suspension detailing comments & a few pics

[roush235]

I have been in discussion with a couple other forum members about the state of suspension/undercarriage detailing for Fox Body cars. Also there were a few comments posted on this forum based on the Judges Meeting [after the October Savannah Mustang Club of America show] concerning similar topics, including paint colors and proper finishes. Suffice to say that the body of knowledge for this topic is far from complete but is slowly improving. It certainly isn't to the point of e.g. Boss 429 knowledge/standards, and likely never will be (we don't have a Bob Perkins who has spent his whole career dealing with these issues!).

Given the above, I am continually trying to upgrade my undercarriage detailing (along with my underhood detailing). I am constantly learning new details, usually when I am privileged to run across a low-mileage car, such as NPD's Serial 00001 red 79 coupe which was on display at Charlotte this year. I have to remind myself it is a work in progress, it will never be perfect....


So, here are a few pics from some recent front suspension detailing work.



Thanks to Red 78' for the stickers.








One of my recent themes (also as noted in other threads) is bolt/nut/washer finishes, specifically returning them to original condition. Note the center of this pic for an example. Of course that means in a few months I will likely be knocking the surface rust back off (even though I did put on a light coat of oil on the bolt/nut/washer).....

I know of a few others who are interested in advancing this facet of our hobby. I would encourage all of us to continue to contribute our knowledge and expertise and experiences. This forum is in my opinion an excellent place to do this.

[79mustangcobra]

Bob I love it! Well done, I plan on doing this to mine.

[82GTforME]

While I don't think any of my cars will ever be that nice and original again, the springs in our Tangerine '79 had the spring stickers on it if you can beleive it. Thanks for sharing pics like this Bob. I love the details too and it's inspiring.

[TopGear85]

Wow Bob! Your underneath looks better than my on top. Great work!

[84GT350CONV]

That kind of attention to detail is what makes the difference between an ordinary restoration to an extraordinary one. Great work and sacrifice of time!

[JTurbo]

Unbelievable work. I doubt it looked that good the day it rolled off the assembly line.

[bluemax]

I agree with everyone else posting thus far, looking really sharp Bob!

I would love to have some decals made for my front springs. It's those small details that really makes the difference.

I am midway through my rear end restoration. Just sent off another batch of parts to be plated. It is interesting how many different finishes are used; clear zinc, zinc dichromate, manganese phosphate, bare metal, galvanized, etc., etc.

[vascj]

Wow Bob! right on the Mark with this topic and awesome work! This is my favorite part of this hobby. I love the production assembly aspects of these cars.
keep the info coming. Having done this on 60s Mustangs where so much has been gathered other the last 50 years, this is an awesome start!
much thanks

[roush235]

82GTforME: Thanks for posting your spring sticker pictures. It's a good example of what I am talking about. Your yellow sticker is either VIP or WIP, can't tell for sure; can't read all of the red sticker. Cleaning them off just a little bit then re-posting the picture will provide a tidbit of info for future reference. (Note: mine were also badly faded, but I was able to do a cross-reference to my build sheet to figure it out for sure).

[roush235]

bluemax and I have had other conversations on this topic. I did a rear axle/suspension detailing last year. It turned out good and I am happy with it. However what he is working on will "up the ante" so to speak. I am eager for him to post info/pics as his project proceeds.

If you ask Red 78' nicely I bet he would make you some stickers. He does great work and is eager to help.

[RED 78']

Bob, I'm in awe. The bolt finishes really make the whole effort look worthwhile.
I have never taken my cars to a show where they look at the chassis.
I just paint mine all black.
I have seen them do it at the Studebaker shows though.
Great job! I wish I could see it in person.

[sowaxeman]

One word, with a strong adjective in the middle......UN-F'NG-BELIEVABLE!!!! That looks like a brand new car, circa 1979 still in the showroom Bob! Very nice. I'm very proud of my cars...from the bottom edge up, but if I ever had to park mine beside yours in a judged event well I'd just walk away with my tail between my legs ;-)

[fascat]

That is beautiful Bob. Great Job. I would love to have my car like that one day.

Great job on the decals Red 78'. I'm still working on some decals. Thanks for all your help and tips. Haven't had as much time as I thought I would yet.

[Ruffi]

That is incredible work. Beautiful. Damn nice looking.

[Saturn V]

That looks fantastic, Bob. You've got a lot of patience to get the car looking like that and then to maintain it (especially after driving to car shows or even cross country!).

Have you tried Boeshield T-9 on bolts and other uncoated parts? I've got a small can, but haven't yet tried it on anything to judge the performance or appearance after application ... if it dries dull, perhaps the parts would still appear natural.

[BMW Rider]

I'm always amazed to see cars or motorcycles or whatever that are kept so meticulously perfect. I have neither the ambition or motivation to ever do that, but totally respect the effort that goes into it.

[82GTforME]

82GTforME: Thanks for posting your spring sticker pictures. It's a good example of what I am talking about. Your yellow sticker is either VIP or WIP, can't tell for sure; can't read all of the red sticker. Cleaning them off just a little bit then re-posting the picture will provide a tidbit of info for future reference. (Note: mine were also badly faded, but I was able to do a cross-reference to my build sheet to figure it out for sure).

This is a 2.8L coupe. It is a VIP on the yellow tag. The red for the back is VEP according to what I salvaged of the mouse chewed build sheet.

[roush235]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Indeed I am proud of my work, otherwise I would not have posted the pics (ha).

That said, if you were looking at the suspension with your own two eyes, you would see that it is not perfect. You would for example notice metal with pitting, which I cannot or do not want to replace, with which I have done my best to make it look good. The car does show its Rust Belt roots! In other words, the pictures make it look better (which is not really a surprise).

As for Red78's comment about black underneath, that of course is the default position. In fact much of my undercarriage is currently black. I am thinking about reworking it (it seems I am always reworking my previous efforts, as I learn more) to illustrate a more natural-looking metal finish.

I have seen one of sowaxeman's Mustangs, he has really nice cars. So I am not so sure about his "parking next to" comment. In my case, when I see e.g. a Thoroughbred car at a MCA show, with all the right parts and everything looking shiny and new, I realize that my car operates at a level below those. Kind of like basketball or any other sport for that matter: starting with the guy shooting hoops in the driveway, unless you are LeBron James, there is always someone better than you.

[TopGear85]

I want to see more pics.

[sowaxeman]

The hell with pics....my new job has headquarters in Houston and I have two trips to HQ in February! I can only hope Bob and I can find the time to get together for a beer and a live look at this fantastic work :-)

[MrFurious]

Great attention to detail, great job!