I'm in the process of installing a Mustang II crossmember in my 72 Maverick. For those of you who have done this, how did the ride height turn out? I was wondering because I can adjust the position of the cross member up and down a little, but thinking I can adjust the height by the spring. Any advice or experience in this would be appreciated. Thanks Mark
My buddy with the 460 Maverick has an MII suspension, and with stock springs it sat too high, so he cut them. Now the stance is perfect. I can't remember how many coils he cut, but I'll ask.
My control arms ARE parallel to the floor. I had to cut 1 full coil off. The rocker boxes are exactly 5" from the ground. Might be a little too low for a streeter, but it'll give you an idea. No harder than it is to take the springs out, if it were me, I'd use the stockers for a while and let them settle in and decide then if you want to cut a coil off or not. There are some 2" drop spindles available for the M2....so if you like the stock springs but want a 2" drop, it might be a better option. I was cheap.
You have a very limited amout of adjustability available by moving the crossmember up and down. Remember that the motor must attach to the mounts you will be building above the crossmember and that the height of the motor in the chassis will affect handling, hood fitment, etc. The 460 is a big motor and will be a tight fit under a stock hood so you probably want the crossmember to be as low in the chassis as possible for clearance reasons. Actually, if the lower control arms are level, then you have already lost almost half of the designed suspension travel. The correct way to lower the car would be the dropped spindle (which I have seen on ebay for less than $100). This allows for the suspension action to be in the middle of the designed arc of motion. Yes, you can just cut the coils, but you are seriously compromising the handling and saftey of the system. Once the lower arms compress above level, you are into the range of bump steer where the wheels are being forced to toe in which makes the car try to change directions very easily and unpredictably. Not a good situation for a driver type car. If your car is going to be a drag car, when you hit the brakes at the top end, the front suspension is going to drop really fast and far. Once again, serious toe in. Scary.
I was guessing I have about +/- 0.5” adjustability up or down, but you make a good point about the engine height. I could mock up the engine, hood, etc, before I weld up the cross-member. It would suck to be within .25 of shutting the hood, when I could haven taken that out with the cross-member. I like the idea of the dropped spindles and if they can be bought for about $100, that’s not a bad deal. I’ll have to see how the car sits first. By the way, I’m building a drag strip only car.
Watch ebay for low cost spindles. Normal prices are between $200 and $350 for a new pair. Froogle search may turn up good prices as well. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-MUSTANG-II-SPINDLES-2-DROP-GREAT-DEAL-Street-Rod_W0QQitemZ4641795400QQcategoryZ34200QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Many sets of forged dropped MII spindles for less that $150 right now on ebay. I spend my spare time working with the guys at Autoworks International in El Cajon, CA. They average a Mustang II install every other week. I have seen many different MII suspension kits and spindles over the last few years. When you are setting up something as critical as your front suspension/steering/brakes, take some advise and install the best parts you can afford. A sudden turn after a wheels up launch can really ruin your day.
Hey Jayman..... haha, i could be looking for advice from you if I get around to my Mustang II suspension! Could you take a look at the post I started on my suspension and answer my questions??Please Thank You, Sean
Oh, I forgot to ask, if anyone knows where I can find the angle which the shaft of the upper arm should be set at? This is the angle that roughly sets the caster angle. This is something else I need to double check before I weld the thing in. Thanks Mark
Ok, I think I found the answer and this has more of an effect on antidiving during braking and this angle should be 3 degrees. Does this sound right?
The verticle line the spindle makes from the upper ball to the lower ball from a side view is your caster and the side view angle of both the upper and lower A arms sets your anti-dive. If you know about instant centers and setting up a 4 link, the front end works the same way only backwards. I don't know how much you can adjust the A arms on this setup, but you'll definitely want a suspension shop to set the caster once you set the anti-dive and get it all welded up or the front end will want to wander. Caster basically uses the weight of the car to push the front wheels straight. So when you turn the wheels it actually raises up the front end. Now I'm rambling again.... 3 degrees sounds about right. You might want to check out heidt's website. They have good tech on how the instant center and anti-dive all work. Each car is different and I haven't set mine up yet, so I can't give any hard numbers right now. I'll have to do lot and lots of measuring and weighing to get everything sorted out. more rambling...
One more question for those you who have installed a stock MII suspension. Did you have to notch out the at the back of the upper control arm a little for clearance? If not then maybe I have raise up the cross member a little for clearance. I put a couple tack welds in and there is a little clearance problem with the arm and the frame rail. The position is at the same height as it was installed in a Mustang II. Any input would be appreciated. Mark
