When the additional loads of high-performance driving are to be the norm, additional strengthening measures are needed for the body structure. The difference they make in terms of vehicle performance, however, is extremely obvious. A very effective and reasonably priced way to dramatically improve steering performance is to replace it with a more contemporary system such as this one from Borgeson (left). The standard steering systems on early Mustangs left quite a bit to be desired. All have the same basic geometry and installation. Provisions are made for all the optional features TCP offers for these systems. In addition, the frame bushing is also replaced with a Del-A-Lum bushing to eliminate another source of unwanted compliance and instability. A pure drag race suspension isnt well suited to street use so I briefly address it in the high-performance street and streetable track-day sections. The steering box usually doesnt need much attention other than perhaps a slight adjustment of the worm gear clearance if its excessive. The ride can be a bit harsher. (These welds arent pretty but theyre deep enough and dont show.). It consisted of an upper control arm, a lower control arm, and a strut rod on each side combined with an anti-sway bar, springs, shocks, etc. These tie the front subframe to the rear frame rails to supplement the stiffness provided by the body and the floorpan.
In a powered system you also need a pump and hoses because the power assist is usually integral to the rack, if you want it to be. The OEM design utilizes a spring perch that positions the spring on the upper control arm.
If the strut rods are improperly adjusted the wheel alignment may be off and there can be a high possibility of the car pulling to one side under braking or acceleration. The Mustang had this issue from the beginning so export braces and Monte Carlo bars were offered. As with the front, the goal is the minimization of unwanted compliance/movement along with general spring and shock firming. The most common example is that the shock towers tend to bend inward toward the engine. In some cases the joint could actually fail under extreme use. A Monte Carlo bar provides additional support by connecting to the shock towers across the engine bay to further reduce their movement relative to each other. These better tolerate higher spring rates and further reduce unwanted compliance. This provides firm or soft roll control. Theyre usually bolt-in designs, which may be fine on the street but often are not suited to more extreme use. An interesting and effective rear suspension upgrade for early Mustangs is from TCP. The reason is the tabs to be welded to the axle housing must be precisely located to ensure the axle is properly located in all directions. . The TCP system has high-quality components, a modular design, and many adjustments, so you can set it up for high-performance street use or for a day at the track. Still, there are a few things you can do to the stock suspension to improve it enough for street and moderate performance use. More importantly, the integration of the power assist directly into the steering box greatly improves steering feel and response. This firming up of the leaf spring mounts requires stronger shackles to ensure the springs stay properly located. Even on a road course car a stiffer bar may not always be best if it throws the handling balance off, especially with lighter small-blocks. Well-tuned shocks are able to dampen the springs and thus the loads placed on a coil-over suspension are easier to control and distribute and are more consistently dampened. After the axle has been verified as being correctly located and centered these adjustable fixtures are run between the axle and the upper link mounts on the cradle. They tend to leak due to wear of the seals. ds disc mustang brake conversion 1970 kit power Replace or upgrade the strut rods if theyre bent. A curved bar may be necessary to clear a larger distributor or other obstruction but these are not as strong unless they use thicker-wall tubes. Because power is useless without control you need to understand how the suspension helps the force at the tires be transformed into motion while the steering (for the most part) determines what direction the motion is in. The system weighed more and was prone to leaks. However, you can install four-bolt ball joints and not drill new mounting holes 1 inch lower in the shock towers for a Shelby mod. These coil-overs easily replace the existing springs, perches, and shocks with simple, modular units that provide far greater tunability and adjustment potential. The guidelines for the front apply to shock absorbers: Stick with a premium brand such as Koni (Classic line) for simple and nonadjustable versions. Each shock tower should be fully welded along each seam to enhance their overall strength. Upgraded aftermarket lower control arms provide significant performance improvement over stock. No suspension system is of much value if your steering system also isnt up to the task. The upper links are adjustable in length to allow the proper setting to be reached but this may not be possible if the tabs are not located properly. This front suspension uses reinforced stock-type control arms and strut rods and upgraded bushings. It was very strong too. Finally, because this design has such inherently low internal friction there is a reduction in impact harshness and an improved ability for the spring to move through the desired range of motion. First-generation Mustangs were equipped with mundane hydraulic shocks at the factory, which faded after severe acceleration, hard braking, and aggressive cornering. The spring shackles are also reinforced. To avoid potential noise and squeaks over time Energy Suspension