ok, well, I got the frame cleaned and painted and have come back to school So now goes the process of researching and buying parts for a weekend trip home later this month. I want to save money here, so I have a few questions about where it is best to get parts. 1. a power must II rack - can I get this from a local parts store? if I get a 'local' rack, what else would I need to get with it? I was looking at a cl***ic performance setup that said it is bolt in ($200), is that worth buying for the lack of h***le? 2. drop spindles - I want to find the safest must. II drop spindles, but pay the least (obviously). I was looking at the ones from Zigs but want to know if they are good quality? is there cheaper somewhere else that doesn't sacrifice quality? Basically I want to know who has the best dropped spindle for the buck? 3. bushings - should I hunt down a kit for the front end or just by the bushings one by one from the local store? I would be fine with rubber or poly, but again, i'm looking to save money so I know rubber is my best option. 4. someone else posted similar to this question, but I don't want to pirate the thread. So, how should I go about welding on the new 4-link/shock mounts to the rear axle tube? get a profesional rearend shop to do it, or set it up, tack it, and get a pro welder? Thanks for the help in advance.
I have had the best luck with the fine folks at my local Car Quest store, I have used just about all the parts suppliers and even some of the major wharehouses and the parts are going to be about the same no matter where you go. I would buy the rack, bushings and bearings from your local parts house. Make sure you use good quality stuff like TRW, SEALED POWER, Timken. The cheap Chinese made stuff will not last! Dropped spindles for the Mustang II are pretty much the same. Heidts claims theirs are stronger,,,,,,I have had both in my hand and they look identical. I have used the TCI spindles for years and under some severe applications and have NEVER had one come apart. (right jerry?!?!) Your axle tubes, if you can weld them yourself, do it. Check the tubes after they have cooled with a straight edge to see if you warped them. If you have then we have some options to straighten them, if not you are good to go!
I used the Speedway parts for my MII setup. All of the rubber boots on the ball joints and rod ends cracked and fell off within a year. That was a new one on me.
I use Suspension Techniques spindles, and shocks also. Have had good luck with them and they are middle of the road price wise. I would probably look for my bushings in a set. My experience is that you can usually save a little when you buy the whole set. Here's a little thing that I learned (it took years and years). I can't afford to cut corners. Its never cheaper to do it twice. Don't sell yourself short, save where you can but don't cut quality. Its your ride friend, get yourself the good stuff.
Speedway buys those arms from China and they are the cheapest things I have ever seen. Those rubber boots are usually cracked or split before they even get installed. So it isn't supprising at all. Energy Suspension makes some nice Polyurethane boots to resolve your problem. Energy website, click here You can usually idetntify the lower as the bushing sleeve is welded into the arm and the bushing is smaller than the original and not of the same durometer. The upper control arm is made of thiner gauge material. The upper is rebuildable and the lower only the ball joint can be replaced. They are low life expectancy arms and are meant to be replaced in within a 50k run. I would be suprised if a set went that far but with the average "street rod" being driven around 5k a year it is not likely to see them wear out. I see a bit different result with our product because the majority of our customers drive their cars and trucks, trucks mostly. It is not uncommon to put 20k on in a year. That is precicly the reason we are starting to see (again mostly trucks) busted crossmembers and bent contol arms. In some cases we have seen coil springs rupture through the upper spring tower because the manufacturer (A) did't support the spring well enough (B) used too thin of material to withstand the spring pressure. But I digress,
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