There are a lot of options for vintage Mustang enthusiasts when it comes to upgrading the suspension components on their cars. Everything from mild to wild offers significant improvements over the decades-old hardware that is probably struggling to hold your old horse up now. With our project, Colt of Personality, we were looking for something that could handle the rigors of an open track event, while dealing with the increased grip and twice the power output of the original powerplant. We contacted Total Cost Involved Engineering (TCI) of Ontario, California, and discussed our needs with them at length. What the company recommended was TCI's customized independent front suspension.
Where many of the aftermarket front suspensions for early Mustangs are based off the Mustang II's suspension, TCI's take on it was a clean sheet design that only shares a basic look and nothing more.
"Originally we entertained the Mustang II design," says TCI's Sal Solorzano, "but we found that the coil springs would impede into the framerails. We would have had to cut into the framerails and we didn't want to weaken the structure when people could possibly be using the car in a performance situation such as an autocross or open track session." To that end, TCI engineered its own solution, which uses steel plates to strengthen the framerails where the new crossmember mounts. All of the new pieces work in concert to provide a rigid foundation so that the coilover shock assemblies can efficiently do their job.
TCI's front suspension is designed to lower the stance of the Mustang, which improves handling and looks. It opens up the engine compartment by removing the shock towers--this allows just about any engine combination you can think of, with the exception of the 351C. The suspension system is engineered with the proper amount of camber gain for use in a performance capacity, with more available from a ball joint change. Turning radius is also improved.
For steering clearance reasons, TCI went with Heim joints to connect the antisway bar to the control arms. Combined with the large, greasable urethane frame bushings, the combination offers a good road feel without too much negative feedback. The bushings keep it flexible while the Heims, which utilize a Teflon-lined bearing for long life, keep it from moving too much.
"If you look at the options we have, you can go from plain and standard to polished and chrome with a range of brake packages as well," says Solorzano. "There are a lot of nuances that you just can't get from a Mustang II system, and everything is manufactured in southern California."
We're excited to take this Mustang into a new performance realm, and Solorzano summed it up with, "Because the front suspension from the factory was so bad, it really is a tremendous change."
While an experienced enthusiast with a moderate level of fabrication skills could conceivably perform this installation at home, we'd recommend having a professional shop handle it. We were able to find just the right shop in our own backyard in Gillis Performance Restorations. We had heard a lot of good things tyaabout the work coming out of the Port Richey, Florida-based shop, and were equally impressed after meeting with its proprietor, Rusty Gillis, and his son, Brian, who completes the team.
Rusty is a former NHRA Super Stock racer from back in the day--you may have caught his car feature in the Dec. '07 issue of Mustang & Fords--and when he's not bench racing about the early '70s racing scene, he's busy crafting old muscle cars into the stars of tomorrow's shows. Brian handles much of the fabrication work and we've come to admire his skills behind the torch.
Our fastback looked great on the outside, but as the duo pulled the car apart, an increasing number of rookie mistakes by the previous owners were uncovered. Luckily, we have the car in the hands of the pros who were able to right the wrongs. You'll be seeing more of their handiwork in issues to come, as we'll be covering some of the front-end sheetmetal repairs that were needed next month. The rear suspension installation will come next. For now, check out the captions and photos to see what is involved in installing TCI Engineering's independent front suspension.
1 In its completed, painted,...
1 In its completed, painted, and polished form, the TCI independent front suspension for vintage Mustangs will accommodate any of the newer overhead cam engines. As you can see from the image, it also accommodates both traditional coilover shock/spring combinations as well as airbag systems.
2 Stripped down to just the...
2 Stripped down to just the crossmember, this particular piece was designed specifically for the new Coyote 5.0L V-8 with its narrower center section that offers the required oil pan clearance.
3 Before you can install...
3 Before you can install the crossmember, you have to fortify the framerails. TCI provides the necessary metal already cut-to-fit. Some fine tuning of the edges may be required to account for production variances and/or changes to the frame structure due to collisions.
4 As mentioned in the text,...
4 As mentioned in the text, we began our install without the shock towers in place. We did, however, have to remove the bottom strip of metal. Gillis Performance Restorations' Brian Gillis performed this task using a cut-off wheel and a small air saw.