includes grease fittings to allow for additional lubrication as necessary. A harsher ride is one of them plus things like spring wrap-up also come into play. They greatly affect the stability of the car, especially under hard braking. Side-to-side movement is almost completely eliminated through the use of Delrin thrust surfaces. Another prime candidate for replacement is the rag joint between the steering column and the steering box. This almost fully eliminates any compliance or friction while helping to reinforce the mounting box. This construction accomplishes several things. If your old/OEM system needs any significant amount of investment for your daily driver or high-performance street car this Borgeson setup is the better way to go. These can be adapted to work with most engine swaps such as this 5.0L EFI engine. Otherwise, wait to upgrade it. A Watts linkage virtually eliminates lateral movement (versus the inherent arcing path of panhard rods). They claim its not necessary due to their choice of springs, shocks, and geometry. All spherical bearings have grease fittings and are capable of being readjusted and even rebuilt if necessary. Spherical bearings replace the OEM rubber bushings, provide lower stiction, and virtually eliminate unwanted compliance. Note the use of Del-A-Lum bushings (no rubber), the reinforced spring perch mounts, and the extra bar. This provides increased firmness for high-performance applications. This added flexibility can be very convenient plus it can be a competitive advantage with quicker adjustments. Full welds do a much better job of distributing these loads across the entirety of the shock tower, thus avoiding the concentrated stress that causes cracks. You can easily and smoothly move either one through its full arc with just your fingers after its been installed. A vehicle in this category sees a lot of extreme use so it needs even more chassis stiffening than the other types.
Rebuilt rams are available, though theyre not cheap. This is somewhat of a performance limitation but there is no inexpensive alternative. Remember, the suspension is a system, not just a combination of parts. The caster is adjusted on the strut rods that have jam nuts. A prime example of this is the integral power steering conversion kit from Borgeson Universal. (Photo Courtesy Global West Suspension). The cradle may interfere with large exhausts. The anti-sway bars themselves can also be upgraded with thicker/stiffer parts to reduce body roll. For a high-performance street car, you probably dont need adjustable anti-sway bars.You still must, how ever, ensure the bar(s) is matched to the rest of the suspension. Such bars may be smaller or larger in diameter than the stock bar depending on differences in materials, design (solid versus hollow), shape, and adjustability (extra holes, etc.). In its time the suspension of the first-generation Mustang was as advanced as any pony or muscle car suspension from Detroit. The advantages of doing so are many, whether you go power or manual. This is because highperformance applications place greater loads on the car, which means that achieving greater torsional rigidity in the frame and suspension is imperative. To get the full benefit of them you should also replace the OEM eccentric cam bolts with Global Wests lockout kit. Incompatible designs could result in the locating peg on the springs not reaching the corresponding hole on the axle mounting plate. Lower-cost systems tend to use polyurethane bushings and other less-costly components to keep the price down. The live-axle rear suspension with shocks and leaf springs also provided competent traction and damping duties, and certainly was much better than the single-leaf rear suspension on the Camaro, which had tramping and wheel-hop problems. Ridetech offers three levels of coil-over, or ShockWave/air-spring, configurations. Manual racks are sometimes preferable, however, where lightweight is a priority and high cornering (or parking) forces are rarely, if ever, encountered. To keep the overall cost down for this level of build, a hybrid front suspension keeps the stock suspension layout and geometry but uses many high-performance upgraded parts. The basic suspension was developed and refined for use in SCCA Trans-Am road racing. Early Mustangs benefit greatly from a Monte Carlo bar (the straight, adjustable bar between the shock towers) and an export brace (the fixed bars running between the firewall and the shock towers). The steering is much more direct and responsive while also being much more durable and reliable with minimal risk of leaks. There are many more sophisticated and expensive options, which may be adjustable, but they are not really needed at this level of modification or its cost criteria. The tabs almost surely need to be trimmed a bit before welding to minimize gaps between the tabs and the housing. The Level 1 system comes with non-adjustable shocks and no front anti-sway bar. For a daily driver the factory leaf spring-style suspension is usually retained. The longer rod reduces the alignment change throughout the range of travel, thus allowing less of a compromise in setting the caster, etc. You cant always judge stiffness by its appearance. Designs that allow the rack to be loaded in other ways can be prone to premature wear, sticking, resistance while moving, and even the risk of failure. You can inexpensively upgrade to a higher durometer/stiffer rubber to reduce movement yet still have cushioning so the benefits are significant. The real benefit, however, is the greatly improved stiffness and torsional bending. Although these cost more than rubber bushings, they substantially improve performance. In most cases, however, such systems can still outperform OEM leaf springs.
