Adjusting Rear Height

This is a quick recap of the rear suspension heights in the configurations that I've attempted.  The last entry is the current height.  I'd love to find a 3/4" lowering block which fits properly but the best I've found don't match the dimensions of the spring perch.  I think I'll just install the 1" ones that I have and then see if that is enough to keep it from draging on the fender.

4.5 mid eye w/standard shackles             25" 
4.5 mid eye w/extended shackles            25 5/8
5 standard eye w/standard shackles        27"
5 standard eye w/1" lowering block          25.5" (25 D-5/16" and P-9/16")
4.5 standard eye w/standard shackle       26 7/8"

New Leaf Springs - Part 99

The Grab-A-Trak 5 leaf, standard height springs have done a good job of keeping the rear tires from making contact with the rear quarter panels but are quite stiff.  I've continued to use them, and received them in the first place, because the Grab-A-Trak 4.5 leaf springs in standard height have simply not been available.  They first became unavailable in February 2020 and I've not found them since.  I ordered them from Top Flight Automotive as part of a Father's Day sale many months ago and they were just able to fulfill the order.

At this point, I could have purchased a pretty serious rear suspension setup with the amount I've spent on three different sets of leaf springs. Unfortunately, I don't know that I really could have guessed the challenges that I would have.  I'm not sure which of them I will keep but they might come in handy if I continue making changes to the car.

While all of the leaf springs were out of the car, I set them side by side and took the following picture.  The first two sets of GAB leaf springs look identical in terms of leaf edges and plastic bushings.  However, the new set of leaf springs (in middle) look rather different except for the clamps.  They also lack the Grab-A-Track paint on the back and any labelling to confirm they are that particular brand.  

The new leaf springs have APM 12 22 42-329 stamped into the eye.  The last part (43-329) can be found online as a 4 leaf truck spring but it is definitely a 4.5 leaf spring.  With the differences I see between these and the last sets, I suspect I was just provided with a generic set of springs rather than actual Grab-A-Trak.  I installed them anyway as it would be a pain in the ass to return them.

I measured the various springs to check the difference.  I don't expect this to be reliable for anything as the spring rates are different and the 4.5 leaf springs have not been used.  Regardless, the heights were:

5 leaf        8 7/8"
4.5 leaf     9 7/8" (unused)
4 leaf        7 3/4"

I'm not positive, but the research I've done indicates the following spring rates for GAB springs.  I can tell just by bouncing the rear of the car by hand that these are not near as stiff.  I actually think they might be less stiff than the original 4.5 leaf springs.

195 for 5 leaf
175 for 4.5 leaf

I also took a few measurements before I started replacing or even moving around the car.  The heights were as follows:

Passenger Front     24 7/8"

Driver Front            24 13/16

Passenger Rear     25 9/16"

Driver Rear             25 5/16"

Update: I drove around with all the nuts finger tight to let the suspension settle.  I then torqued everything down and checked the height.  It is presently at 26 7/8".  It will likely settle a little more.  It would be great if it were a little lower but certainly not an inch.

Rear Quarter Panel Ornaments

The rear quarter panel ornaments on my Mustang were painted black when I purchased it.  I don't like the appearance of them when black but had some many items to address initially that changing there color was really low on the priority list.  Over the years, I will think about how I don't like the look of them when black but have become so accustom to the black that I largely don't notice.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a classified listing on the Vintage Mustang Forum for a very good condition set of ornaments which had already been cleaned, primered, and were ready for paint.  I decided to purchase them as coincidentally, I'd just spent time matching up the current paint color and have a can of matching paint.  The ornaments arrived during my power steering project so I set them aside until this weekend.

This weekend, I sanded them down just a little and then put a second coat of some Rustoleum automotive primer on the parts.  I then put a coat of the Duplicolor Intense Blue Pearl (# BCC0422).  The plan is to ultimately top coat with some Spray Max 2K Glamour Clear Coat that I purchased from Summit Racing.  This will be the real test of the match of this particular paint but regardless, they are so small I'm sure it will improve the exterior appearance.

I've not put clear coat on them left as the 2k can will go bad within 24 hours of mixing the components.  I'm considering what else that I might need to paint to take full advantage of the can.  As you can see in the first picture above, I expect I might need to do a bit more work on the color match of the replacement fender.  If this color proves to be a better match, I might end up repainting the fender and front valence with this new paint color and 2k clear coat.

Power Steering, Master Cylinder, Parking Brake, and More (Part 8)

I found a local company who would tackle the project of welding my new Z-bar. I arrived with all the pieces cut, fit together, and tack welded in place. I picked the Z-bar back the next day and it was very nicely tig welded together. It is rare I have someone help with a car project and leave the experience happy but this was definitely one of those situations.

I painted the piece with some primer and then VHT engine paint that is satin black. I selected the paint as I wanted the part to be satin black and this was the only variant of that color which I could find in a high heat paint. Overall, the paint turned out well but the sheen seems highly dependent on how wet the paint is a applied. It has a bit of a splotchy look but I'm not to worried about it.

I'm quite pleased to have this piece in hand and ready to install. This was a major hurdle for this project.



I contacted OpenTracker today as well and he indicated he would refund my money for the original Z-bar since it did not work out for my application.  I'll be mailing it back tomorrow.

Power Steering, Master Cylinder, Parking Brake, and More (Part 7)

The Borgeson Z-Bar I purchased from OpenTracker would unfortunately not fit my vehicle due to my Patriot Clippster headers. I spent a few hours researching various types headers that might fit better but most came at a price tag of $700+ and I might still find they don't work and would need to rework my exhaust which is custom bent to fit my current headers. I even considered cable and hydraulic clutch setups but it was all way too much.

I contacted John at OpenTracker with a few pictures of the fitment in my vehicle. He indicated that the best option would be to just custom make a Z-bar that works in the space available. It had crossed my mind that one could be custom made but frankly just wanted a simpler solution it it existed. With this being my only option left, I decided to get to work.

I started by cutting the top part off the Z-bar as it was the only portion which was not shaped well for the new steering box. I placed it in the car and used some cardboard to make a new upper arm. I then used it to make a thin metal prototype to test it further. I then progressed to purchasing some 5/16" steel as that matched the size of the stock piece. In the picture below, you can see the OpenTracker model, my prototype, and then the piece of 5/16" metal that I ultimately used to make the Z-bar.

The newly created Z-bar is shown below with a few spot welds to hold it in place for testing. The template process worked well as the new piece fits perfectly. It looks like something someone built at home due to the boxy nature but I'm glad I have something that works. I won't say how many hours went into this piece as it took way longer than I expected. But it works and fits in the incredibly tight space.





This is a picture of my Z-bar installed for some rough test fit purposes... so rough I didn't even both to put the top link in the right way which is apparent by the firewall boot. However, putting it all together allowed me to cycle it through motion a few times to confirm everything fit together and there were no issues. You can see the damage to the fire wall from the leaking master cyclinder in this picture.

 


I need this piece to be very strong as I can't afford to have the welds break while I'm out driving around. For that reason, I'm going to find someone to finish weld this up for me. I'll then paint it with some height heat paint since it is so close to the exhaust.

Last thing is that I did today was dimple the header where it was making contact with the new steering box. The header is ceramic coated and the dimple cause the coating to come off. I'm going to get some similar colored high temp paint and see if I can touch it up.