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1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Front Suspension Upgrade Part 1 - Equestrian CompetitionShow Your Old Pony Some Hot Handling Tricks With Help From Mustangs Plus From the March, 2011 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Steve Baur Photography by Justin Cesler, Steve Baur
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With a name like Mach 1, you'd think a vehicle would be pretty fast, but we recently found out this was not the case. In looking for a vintage Mustang to perform some budget performance modifications to, we came across Robin Cardinal's '72 Mach 1, which is equipped with a 351 Cleveland and three-speed automatic transmission. Though it looks the part with its sleek bodylines and racy red and black paint scheme, the Mach 1's overall driving experience was pretty lackluster. We're going to change that though, starting with this issue, as we'll head to restomod central for some upgrades. Mustangs Plus offers everything you might need to get your Mustang to turn faster, stop shorter, and accelerate harder. In this issue, we show you how to perform basic suspension upgrades using Mustang Plus' Super Starter kit, which is a great way to ditch all of those crusty factory suspension parts that lead to lame handling performance. Our subject Mach 1 is neither... Our subject Mach 1 is neither nimble, nor peppy, but we're looking to change that. We went to Mustangs Plus for one of its Grab-A-Trak suspension systems, and came away with a whole Super Starter kit to replace most of the aged and failing components. The Mustangs Plus Super Starter kit is offered for all '65-'73 Mustangs and while each kit contains basically the same parts, Mustangs Plus custom tailors the selection to each vehicle and owner's needs. The Super Starter combines three subsystems into one big package. Included are a spring and handling package, a suspension rebuild package, and a steering upgrade package. When it's all said and done, your Mustang is filled with new components from top to bottom, and the revised spring rates and mounting options should tighten up handling dynamics, and lower the car about an inch for a lower center of gravity and a more modern and aerodynamic look. Prices start at $799.95 for the Super Starter kit, and every component is backed by a lifetime guarantee. This list is long, too. Coil springs, leaf springs, shocks, antisway bar, endlinks, upper and lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods, adjustment sleeves, strut rod bushings, and much more. What was probably worse than... What was probably worse than the body roll was the fact that you couldn't see the inside corner during a spirited turning event. The car simply rolled away from the corner, and the long front end rose like a surfacing submarine until you were completely through the turn. This blocked all hope of seeing most of the turn, let alone the apex, neither of which is safe, nor useful. We enlisted the help of Robin's husband, Rob, to help us swap out the parts, and taking our time, we were looking at about eight hours for installation, though someone who turns wrenches for a living could probably cut that in half. With the older cars, though, you often find yourself cleaning and painting things before everything goes back together. To document the changes that we will be making to the Mach 1, we took it to Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, where we took advantage of the dragstrip and road course offerings. We'll get to the 'strip numbers at a later date (they were unimpressive as well), but on the road course, the '72 Mach 1 offered lap times of 1:22.05, 1:19.82, and 1:17.42. We also recorded skidpad numbers on the track's 300-foot skidpad. Clockwise, we logged 16.27 seconds and 15.81 seconds, while counterclockwise we saw a 15.86, a 15.31, a 17.82, and a 15.0. Time to crack off this installation.... Time to crack off this installation. We'll be using good ol' fashion jackstands and a floor jack to get these high-performance parts swapped in. As you can see from the included images, the Mach 1 rolled over like a Mustang scratching its back, not one looking to win the triple crown. Check out the photos below to see how we plan to remedy that problem, and be sure to check back next month as we finish up the rear suspension and wring the Mach 1 out one more time.  After removing the wheel,...  After removing the wheel, we can get at the upper and lower ball joint and tie rod nuts.  The tie-rod end is first....  The tie-rod end is first. Just like the ball joints, it's secured using a castle nut and a cotter pin.  We'll tackle the antisway...  We'll tackle the antisway bar next by removing the endlinks first, and then the mounts on the frame. We'll be swapping out the factory 3/4-inch bar for the Grab-A-Trak 1-inch bar along with urethane bushings. Mustangs Plus also offers a 1 1/8-inch option as well.  After supporting the lower...  After supporting the lower control arm, we tackle the upper ball joint first. After removing the cotter pin, we back the nut off until it reaches the end of the stud. Since we'll be replacing these as well, we'll be taking the Ford tool, i.e. hammer, to the side of the eyelet on the spindle as well as the nut itself to break the joint loose.  Now is a good time to remove...  Now is a good time to remove the strut rod. You can just unbolt it from the lower control arm for now, or get after the front mount and remove it altogether.  