Re: [AMC-List] Mustang II Suspension?

["John Elle" <johnelle@xxxxxxxxx>]

Frank, 
SNIP
One last thing -- John, the MII still has strut rod to the rear, it's
the earlier Mustang/Falcon/Fairlane front end that has the forward strut
rod. I don't recall what the Granada had.
SNIP
Thanks, I was not aware of that. Additionally the pictures at the 
Following url miss-lead me. The Mustang II Clip with the sway bar
on it looked so much like an AMC front end that it appeared as if 
the strut rods went forward too.
 
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/custom_mustang_II_suspe
nsion
 
While I agree with your installation description in general I'll reserve
judgment up to a point  if I could. 
There are many kits out there for a variety of installation applications
and I am sure that depending 
on manufacturer, modifications could be incorporated to ease some of the
concerns you raised. 
One of which is I would not want to install a Mustang II front
suspension unless it included the lower 
control arm with the two bushings rather than one and a strut rod.
What's the point of trying to 
install a suspension that is not any different than what you already
have. The additional bushing 
on the lower control arm eliminates the problems of dealing with the
strut rod. 
Secondly I would want one that gives me the same front track as the AMC
suspension in question. 
This would be one of the requirements of purchasing it in the first
place. I would not just grab the first
one I came across. These things are not cheap and I sure as toot'in
would get something that did 
not give me additional problems. In addition the mounting cross-member
would also have to serve 
as an engine mount support too so there is a contour situation there
that would have to be 
addressed to see to it that the engine does not get moved around in the
engine compartment 
and still fit. And the installation of motor mounts on the cross member!
As far as mounting goes, the lower sub frame in AMC cars in that area
'specially in the '70+ cars
is prone to serious rusting problems, that would have to be dealt with.
I already have experience with
dealing with that. A lot of spot weld drills and some time spent will
allow a person to disassemble 
the inner fender wells and the spring tower areas of the uni-body which
is something I would do. Some 
careful cutting in order to remove the sub frame and weld the
cross-member in place would also be in 
order which would also drive what kit would be purchased so that this
could be done. The inner fender
and either a modified spring tower or a hand crafted sheet metal
replacement would then be welded 
back into the front of the car completing the assembly. There would have
to be some careful back
yard engineering done to install some load transferring members to the
element that comes forward
from the upper part of the firewall that carries the weight of the car
but having had that part of the 
car apart myself in order to do a front clip I believe it is a doable
thing that  can be done with out 
structural concerns. 
However, as you stated and as I did too, the concept of putting
something like this together becomes 
a very pricey operation that can realistically approach $3000 as a
minimum (rather than cobbing
 together on a rust bucket with a large hammer and a hand full of scrap
iron although there are 
people who are capable of doing something like that well, I am not one
of them) something and
probably should start with a kit which is the biggest portion of the 3
grand is an awful lot of 
money to spend that will give something that is not a whole lot better
than what you already have. 
And can be repaired if broken for a number that would rarely be a third
of that.
. 
Anyway, an exercise like this is food for thought and may give some one
an idea as to how to 
accomplish this type of a project and then give a report on it. It was
banter of this kind that lead 
me to front clip an AMX and learning to weld to do it.  As I have
mentioned to many people when 
asked why I did it. The front clip project saved a very unique and
pretty 1980 AMX from ending 
up on a scrap heap and I was truly too stupid at the time to know that
it could not be done. The scary 
part of course is that I'm smarter now and I know I can do it again.
 
I might point out though that I have seen an AMC car with so much rust
in that area of the 
lower sub frame that nothing was left of it and the only thing holding
the front of the car to the rest of 
car was the inner fender wells and the remains of the spring tower. They
were rippled and ripped 
from the stress and the front of the car sagged so bad you could not get
a jack under it but the 
owner was still driving it and was clueless as to how badly damaged the
car was!
 
John
 
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