My son has a 68, base model, that is currently 92% disassembled, body at the painter now. Fresh stroked 289 to return, an AOD and a Currie 9 inch to send it down the street. He also has a 95 mustang, V6, 5 spd, with a blown head gasket and little desire to throw any dollars at it, if the engine is done. QUESTION: Can the “front clip” suspension from the 95 Mustang and the rack & Pinion steering be re-purposed under the 68? I know I could just spend 3K on a pre-made, but heck, you know. I already purchased and installed the front power discs brakes from CSRP, new control arms and springs, but there is always craigslist for those. Any thoughts? I called Westcoast Classic Cougars yesterday, but Don was gone, and the gentleman who answered the call was wise enough to admit he didn’t know, but knew the web address to here. SO, I am here. Thanks. I appreciate your collective knowledge!
This is just a first glance observation, but here’s what I know without ever trying what you’re proposing. You answer is the not so simple “yes & no”. Yes, the k member from an SN95 mustang can be fabbed into the '68 cougar. There are actually kits on the market that utilize the Fox/SN95 tubular k member to accomidate for body struts, SN95 5-lug spindles/hubs and the rack and pinion steering.
Here’s what you’ll run into…your donor is a v6. I’m not 100% sure, but I believe the k member is different with the v6 versus the 5.0. You might still have to buy the aftermarket tubular k member with the adjustable sm block mounts. You will also need a custom set of caster/camber plates to mount the struts in the 68 shock towers and still be able to align the car. These parts are made by AJE and can be acquired at almost any performance aftermarket shop or mustang restomod shop. You will also need to get a fox body oil pan and pickup for your 289…I’d suggest the Canton engine swap pan. Then there’s the steering column and u joint shaft. I’ve been studying thread after thread on various forums and several folks say you lose quite a bit of the align-ability in the front along with cornering versus a tubular upper/lower kit with coilovers.
Maybe someone will chime in that has done the swap to confirm or deny my findings. Good luck.
I was really hoping for a simple yes, actually, but after years of therapy, I understand “magical thinking” doesn’t work much with cars. Or my wife. But, when you look at the price of a kit from TCI or the like, you want to see if what you got lying around might be a better use of funds… time I have. Cash? well, not so much. We do not want to make the car hard to align, or have the kmember fold, so maybe that is why the kits are so pricey. But I appreciate your answer, and hope someone with some success story adds his comments.
I haven’t read a lot of articles of owners doing that swap. Which usually means it’s not cost effective or easy to perform. Not saying it can’t be done, but I think it is one of those swaps when you get done you realize the cost of the TCI suspension isn’t that bad.
The proposed swap would require extensive fabrication to make work. These aren’t subframe cars like Camaros/Firebirds where whole assemblies can simply be unbolted and swapped across several different years and platforms. Among other challenges, note that the 1968 Cougar front/rear track is 58.5 in, the 1995 Mustang V6 front track is 60.6 in. That extra 2.1 inch width is gonna look a little weird, and play heck with tire to fender clearance. You might be able to compensate with specially offset wheels, but that just adds to the trouble and expense.
Do the Shelby A-arm drop to the stock suspension, get a new (or good rebuilt) steering box, a 1" sway bar, and replace the consumable front suspension pieces with Moog or TRW parts. It’ll handle well and give many years of reliable service. And be way easier and less expensive than adding the late-model K-member.