Classic Mustangs List Archive

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Mail From: mastros (MICHAEL MASTROIANNI)

I pretty much have to replace everything up front & in the rear regarding to suspension, and I also want to replace the old, rusted, banged up 14" steel rims.

So, before I order coils & leafs, I wanted to see if I could get some input from my fellow restorers.

I'm not building a race car, just a nice driver that I won't be afraid to get on the highway and keep up with the rest.

Is it "worth" going with the 1" lowering springs for both front & rear, or only front? What combination would give me a "level" ride?

What's the real advantage with going to 15" rims over the stock 14's?

Will I have clearance issues if I go with 15" tires no larger than 225/60 ?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

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Mail From: JCool289 ((email redacted))

i just used regular hieght springs front and rear. i have 15" rims and 225/60
tires....had to bend the front fender wheel opening lip a little on one side.
the front of the tire was barely rubbing it when i turned. (at the
bottom-front corner of the opening) other than that , no clearance issues at all. my
car's structure is kinda out of whack due to an accident a previous owner had
though , that fender sits back a little further than it should. if your car
doesnt have that problem , the combo will be great. i think if i had gone with the
1" drop front srings , i would have had clearance problems.

car sits just a little higher in the rear than in the front...maybe an
inch.

i upgraded the sway bar to a 1"(handles better) , everything else in the
front suspension is stock. adding the export brace and monte carlo bar also helped
handling , made the car more stiff....made a "feel-able" difference.

dont really know the advantages of 15" vs. 14" ..... i just wanted bigger
rims , but was too cheap to pop for 17's....LOL.

my car is a '66 ..... the later years may have more room , i'm not sure.

Jason
'66 coupe
New Albany , IN

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: mastros (MICHAEL MASTROIANNI)

Jason,

Thanks a lot for your input.

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon ripping out coil springs, upper &
lower control arms, strut rods, sway bar, etc.

I swear, these parts look like they've been there for 20+ years. (My 3lb.
sledge hammer came in handy today.)

The car hasn't been registered since '96, so I guess that's possible. It was
sitting in a garage(luckily) for the last 10 years. It needs everything
though...suspension, brakes, steering, and some minor body work. The only
reason I went for it was, the undercarriage had been done. Floors, torque
boxes, frame rails, etc. For $1700 w/o a motor, I figured I couldn't go too
wrong.

I'll probably just go with stock replacement coils & leafs. I'm not looking
to put any tremendous wheels/tires on here. I just want it to feel
comfortable at highway speeds.

I'm still torn between the 14" rim with beefier tires, and the 15" wheels
w/low profiles. I have seen some restorations with 14's that look real nice.
Bigger is not always better I suppose. But there are very few cars with 14s
anymore. I dunno.

Thanks Again,
Mike


----- Original Message -----
From: <(email redacted)>
To: <(email redacted)>
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 5:50 PM
Subject: Re: [CM] Springs & Wheel Combos


>i just used regular hieght springs front and rear. i have 15" rims and
>225/60
> tires....had to bend the front fender wheel opening lip a little on one
> side.
> the front of the tire was barely rubbing it when i turned. (at the
> bottom-front corner of the opening) other than that , no clearance issues
> at all. my
> car's structure is kinda out of whack due to an accident a previous owner
> had
> though , that fender sits back a little further than it should. if your
> car
> doesnt have that problem , the combo will be great. i think if i had gone
> with the
> 1" drop front srings , i would have had clearance problems.
>
> car sits just a little higher in the rear than in the front...maybe an
> inch.
>
> i upgraded the sway bar to a 1"(handles better) , everything else in the
> front suspension is stock. adding the export brace and monte carlo bar
> also helped
> handling , made the car more stiff....made a "feel-able" difference.
>
> dont really know the advantages of 15" vs. 14" ..... i just wanted bigger
> rims , but was too cheap to pop for 17's....LOL.
>
> my car is a '66 ..... the later years may have more room , i'm not sure.
>
> Jason
> '66 coupe
> New Albany , IN
> _______________________________________________
> Classic-mustangs mailing list
> (email redacted)
> lists.twistedpair.ca/mailman/listinfo.cgi/classic-mustangs
>
> Visit the Classic Mustang Wiki! sauce.donair.org/~cm/