If this car looks familiar to anyone and you know where I can find an article on it let me know. Want to know what suspension pieces he used. Also if your car is close post a pick and your setup.
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Perfect Stance
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I like the way my car sits, maybe you will too. I used Tokico HP (blue) shocks and struts with matching Tokico springs. Also, I replaced the upper bushings in the rear with MM replacements (factory style), MM HD lowers, low mile SN95 take off uppers, poly isolators all around and installed replacement FMS A Arms up front. MM CC plates are also on there.
'85 GT
I suggest trying SN95 spindles with X2 ball joints and stock GT springs in front, 4 banger springs with blue oval tubular control arms in back.
The stance on my worn out old 86 is just as you show in your pic. I have 140 lbs of weight in the rear currently so if I remove it I will ultimately need to cut about 1/2 a coil in back. I added weight for rear traction in wet weather as I've hydroplaned mine before and narrowly avoided a major crash.
Oh - and the ride is fabulous even though the mods I siluggested vastly improved handling. Launch is memorable too so I guess the 1993 Cobra engineers had something there.
everythibg is always a compromise. There are lots of aftermarket parts that will get you the stance while killing it at the track, but they cost a lot of money and depending upon who guided you could vary widely in daily road manners. I have less than $300 wrapped up in my setup and am happy with the end results. It's still totally streetable as a daily driver and feels like a 93 Cobra. It is way better than the stiff rear GT setup I lived with for the 18 years it was my daily driver. I wish I would have made these changes this years ago!
Coil overs for the front will allow you to change your ride height and weight jacker lower control arms will allow you to raise your rear 2 inches or lower the rear 1 inch.
Last edited by srad2drag; 01-01-2017 at 01:25 AM.
86 coupe
1993 GT
My 10 Sec street cars
Attachment 107831
Eibach sport line springs and Energy Suspension spring isolators front and rear. '87+ front brakes and KYB GR2'S.
conmech - aka Marshall
Pending build-1983 Mercury Capri RS NOT staying as it left the showroom floor......
Sonic blue pearl, sand beige, netted halos, FR500 wheels and shiny under the hood.
Getting your preferred stance is so much easier with adjustable rear LCAs.
65 Fastback 302/T5
82 Mustang GT
84 Mustang Predator GT302H 4S-119
Go all the way with coilovers for the ultimate in adjustability.
The one comment I will make about coilovers is that they could prove fatal to your strut towers on a daily driven car. I broke my drivers side strut tower big time at about 150K miles with factory stock suspension.
6 hours of grinding and welding later the major cracks were repaired and the car was driveable again. I immediately added a triangulated strut tower brace. I also added subframe connectors - it seems my unibody had a 1 7/8" twist in it up on the frame machine and the cracks in the floor that go with it. Mind you all of this was after putting slicks on my car only a few times. And power wise it was stock except for a mild speed density friendly cam, mild port work on the stock intake, mild porting on stock headers, intake silencer removal, and timing advance to the ragged edge of detonation.
My my advice is don't put coilovers on a daily street driven car unless you re-enforce the strut towers first. Oh, and never put slicks on a car that doesn't have welded in subframe connectors, a cage, or both- unless you like dealing with problems like the ones I had (that nearly moved mine to parts car status)
Just finished up this 92 GT. Cheapie tubular rear control arms from LMR and a set of used Eibach springs. Just waiting on the ft bump steer kit to get here. Still using factory struts and mounts.
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Love the 92, 80fairmont.
Here's how not to have a perfect stance.... Broken passenger rear spring, broken drivers front spring. Heaven only knows how long they were broke but the rust on the break points suggests a good long while. First pic is stock 86GT rear spring. The rest of it is in the trash bin beside the left rear spring. Second photo shows left front stock 86 spring with the end snapped off. The rest of it stayed in the control arm pocket and was near impossible to get out. An air chisel and a heating torch eventually did the trick.
Last edited by erratic50; 01-02-2017 at 09:39 PM.
Here's the stance of my 86GT now that a majority of my suspension work is done. I've ignored the rust and it just won't go away! Lol.
I will likely remove the weights inside then drop the rear just slightly compared to current.
I took some measurements to the belt trim up front and my 86 is exactly 1" lower than my sons nice condition 100K mile fresh strut 86 vert.
1/2" caused by X2's
1/2" caused by caster/camber plates.
Some may prefer lower. I'm am currently satisfied with the it's stance. I might drop the front another 1/2" and level the rear there yet..
Even though it is a pile of rust I get complements on certain things. Exhaust note, and its stance are frequent.
Its fun getting the "what the H did you do to that thing?!" after the combination of driver experience and unexpected performance show up.
Last edited by erratic50; 01-24-2017 at 05:22 AM.
Adjustable rear lca's and coil overs up front with a tubular k member.
86 coupe
1993 GT
My 10 Sec street cars
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