5 Next, the edge is ground...
5 Next, the edge is ground down and then the two sides of the framerail are welded together and ground smooth once more.
6 Here, Gillis mocks the...
6 Here, Gillis mocks the plates up, using the factory hole in the frame to align the plates. After some trimming along the bottom curve to get the plate to clear the factory weld on the framerail, we were set.
7 The inboard plate is also...
7 The inboard plate is also mocked up to check for fitment.
8 The plates are aligned...
8 The plates are aligned using the factory bolt hole in the framerail, and then clamps are used to hold them snug so that they can be tack-welded into place.
9 While the outer plate is...
9 While the outer plate is pretty easy to weld in, the inner plate can get tricky, especially at the back and next to the fender apron.
10 With the two side plates...
10 With the two side plates welded in, Gillis then mocks up the lower plate, and uses a C-clamp to snug it up against the bottom of the framerail.
11 With all three plates...
11 With all three plates welded in, you'll need to remove this flange from the framerail for coilover or air bag clearance.
12 Note that there is a second...
12 Note that there is a second hole toward the front of the car that has not been drilled yet. This is used to locate the crossmember. After that, the driver side is complete, and ready for the upper shock mount.
13 The passenger side is...
13 The passenger side is next, and pretty much goes in the same way. Here, Gillis drills out the locating hole for the crossmember.
14 Once the framerail modifications...
14 Once the framerail modifications are complete, you're ready to install the crossmember. As per the instructions, you may have to trim the flanges down just as we did.
15 Gillis used this floor...
15 Gillis used this floor jack to support the crossmember while he tacked it into place. Whatever you use, make sure it will hold firmly enough that the crossmember does not move while you're welding.
16 Here you can see the driver...
16 Here you can see the driver side is completely welded in. This angle also offers a great perspective on the center section of the crossmember which has been modified to clear the Coyote oil pan.
17a The upper control arm...
17a The upper control arm brackets...
17b ...are welded in nex...
17b ...are welded in next.
18 With the framerail, upper...
18 With the framerail, upper control arm mount, and crossmember installed, you can see how everything works together to provide a strong foundation for this high-performance front suspension system.
19 To finish up the upper...
19 To finish up the upper control arm mount installation, pry off the locating tab on the upper control arm mount and weld up the remaining hole for a clean finish.
20a The front antisway bar...
20a The front antisway bar mounts are next. To properly locate them on the framerail, first mark the center of the bracket.
20b That mark will need to...
20b That mark will need to be exactly 12 inches forward of the crossmember.
21 Gillis now installs the...
21 Gillis now installs the lower control arm, noting that the antisway bar mounting boss faces forward.
22a The coilover shock assembly...
22a The coilover shock assembly can then be attached to the upper mounting point.
22b There's no need to tighten...
22b There's no need to tighten everything beyond hand tight, as we're just mocking things up.
23 Camber is adjusted using...
23 Camber is adjusted using spacers between the upper control arm and control arm mount.
24 The spindle goes on next,...
24 The spindle goes on next, and is attached via upper and lower ball joints. Two spindle heights are available, with the standard piece being a drop unit--a standard spindle is optional. The drop spindle lowers the car about 3 inches, and can actually end up leveling the car out if the factory rear suspension is still used.
25 The complete suspension...
25 The complete suspension assembly is now mocked up. We'll cover setting the coil spring height and shock adjustment in a future issue.
26 With the Total Cost Involved...
26 With the Total Cost Involved front suspension, we received this power rack-and-pinion setup. It simply bolts to the mounting tabs on the new crossmember.
27 The antisway bar is attached...
27 The antisway bar is attached to the control arms using Heim joints. The standard bar is a 1-1/8-inch bar—they do offer a 1-1/8-inch, but according to our source at TCI, there aren't too many cars that would require it.
28 TCI's independent front...
28 TCI's independent front suspension is ready to rock and roll on the street and track. But first, we’ll install the fender aprons and get everything painted in anticipation of our 5.0L Coyote engine.