The Limited Edition Monroe...  The Limited Edition Monroe front shocks were in decent working order, but the Grab-A-Track Monroes are specifically matched to the stiffer coil spring package, not to mention they are new and probably have a lot more life left in them. To remove the shock, you'll need to remove the two lower bolts below the coil spring, as well as the top shock nut and the shock perch.  At this point, you can use...  At this point, you can use a spring compressor to remove the coil springs, or if you like a bit of risk, you can start to unbolt the upper control arm like we did. We secured the spring to the car, unbolted the control arm, and carefully pried the arm out. Our coils weren't under too much tension, but this may differ from vehicle to vehicle.  The upper control arm, coil...  The upper control arm, coil spring, and shock have all now been removed. If you're so inclined, now would be a good time to check for any rust and complete any detail work to the inner fender liner.  The brake caliper is next...  The brake caliper is next on the list for removal, and now is also a good time to inspect the pads, rotors, and brake lines. Just two bolts and the floating caliper comes off.  The lower control arm can...  The lower control arm can be taken off now. Hold onto the inner bolts and cam washers, as you'll need to reuse these.  With the suspension components...  With the suspension components excised from the vehicle, we can move onto the steering components. We'll be replacing the tie rods as well as the idler arm, as new replacements are part of the Super Starter kit. A cotter pin and castle nut here hold the tie rod on the center link.  The idler arm and frame mount...  The idler arm and frame mount are both replaced. There's a nice coat of grime covering the fact that the piece is plum worn out.  Here's our pile of crusty...  Here's our pile of crusty old parts-somewhere in there is poor handling and massive body roll. They're probably valuable to a restorer, so you'll need to decide if you want to hang on to them or sell them off to recoup some cash.  The first item on our replacement...  The first item on our replacement list is the new idler arm from Mustangs Plus. It's a beefier unit than the stock one and went in without a hitch.  The new spring perches need...  The new spring perches need to be bolted to the new upper control arms. They come with the bolts already installed, but you'll need to reuse the nuts from the originals. Make sure the tang at the lower left is toward the inner fender apron once installed. It holds the coil in place and if you have it on the outside, the spring and lower perch will not be positioned correctly.  The upper control arm is then...  The upper control arm is then bolted in. Next, you'll want to reinstall the spindle and lower control arms so that you can use a jack to support the coil spring during installation.  When installing the lower...  When installing the lower control arm, don't forget to reinstall the eccentric washer under the bolt.  We now reinstall the spindle...  We now reinstall the spindle on the lower control arm, and attach it to the upper with the new ball joint.  Given production tolerances...  Given production tolerances and a variety of spring rates, coil spring installation may require a spring compressor, which you can rent from your local parts store if you don't happen to have one. We installed the new urethane upper coil spring insulator pad, put the spring in backwards, lubed up the rubber pads, and then muscled it counterclockwise until the tail of the coil clicked over and into the tang.  Once the Grab-A-Trak spring...  Once the Grab-A-Trak spring was in place, we installed the new Grab-A-Trak shock. The Grab-A-Trak coil spring rates are as follows: '65-'66 GT 260 lb/in, '65-'66 620 coils 560 lb/in, and '67-'73 620 coils 600 lb/in.  Don't forget to install the...  Don't forget to install the new shock bushings. Our old pieces were largely destroyed, so there was no confusing the two.  Next up are the new polyurethane...  Next up are the new polyurethane strut rod bushings. Again, the aging bushings in our Mach 1 were done in, but the new poly pieces will tighten things up and deflect less under load. You'll reuse the washers, the larger of which goes up front. Mustangs Plus includes a new metal sleeve however.  To install the new tie rods,...  To install the new tie rods, assemble the inner and outer pieces using the stock unit for a length reference. That should get you close to where you were before. You can see from the old tie rod at the top that one of the wheels hit a massive pothole or curb at one point in time, and the impact bent the adjustment sleeve and the outer tie-rod end.  The tie rods are then secured...  The tie rods are then secured using the new included castle nuts and cotter pins.  We hung the new Grab-A-Track...  We hung the new Grab-A-Track antisway bar from the new included polyurethane frame mounts, and then swung it into place to connect it to the endlinks.  You'll need to jack up the...  You'll need to jack up the lower control arms to get them high enough.  That concludes the front half...  That concludes the front half of our budget-friendly performance handling upgrade. Next month, we'll come back with the rear suspension installation, track test, and photos to show you how it all turned out.
 | Completing Our Mustangs Plus Suspension Upgrade |
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