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4/18/2019 8:56 AM  #1


Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

Friend sent me this... seems like OE style rods with adjustability up to + - 3degrees... still has bushings to stay softer feel (as compared to the total control or streetortrack set) and much cheaper $200 for the set ..

Thoughts..!?

https://www.spcalignment.com/component/spc/?task=part_description&pid=94220


If it aint broke, I have'nt tried to "Fix" it yet!
 

4/18/2019 1:03 PM  #2


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

Once you go wider than the stock six inch wide wheel, you have to be very careful about moving the wheel and tire around in the wheelwell. Adding caster with the adjustable strutrods pulls the lower control arm forward. If the wheel started centered in the wheelwell, you should move the upper spindle attachment point rearward by adding shims to the upper control arm mounting point to keep the wheel centered. I have a set of adjustable strutrods on my 66, but that did not eliminate the need to use shims to move the upper control arm for alignment.

Out in the real world it depends on your own car. The build tolerances on the early Mustangs were so loose that the suspension attachment points can vary significant fractions of an inch from car to car. Plus aftermarket fenders may not have the wheelwell opening in exactly same place as the factory fenders. Add in 50+ years of wear and tear, plus inexact collision repairs and the result is “measure your car and see what you get”.

The idea of keeping rubber bushings where the strut rods mount to the body is a good idea for street driven cars whose owner wants to damp out as much of the road jars as possible. There are some forum members that have replaced all metal strut rods with stock style just to improve the ride.

 

4/18/2019 2:02 PM  #3


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

You can also rotate the upper control arm nuts one turn each to move the control arms back by 1/8".  Helps a little to keep the wheel centered and perhaps eliminate a shim or two for caster.  The price on the rods linked above seems pretty good but I'd like to hear from someone who has a set to get an idea on quality.

 

4/18/2019 2:09 PM  #4


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

Basically you are just adding the '67 and later style strut rod to the earlier car.  The best option remains the Shelby/Arning drop, which also relocates the UCA rearward for improved positive caster.  This gets you a better camber curve and better caster all at once.  On early cars this eliminates a stack of shims to get those settings where you want them.  Then you can dial in even more positive caster by adjusting the strut rods.  I consider 3.5 degrees positive minimum for caster, especially if you want power steering. 

 

4/18/2019 2:22 PM  #5


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

TKOPerformance wrote:

Basically you are just adding the '67 and later style strut rod to the earlier car.  The best option remains the Shelby/Arning drop, which also relocates the UCA rearward for improved positive caster.  This gets you a better camber curve and better caster all at once.  On early cars this eliminates a stack of shims to get those settings where you want them.  Then you can dial in even more positive caster by adjusting the strut rods.  I consider 3.5 degrees positive minimum for caster, especially if you want power steering. 

Shelby drop done

I was too low in the front with the lowering heavy springs , so the camber adjustment took most of my UCA bolts so caster was never where it should have been with power steering

Now , I have a 1” insulator that will raise the car some , giving me space to use shims for caster adjustment , and then this adjustable rod will help too

CJ pony parts had them for 69.99 so I pulled the trigger

Last edited by Gaba (4/18/2019 2:23 PM)


If it aint broke, I have'nt tried to "Fix" it yet!
     Thread Starter
 

4/19/2019 4:43 AM  #6


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

Yeah, that's too good to pass up. 

Those tall isolators are great for times like this.  I had a set I could have sent you if I'd known.  I used them on my car initially, thinking I was going to do the Shelby/Arning drop, but didn't do it when I rebuilt the suspension (no ready made templates at the time, and my fab skills were't what they are now so I wasn't willing to risk messing it up).  On stock height springs they made the car sit too high in the front, and had a negative impact on the alignment.  I eventually went to stock isolators and solved the issue.  A couple years back I finally made a template and did the drop, and have been very, very happy with how the car handles as a result. 

 

4/19/2019 2:26 PM  #7


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

If I can get my adjustable strutrods swapped out for stockers before the bash trip, I will sell them cheap.  They are adjustables with heim joints.  They make a clunk at every blip in the pavement.

If you just want adjustment with rubber bushings, just install the later model strut rods that are adjustable.


Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
 

4/19/2019 2:44 PM  #8


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

MS wrote:

If I can get my adjustable strutrods swapped out for stockers before the bash trip, I will sell them cheap.  They are adjustables with heim joints.  They make a clunk at every blip in the pavement.

If you just want adjustment with rubber bushings, just install the later model strut rods that are adjustable.

That’s what these seem to be . Cheap Enough, adjustable , and have bushings


If it aint broke, I have'nt tried to "Fix" it yet!
     Thread Starter
 

4/19/2019 4:15 PM  #9


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

S'plain this to me like I wuza three year old ........
IF you crank down on the "adjustable" strut rods wouldn't that put the lower arm in a bind (because they go up&down in a fixed plane)?
Is the amount of caster a thing of 'if  some is good- then a LOT is better!'?
The Arning drop AND "adjusting" the nut on the A-arm should give wayyy more than the stock settings now we gonna snatch the lower arm some more with adjustable struts!?!
I don't know....what am I missing??
6sal6


Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
 

4/20/2019 7:44 AM  #10


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

I believe the plan, Mike, is that the LCA bushing can stand a certain amount of bind caused by pulling the LCA forward.  In fact, due to the normal arc of the strut rod, the LCA has to swing in a bit of an arc also in the stock config. 