Its also fine for a street/strip car that just drag races. The stock eccentric adjusters can loosen and/or shift under hard use, thus causing the alignment to be out of spec. 
In a powered system you also need a pump and hoses because the power assist is usually integral to the rack, if you want it to be. The OEM design utilizes a spring perch that positions the spring on the upper control arm.
If the strut rods are improperly adjusted the wheel alignment may be off and there can be a high possibility of the car pulling to one side under braking or acceleration. The Mustang had this issue from the beginning so export braces and Monte Carlo bars were offered. As with the front, the goal is the minimization of unwanted compliance/movement along with general spring and shock firming. The most common example is that the shock towers tend to bend inward toward the engine. In some cases the joint could actually fail under extreme use. A Monte Carlo bar provides additional support by connecting to the shock towers across the engine bay to further reduce their movement relative to each other. These better tolerate higher spring rates and further reduce unwanted compliance. This provides firm or soft roll control. Theyre usually bolt-in designs, which may be fine on the street but often are not suited to more extreme use. An interesting and effective rear suspension upgrade for early Mustangs is from TCP. The reason is the tabs to be welded to the axle housing must be precisely located to ensure the axle is properly located in all directions. . The TCP system has high-quality components, a modular design, and many adjustments, so you can set it up for high-performance street use or for a day at the track. Still, there are a few things you can do to the stock suspension to improve it enough for street and moderate performance use. More importantly, the integration of the power assist directly into the steering box greatly improves steering feel and response. This firming up of the leaf spring mounts requires stronger shackles to ensure the springs stay properly located. Even on a road course car a stiffer bar may not always be best if it throws the handling balance off, especially with lighter small-blocks. Well-tuned shocks are able to dampen the springs and thus the loads placed on a coil-over suspension are easier to control and distribute and are more consistently dampened. After the axle has been verified as being correctly located and centered these adjustable fixtures are run between the axle and the upper link mounts on the cradle. They tend to leak due to wear of the seals. ds disc mustang brake conversion 1970 kit power Replace or upgrade the strut rods if theyre bent. A curved bar may be necessary to clear a larger distributor or other obstruction but these are not as strong unless they use thicker-wall tubes. Because power is useless without control you need to understand how the suspension helps the force at the tires be transformed into motion while the steering (for the most part) determines what direction the motion is in. The system weighed more and was prone to leaks. However, you can install four-bolt ball joints and not drill new mounting holes 1 inch lower in the shock towers for a Shelby mod. These coil-overs easily replace the existing springs, perches, and shocks with simple, modular units that provide far greater tunability and adjustment potential. The guidelines for the front apply to shock absorbers: Stick with a premium brand such as Koni (Classic line) for simple and nonadjustable versions. Each shock tower should be fully welded along each seam to enhance their overall strength. Upgraded aftermarket lower control arms provide significant performance improvement over stock. No suspension system is of much value if your steering system also isnt up to the task. The upper links are adjustable in length to allow the proper setting to be reached but this may not be possible if the tabs are not located properly. This front suspension uses reinforced stock-type control arms and strut rods and upgraded bushings. It was very strong too. Finally, because this design has such inherently low internal friction there is a reduction in impact harshness and an improved ability for the spring to move through the desired range of motion. First-generation Mustangs were equipped with mundane hydraulic shocks at the factory, which faded after severe acceleration, hard braking, and aggressive cornering. The spring shackles are also reinforced. To avoid potential noise and squeaks over time Energy Suspension includes grease fittings to allow for additional lubrication as necessary. A harsher ride is one of them plus things like spring wrap-up also come into play. They greatly affect the stability of the car, especially under hard braking. Side-to-side movement is almost completely eliminated through the use of Delrin thrust surfaces. Another prime candidate for replacement is the rag joint between the steering column and the steering box. This almost fully eliminates any compliance or friction while helping to reinforce the mounting box. This construction accomplishes several things. If your old/OEM system needs any significant amount of investment for your daily driver or high-performance street car this Borgeson setup is the better way to go. These can be adapted to work with most engine swaps such as this 5.0L EFI engine. Otherwise, wait to upgrade it. A Watts linkage virtually eliminates lateral movement (versus the inherent arcing path of panhard rods). They claim its not necessary due to their choice of springs, shocks, and geometry. All spherical bearings have grease fittings and are capable of being readjusted and even rebuilt if necessary. Spherical bearings replace the OEM rubber bushings, provide lower stiction, and virtually eliminate unwanted compliance. Note the use of Del-A-Lum bushings (no rubber), the reinforced spring perch mounts, and the extra bar. This provides increased firmness for high-performance applications. This added flexibility can be very convenient plus it can be a competitive advantage with quicker adjustments. Full welds do a much better job of distributing these loads across the entirety of the shock tower, thus avoiding the concentrated stress that causes cracks. You can easily and smoothly move either one through its full arc with just your fingers after its been installed. A vehicle in this category sees a lot of extreme use so it needs even more chassis stiffening than the other types.
