My Street 289 build

[Bill D]

Good luck!

[Ivygreen65]

I’ve moved away from welding for a while so I can get suspension parts ready for mock-up. My car is using a 90s Thunderbird 8.8 IRS rear. I had planned on putting new polyurethane bushings in the knuckles, so I knocked that out this afternoon. Due to the shape of the knuckles, I couldn’t figure out how to fit a couple of the bushings on my press to remove them. I wound up going with the shade tree bearing press made out of all thread, exhaust couplers, and some readily available hardware. The best part of this was the fact that I could do it at the kitchen counter with a cocktail within arm’s reach. The old bushings came out pretty easily, and I’m glad I changed them, because the existing rubber bushings were totally shot.

[Ivygreen65]

After getting the bushing bores cleaned out (old rubber and oxidation), I reversed the removal process and installed the new bushings. All went well and the suspension should be considerably stiffer thanks to the new poly bushings.

A quick Public Service Announcement - if you have never used polyurethane bushing grease, realize that is is the gooiest, stickiest, get-on-everything-within-a-10-foot-radius stuff that you will ever use.

[1795]

Nice work Stacey. Should definitely help. Your wife must love you, I would be dead meat if I tried to do that on the kitchen counter.

[Ivygreen65]

Originally Posted by 1795

Your wife must love you, I would be dead meat if I tried to do that on the kitchen counter.

I’m pretty lucky - a few years back, she let me have 2 days to get the Mustang’s C4 rebuilt before I got sent to a cold a garage. I got finished in a day.

[Ivygreen65]

Machine shop called yesterday and had my front LCAs welded up. My thought was that the F5 front suspension was limited due to the fact that you only had caster and camber adjustment with the upper arm, and not a lot of adjustment at that. My original plan was to install the spherical bearings that F5 offers in my arms, which would give me me the non-bushed front suspension that I want, but adjustability is still limited. Taking a cue from Bill D and the LCA he modified, I built a jig, bought some DOM tubing and suitable rod ends, and took everything to my machine shop. This should provide all the adjustment anyone could want, plus all solid suspension mounting points in the front. Thanks, Bill.