From what I've been told and read, about 5 degrees is optimum for these cars with radial tires and especially with the integral PS box like the Borgeson. 
I have the Arning drop, and moved the UCA back on the shaft one turn.  I can get five degree of positive caster butt (TS&T) to achieve Zero camber and still have a little thread showing on the UCA bolts, I settled for just a touch under 4 degrees.  Car drives great and the Borg box returns fine except the last quarter turn on slow city turns.  That's with all new front end parts and seems to be getting a little better as I go.

The problem I had was with the thick shim stack required to make all of this happen.  When I (actually the guy who did the alignment before the FWB bash) got it to nearly five degrees, the angle between the UCA shaft and the mounting surface was pretty severe.  That caused the "pinch" on the shims to not  be equal on both sides of the "horseshoe".  This allowed the UCA to move around just enough to let the shims work loose.  The result being that the shims fell out and the UCA's wanted to fall off....not good!

To, hopefully, cure that issue I made wedges from 1/2 x 1 1/2 strap with a three degree taper.  That allowed me to add enough shim to dial in the alignment and still have a fairly even pinch on the shims.  I also did the alignment myownself. Guess we'll see how that works on the way to Michigan but so far it seems to be good. 

Sorry to be so long winded.

BB

Last edited by Bullet Bob (4/20/2019 7:51 AM)


"you get what you pay for, good work isn't cheap, and there are NO free lunches...PERIOD!"
 

4/20/2019 1:18 PM  #11


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

I’m running the SoT with rod ends. Don’t let people tell you they’re going to impact ride quality in a negative way. I haven’t found that to be true. Once you get rid of the rubber bushings on strut rod you get consistent operation of the suspension along with alignment. Under braking stability improves substantially. The car will no longer dart side to side.

I agree I wouldn’t add too much more caster with a stock lower arm with a rubber bushing. The only adjusting I would do is fine tune caster. Ford states not to have more then 1/8” difference between shim packs on a control arm. This works out to 2* of caster. The reason for this is you loose contact with the whim pack to control arm. Suspension books will tell you after a certain point to use a wedge shape shin to retain surface area. In order to save money the upper arms were made universal. We start to get on a slippery slope making these cars handle better. It comes down to getting tubular control arms with extra caster and or tubular lower arms with a mono bearing that moves freely in all axis.

My suspension is all tubular with steel bearings. It’s actually not a bad ride at all or noisy like people will tell you. Without binding bushings you have a free moving suspension that readily reacts easily to road conditions


I'm not a complete idiot.....pieces are missing. Tom
 

4/20/2019 10:39 PM  #12


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

I made my own adjustable struts (see my tips post) and have not regretted it.  I have not experienced the clunks I've seen MS post about. There's no doubt the handling is more precise.  I've done everything I can to eliminate the rubber bushing in the suspension (strut rods, spring perches, idler arm) and have not regretted it.  Adjustable struts sure do make it easier to align the front end (another tips post on doing a home alignment).

Last edited by jkordzi (4/20/2019 10:47 PM)


Cheap, Fast, Good:  Pick Any Two
 

4/22/2019 3:24 PM  #13


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

6sally6 wrote:

S'plain this to me like I wuza three year old ........
IF you crank down on the "adjustable" strut rods wouldn't that put the lower arm in a bind (because they go up&down in a fixed plane)?
Is the amount of caster a thing of 'if some is good- then a LOT is better!'?
The Arning drop AND "adjusting" the nut on the A-arm should give wayyy more than the stock settings now we gonna snatch the lower arm some more with adjustable struts!?!
I don't know....what am I missing??
6sal6

Certainly not with rubber bushings.  Even with the poly ones I have I certainly haven't noticed any bind.

Yes, if some positive caster is good a lot is indeed better.  Modern cars run as much as 6 degrees from the factory.  Old cars ran almost none, and in fact some ran negative caster.  Road feel was of no consequence to the American auto industry at the time.  They wanted cars that you could steer with your pinky if they had power steering and easily if they had manual steering.  The only downside to positive caster is that it makes the wheel harder to turn with manual steering, and to a much lesser extent with power steering.  BUT, with power steering, especially with a quick ratio box, you don't want the wheel to be easy to turn.  Otherwise the steering feels darty off center and a bit dangerous. 

The Shelby/Arning drop moves the UCA rearward about 1/8".  That's good for maybe 1.5 degrees of positive caster.  Ideally you want 3.5 or more.  Even with the drops and other adjustments its a lot easier to get to that number if the strut rods are adjustable. 

 

4/24/2019 5:38 AM  #14


Re: Adjustable caster strut rods 65 mustang

TKOPerformance wrote:

Basically you are just adding the '67 and later style strut rod to the earlier car.  The best option remains the Shelby/Arning drop, which also relocates the UCA rearward for improved positive caster.  This gets you a better camber curve and better caster all at once.  On early cars this eliminates a stack of shims to get those settings where you want them.  Then you can dial in even more positive caster by adjusting the strut rods.  I consider 3.5 degrees positive minimum for caster, especially if you want power steering. 

Maybe this is what my alignment guy said and I was not listening properly...


1964-1/2 D Code Coupe - 289 V8, 4 Speed Toploader, 3.00 ratio rear, Autolite 4100 Carb, 15" tires, Pertronix ignition
 

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