Rebuilt rams are available, though theyre not cheap. This is somewhat of a performance limitation but there is no inexpensive alternative. Remember, the suspension is a system, not just a combination of parts. The caster is adjusted on the strut rods that have jam nuts. A prime example of this is the integral power steering conversion kit from Borgeson Universal. (Photo Courtesy Global West Suspension). The cradle may interfere with large exhausts. The anti-sway bars themselves can also be upgraded with thicker/stiffer parts to reduce body roll. For a high-performance street car, you probably dont need adjustable anti-sway bars.You still must, how ever, ensure the bar(s) is matched to the rest of the suspension. Such bars may be smaller or larger in diameter than the stock bar depending on differences in materials, design (solid versus hollow), shape, and adjustability (extra holes, etc.). In its time the suspension of the first-generation Mustang was as advanced as any pony or muscle car suspension from Detroit. The advantages of doing so are many, whether you go power or manual. This is because highperformance applications place greater loads on the car, which means that achieving greater torsional rigidity in the frame and suspension is imperative. To get the full benefit of them you should also replace the OEM eccentric cam bolts with Global Wests lockout kit. Incompatible designs could result in the locating peg on the springs not reaching the corresponding hole on the axle mounting plate. Lower-cost systems tend to use polyurethane bushings and other less-costly components to keep the price down. The live-axle rear suspension with shocks and leaf springs also provided competent traction and damping duties, and certainly was much better than the single-leaf rear suspension on the Camaro, which had tramping and wheel-hop problems. Ridetech offers three levels of coil-over, or ShockWave/air-spring, configurations. Manual racks are sometimes preferable, however, where lightweight is a priority and high cornering (or parking) forces are rarely, if ever, encountered. To keep the overall cost down for this level of build, a hybrid front suspension keeps the stock suspension layout and geometry but uses many high-performance upgraded parts. The basic suspension was developed and refined for use in SCCA Trans-Am road racing. Early Mustangs benefit greatly from a Monte Carlo bar (the straight, adjustable bar between the shock towers) and an export brace (the fixed bars running between the firewall and the shock towers). The steering is much more direct and responsive while also being much more durable and reliable with minimal risk of leaks. There are many more sophisticated and expensive options, which may be adjustable, but they are not really needed at this level of modification or its cost criteria. The tabs almost surely need to be trimmed a bit before welding to minimize gaps between the tabs and the housing. The Level 1 system comes with non-adjustable shocks and no front anti-sway bar. For a daily driver the factory leaf spring-style suspension is usually retained. The longer rod reduces the alignment change throughout the range of travel, thus allowing less of a compromise in setting the caster, etc. You cant always judge stiffness by its appearance. Designs that allow the rack to be loaded in other ways can be prone to premature wear, sticking, resistance while moving, and even the risk of failure. You can inexpensively upgrade to a higher durometer/stiffer rubber to reduce movement yet still have cushioning so the benefits are significant. The real benefit, however, is the greatly improved stiffness and torsional bending. Although these cost more than rubber bushings, they substantially improve performance. In most cases, however, such systems can still outperform OEM leaf springs.
Its also fine for a street/strip car that just drag races. The stock eccentric adjusters can loosen and/or shift under hard use, thus causing the alignment to be out of spec.