Suspension warning

[Xander Wildeisen]

Posting this to let people know that if you or anyone you know has a after market mustang ll suspension. To check the mounting of the upper A-arms. Have noticed that as the upper A-arm travels up and down, it can back off the nylon lock nut. With the weight of the car putting pressure on the upper A-arm, it forces the A-arm to spread\open up at the mounting point on the shaft. There fore keeping pressure outward on the nylon lock nuts. And as it travels up and down, it keeps backing off the mounting nut, and can kick out the suspension bushing from the A-arm. Something to watch for, looking in to failure of the nylon portion of the nut due to age\use. And have been told to check how much positive caster has been put in the alignment. Not sounding an alarm, just check if you have one.

[F&J]

People call it Mustang for some sort of credibility, but it was actually first used on PINTO.  (Ok, let's put a Pinto front end in a full size car !)

 

Countless design problems on many aftermarket brands of M2 systems over the last several decades....lower A frames breaking, lower a frame mounting point failures, incorrect articulation of ball joint geometry leading to separation, etc 

Edited November 11, 2016 by F&J (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

17 minutes ago, F&J said:

People call it Mustang for some sort of credibility, but it was actually first used on PINTO.  (Ok, let's put a Pinto front end in a full size car !)

 

AMEN!.  Never understood why this was a good idea on a vehicle that weighs twice as much as the original application. 

[F&J]

14 minutes ago, joe_padavano said:

why this was a good idea on a vehicle that weighs twice as much as the original application. 

Proponents of aftermarket M2 setups might claim that the "new" A arms and New crossmember is made stronger than original Pinto, but installers of these setups disregard the original "ride height" of the Pinto design.  When you alter the ride height, all of the Ford OEM designers engineering geometry goes right out the window.  That is why some ball joints and components break without notice, because they are working in a "bind".

 

My biggest gripe is the very short arms.  If you have ever fought with trying to use the necessary stronger coil springs, trying to install them with those short arms, you can tell something is just not right.

 

Some setups use a true lower A arm, and some do retain the original Ford lower strut rod.  The strut system is strong, but the Ford rear strut bushing is also working in a bind during FULL articulation, causing bushing wear/deflection, and that binding can cause a stock Fort strut rod to break without notice on high mileage aftermarket "incorrect ride height" installations. 

[JACK M]

The first year or two Pinto was lighter than the later setups that were also used on the M2s.

I am asked often why these are one of the suspensions of choice and I really don't know.

I have built several with no problems, There are lower arms that eliminate the struts, I have my opinions about those, but they do seem to work OK.

I usually block the car at ride height without the spring and check for bump steer and binding before I call it finished.

Back in the day the Corvair front clip was popular. They seemed to work pretty good as well.

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

I have after market suspensions, and front clips on our own cars. Have never had a problem with any of them. This is just some thing that was noticed. Not pointing any fingers, or making any claims.