[ca2stay]

Has anyone tried this? I've now seen this posted in a few places. Car Craft magazine had an article on it in Sep 2002. For '67 and later Mustang/Cougars (& other similarly configured Ford/Mercury) the upper control arm holes are moved DOWN 1" 90 degrees to the existing holes (not vertical to ground).

The benefit of this alteration is to maintain negative camber while going through a corner. Apparently Ford Engineering provided this information to Shelby and he incorporated this into all his Shelby Mustangs. I've already drilled the holes and will incorporate this change when complete. BTW, this change effectively lowers the vehicle about 1".

Instructions

Jack car, remove front wheels and front shock absorbers.
Compress spring and remove.
Support lower control arm and brake assembly on a jackstand.
Unbolt control arm bolts from the inside of the engine
compartment. For '64 - 66 years, save aligment shims
and remember their original location.
Move the upper control arm, rotor, and spindle to one
side. Support brake lines.
Bolt the template to the existing holes.
Mark new holes with a center punch.
Drill new holes. Start with a small bit, 1/4", and
work up to 17/32".

Install upper control arms in new holes. For 1964-66, use the alignment shims in the same original positions. Remove an even thickness, about 1/8" to 1/4", of shims for each position to compensate for the increased positive camber.
Reassemble suspension.
Align front suspension to the following
specifications:

Caster 2 degrees positive

Camber 0 to 1/2 degree negative

Toe-in 1/8"

Template courtsey of the Shelby American Automobile Club and Mustang Performance and Handling Guide, 1964-85, by Peter C. Sessler.

 

[evilmess]

Sometimes reffered to as the Shelby Mod. It's a common front end modification for early Mustangs and Cougars. I plan to do the same to my 68 Cougar when I have the front end rebuilt.

Let us know what you think of the handling after you've completed your mod.

 

[ca2stay]

After T-Day

Hi Evilmess (sounds like the state of my garage during this front-end update),

I'll probably not get to complete this until after T-Day. I'm still waiting to receive my rebuilt steering box and headers.

Boy, hindsight is 20/20. This whole effort ended up costing me about what it would've cost if I just bought the Mustang II IFS rack/pinion setup and converted the whole mess. I hope its all worth it.

 

[Cougar Bill]

Modifications

I have done this mod on many cars including all my Cat's (except the Boss Eliminator) It works very well. The cars handle much better. I suggest buying the "Boss 302 Chassis Modification Book" Osborne Reproductions prints it, but avail from most any vendor. Some say this can cause the upper ball joints into a bind condition. I raced my 69 XR-7 convt for many years (SCCA Solo II) and never had a problem. In fact, I took off the upper ball joints, and cut them apart to inspect for any problems and found none. I have also modofied the "RestoMod"'s upper arms so I don't have to buy the "Wedge correction kit from anybody, saving over $240. I would warn about a lot of camber, tire wear increases dramatically. The mod does have one draw back, the "bump steer" will increase causing a "darting" front end under hard braking. If you have any other questions just ask! Cougar Bill

 

[dark7068]

Ive done this to my Cougar and Fairlane, and found it awesome and cheap mod. All it cost me was a drill bit to drill the hole (35.Canadian) and time. Very well worth the mod I think. Here's a link that has the template you can down load, and make a transfer to a plate. It has the specs and all too.

http://www.themustangshop.com/

go to "How Tos", then to lowering the UPC

the template is pdf format, and explains on how to do it for any backyard mechanic. Worth a look.

Rick

 

[handsome]

A couple of questions for the experienced folks! I'm looking to replace the whole front end and have all new arms, tierods, strut rods, antisway bar. I have new KYB shocks as well. For this mod, what springs have you guys used or have been using? I have some new 1" drop 620s that I have heard will be a problem with the relocation of the arms. Will this mod work with the granada brake swap if I use standard height springs? I know I need a set of front discs, as I don't stop too well with 4wheel drums! I also have 14' wheels at present, 15's when the $$$ allow.
Any suggestions so I can buy parts that fit the first time? Thanks alot.

 

[evilmess]

I'm planning 620# stock height coils so that I only have the 1 inch drop from the shelby mod. You should be able to get those springs from www.americanpony.com. they also have Midolyne insulators and bushings available.

 

[ca2stay]

I also have the 620 springs w/1" drop. I've already implemented the Shelby mod. I purchased the entire front end kit from American Pony including the KYB shocks and the 1" stabilizer bar. I have the curved Monte Carlo bar and bought the new Export Bracket from MPG Head Service that allows the removal of the brackets without removing the shock mounts. I need to check the upper control arm for stress cracks, but I am having trouble separating the upper control arm shaft from the upper control arm - boy are those in tight.

American Pony now has >$1k of my hard earned money and I still plan to purchase a rebuilt steering box and Pitman Arm - ugh.

 

[ca2stay]

Cougar Bill,

Thanks for the input.

I'll look up the "Boss 302 Chassis Modification Book" Osborne Reproductions but I'm already pretty far along. I heard about the potential for this mod to cause binding of the upper ball joints. I'm glad to hear that you raced your 69 XR-7 convt (that's what I've got) and never had a problem. I don't plan to race this vehicle, so I suspect the risk of this problem is even less.

The wedge correction kit? Is this something that I'll need? What is the modification that you were able to employ? This wasn't mentioned in the article (BTW, it was the 9/2000 Car Craft Magazine that had the article).

Would you suggest backing off the recommended camber setting for the -1/2 deg to something less, say -1/4 or even 0?

Thanks again.