Serious performance
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Yes.
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You will experience bump steer big time once you lower it that way with stock components up front. The cure for this is to do a bump steer kit after you measure and observe the travel of the outer tie rods through the arc of the control arms. You can read up on bump steer with vintage 67-70 Mustang/Cougar/Fairlane all over the place, so I wonât rehash it here.
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You will experience less suspension travel, so you will need to spring the car for that and use dampers that work with the new range of travel. You will also need to look at the fender to tire fitment if you have wider section width tire or offset wheel. The turning limits also need to be observed so you donât run the wheels/tires against the upper ball joint and other stuff at full lock. Ball joint wedge kit may be needed to space the ball joint up a bit and prevent binding. It may be at the limit once the suspension is lowered and it travels to the top of movement. You can observe all of this stuff by removing the spring and damper and moving it through full suspension range of motion.
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You may run out of adjustment on the lower control arm and upper control arms and have to go to a tubular option. Itâs also highly probable you will run out of adjustment on one or both strut rods and need a tubular adjustable upgrade for those.
Iâve done the above on my 70 and added camber plates to lock in camber adjustment instead of using the eccentrics, adjustable strut rods, and a Baer bump steer kit. The springs I used were progressive rate, and the dampers are nothing special. Iâm currently moving to tubular control arms for the built in caster (what makes radial tires drive the way they should since I donât use bias ply and never have since I bought it in 19diddly8) and single rate springs with Koni dampers to chase a minor problem with the steering wanting to fall slightly into a turn (oversteer- very slight).
It is not as simple as bagging it or stancing it with a spring set and going cruising. The suspension is designed for a specific ride height and stance, so when you change it you have to look at everything.
The other added feature is the stock oil pan will drag the ground in spirited street driving on uneven surfaces, mostly hitting the drain plug. This can loosen the plug and either have it fall out or the oil will slowly drip out while youâre driving and then you lose an engine. I would recommend a T-pan from whomever you like with a wired drain plug so it canât come out, and then a skid plate welded to the bottom of the pan, which is what I did.
Additionally, as mentioned, your exhaust can hit the pavement on hard bumps or uneven pavement. if you have headers you will notice they drag and bang, and if you have big squared off welded mufflers youâll notice they like to grab objects in the road. I always recommend round mufflers and the whole system welded not cheapo clamp together mail order stuff. You may also need adjustable motor mounts to get a little clearance for the engine and exhaust.
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And ALL THAT adds up $$$$$ really fast. And youâll probably HATE the ride. But âMERICA!!!
I have had no negatives on mine. I wouldnât say it was massive improvement but noticeable for the better non the less. Itâs a very common setup on this platform and can be pretty cost effective too. If you have a little metal working skills you can make a rear block to lower the rear too. I typically do not recommend blocks of any type but generally 1â and under is ok.
Iâm running pretty low with full suspension from Street or Track. Never had oil pan contact. I have had exhaust contact at times as it was built when the car was still as close to stock ride height as 50 year old springs would allow.
I have a '67 with a 390 4bbl and 4 speed trans, I used the old school method. I cut one coil from each side, and with the slight sagging from the old rear leaf springs I had the look I was after. The tires set in the wheel wells so the gap between the tire and the wheel well is uniform all around. Since then (40+ years and 30K miles) I have had no issues except a scrape or two on some entrance ramps at businesses, the ride and handling is as good as original.
Rick.