit for clearance, but I dont think so.



One main reason I wanted to move the engine back was now I will be able to get the rack where I think it needs to be.



The plan is I will build a "K member" that cradles the rack, goes underneath the front of the pan (there is a 1.5" step in the pan). I want to mount my lower control arms off the member, somewhere around the front corner of the pan. This should get me a pretty nice long lower.



I need to order ball joints weld in sleeves, then start mocking up some control arms.. What size tubing, I was thinking something like 1.125" x .083 chromoly? 5/8 x 1/2" rod ends.

Uppers I was going to make some deal that allows me to use some aluminum swedged stock for each end of it.

Shocks are Penske 8300

[358Mustang]

Oh, and I have this old f100 I started working on. Then I took the mustang out to sears point a few weeks ago... I had a blast as I always do, I've been around these old mustangs and going to the track my whole life... But I didn't like the state the car was in, so I decided... it is time to get this car moving how I have always wanted..

So I stuffed the truck against the wall and cut the mustang in half....

Maybe I am one of those "guys" that gets into a lot of projects, or just a dumb kid with too many ideas and not enough money

Thats as far as the truck made it.. haha

[Track Junky]

Newest member of the jack stand army? Good luck moving forward

[GregWeld]

The very first thing you need to build is a frame table. You've got to be able to locate things dead nuts on.... and plastic crates and stuff that moves around is just not going to be repeatable or accurate enough.

I'd just buy arms off one of the suppliers of good parts and adapt your mounts to them. Go over to BMR Racing in Roseville and see if they have some kind of take offs that they'd sell. I saw a wall there with 100's of LCA and UCA's.... They'd also have all the big ball joints and bearings etc.

Moving the motor back that much --- what did that do to your shift lever???

Hope you take forever -- so I can get more seat time so you don't make me look like a fool. LOL

[Ron in SoCal]

I remember the car from Sears point - removable FG door?

Looks like you were having a ball out there

[DBasher]

Look at you Brian, getting after it!

I don't know anything but I agree with Greg, first thing should be at least a jig to hold the car and front end where it needs to be. No sense creating more work for yourself redoing parts because something moved.

Do a search and reach out to a couple folks here on the site.

Preston, pretty wicked mustang built in a carport with I think a home designed suspension.
Bryce, equally bad ass lil Falcon. Built in a home garage, engineering back ground and best of all, proven.

I posted up a cad image of Mike Maiers new front end, he's always available to talk to and is a suspension geek. I know you've heard this before but Ron Sutton seems to know what he's talking about, his site has a lot of great images to get ideas from and for a small fee he'd be your best bet.

I got to ask, what was done before that you didn't like? How far did you take the stock design before the sawzall came out?

Good luck and keep posting.


Dan

[DBasher]

Forget most of everything I just wrote....I just read some other threads and it sounds like you're on the right track.

Still recommend Bryce and Preston's threads.
Still want to know what you used to run with as far as front suspension.

Dan

[358Mustang]

Originally Posted by DBasher

Forget most of everything I just wrote....I just read some other threads and it sounds like you're on the right track.

Still recommend Bryce and Preston's threads.
Still want to know what you used to run with as far as front suspension.

Dan

I've seen Prestons thread on corner carvers a long time ago. Ill have to go back and check it out..

The jig thing, yeah I am working on that.

My old suspension was all "modified" stock components. I got rid of all the bushings, monoball lower control arm, heim joint strut rods, roller spring perches, dropped the upper control arm. "shelby" steering arms, I never moved the lower pickup point.

It worked decent at best, I dont feel that I ever had it dialed in very well though, the car always pushed and had no sharp turn response which I hated..

The last event I did was really bad because of everything I had to do the night before to get it there..

[358Mustang]

Originally Posted by Track Junky

Newest member of the jack stand army? Good luck moving forward

Yes most likely, jackstands, and milk crates.

Originally Posted by GregWeld

The very first thing you need to build is a frame table. You've got to be able to locate things dead nuts on.... and plastic crates and stuff that moves around is just not going to be repeatable or accurate enough.

I'd just buy arms off one of the suppliers of good parts and adapt your mounts to them. Go over to BMR Racing in Roseville and see if they have some kind of take offs that they'd sell. I saw a wall there with 100's of LCA and UCA's.... They'd also have all the big ball joints and bearings etc.

Moving the motor back that much --- what did that do to your shift lever???

Hope you take forever -- so I can get more seat time so you don't make me look like a fool. LOL

I know i know, I was saying I need to get some sort of a jig built up. Most people do these things first, I get excited and do things out of order. The shifter should be ok, I will just have to make something, most likely straight up or something.. I used to run a remote shifter thingy that I made, but now I will be getting rid of that.. The seat was already moved back a decent bit, so I should be ok...

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

I remember the car from Sears point - removable FG door?

Looks like you were having a ball out there

My car doesnt have a removable door I did see the car you were thinking of though. I forgot whos car that was.

[358Mustang]

I was always battling the setup on the car, since I just build things instead of buying things that are pre engineerined I usually spend the same or more money and about 50x the time.. But that is part of the fun for me..

I did a 3 link floater. I always felt that the rear needed a bit more roll stiffness (i kept adding spring rate) I was always up in the air about doing a rear sway bar, it kept getting better, the rear of the car always felt really solid and stuck like glue.



This car initially took me about 6 years or so to get on track. I started it when I was 17. Few people laughed at me when I said I was building a "race" car. I went through 3 rear suspensions before I even drove the car... I learned quite a bit in how to think a project through tho. Also, how to fabricate better and make things cleaner.. SO I hope this one doesnt take me forever!