[Splank6]

so basically i have my 65 coupe stripped down
i took the entire front rused suspension off and replaced some body parts on the front clip (which wasn't even on correctly in the first place) and now im stuck with the v8 suspension parts and a car. I want to get the car rolling again and i have a few paths i could take. I painted the sides of the engine bay with por15 and now im ready to put it back together.

what i have:
upper arms
lower arms
inner and outer end rods
and that long bar that bolts near the front of the car for both sides

Now i can clean up these parts and buy around but most of the joints are crap and i want to do this right.

I also want to install disk brakes on the front and i also have a few options there

so my question is:
with the circumstances explained, i want an affordable front suspension set up with aftermarket parts and disk brakes along with power steering, what would you recomend?

understant the following

1. i can buy an entire new set from GW or TC but dont hvae that money and a quesion about that...where do i find all the small bolts and what not that arnt included?
2. I dont mind replacement arms and what not but im looking for a lowered look, and improved handling. where would you turn?
3. once i have the suspension set, i want disk brakes. i could go with granada but some people suggest new mustang swaps...any reccomendations?
4. GRANADA DISK BRAKES: what do i need to strip from the granada? and what will work with my suspension and what wont....i want power sterring and i have a v8 set up right now
5. POWER STEERING: what do you need? can i use my old box? and what other components do i need to make this happen

So once you have understood the position i am in, i want to tackle this all at once, suspension, steering and braking. please help with your opinions, any knowledge or previos experiences related to his would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks in advance.

[5.0 in a 66]

When I began looking at front discs, a lot of possibilities came up, namely: the Grandada swap, SSBC, Baer, Wilwood, Rod & Custom, Master Power Brakes, and Scarebird Mechanical.

The Granada swap can create suspension geometry problems in 65-66 Mustangs, and is incompatible with some performance control arms, which led me to conclude that I wanted a kit that used the stock spindles. Not to mention that Granada parts are on the expensive side, and the cost of finding the initial parts is now insane. Heck, back when you could get the stuff for $100, you were looking at $400 to refurb it with all new parts.

The ~$1000 cost of the SSBC kit shot that down, MPB's kit was similarly priced (~$800), and their customer service reputedly bad, and $650 for the small Baer setup was still high for my taste. Then, along came the $540 Wilwood kit...that's more like it. But Wilwood kits change track width, require safety wiring of the bolts, and use some unique parts. I decided I wanted something I could buy replacement parts for at the local Autozone in Nowheresville, so there went most of the kits anyway.

Then, along came the Rod & Custom RC132 kit...$350, full kit, commonly available parts, even steel braided flex lines; what's not to like? Well, after a few months of trying to track down someone who would tell me more than they had it and liked it, I found out that trimming the steering stops was not only necessary, but it was in the instructions. But wait, the Scarebird kit offered at the time used the same components (as far as I could determine) and was a straight bolt-on. What gives? I'm not about to cut on my car if I don't HAVE to, so there goes that one.

So, I'm doing a budget front-disc conversion using brackets from Scarebird Mechanical. As of August, 2006, I was told that these were superseded by a different setup that fits in 14" wheels. I just want some fair sized brakes on the cheap and I never, ever intend to use 14s, so I got lucky. My drums and hardware are all new, as well as the bearings, I suspect, so that's one possible expense I'm spared. Fresh bearings, seals, and hardware run about $40 from Rockauto for all of it, so a sub-$400 cost is still possible with that included. Full cost is a hair over $300 for me.

2) contact AFM Member 2bav8...he has the skinny on making it handle on the cheap, but the long and short of it is: roller idler bearing, roller spring perches, adjustable strut rods, subframe conectors, export brace and monte bar, shelby drop, GR2 shocks or konis, performance springs, and a performance alignment (with PS you can really crank up the alignment specs and not feel it)

5) contact randy at stangerssite.com he does this stuff for a living and knows it cold and will rebuild PS stuff verry reasonably
HTH
--kyle
ps: no polyurethane, it sucks, and it WILL snap the strut rods which COULD kill you!