I installed 1978 mutang II IFS into my 64 falcon wagon,Its all done except for painting,detailing and then final alignment.But i have discovered that the drivers side front coil spring Is about as firm as a wet marshmallow..I need to change it out. I have no idea what the mustang donor car had for an original engine. I am wondering what i should use for a replacement set of springs,My Falcon convertible IFS when i first did the swap back in 1989,Had an IFS from a pinto actually,that had a 4cyl in it,And when i thought the springs may be a bit mushy so installed a set of coilover shocks,To my surprise i found the car rode like a tank! so i removed the coilovers installed a cheap pair of no-name brand shocks.It till rode a bit harsh but it was an improvement. Im wondering what i should use this time as i will replace both sides,Should i use a set of springs from a V8 mustang II,V6 or a 4cyl car? Does anyone here have a similar set up under their falcon/comet etc? and what did you use for frnt springs? Im trying to avoid a stiff bone breaking ride and also trying to avoid marshmellow nose dives when i hit the brakes
You didn't mention what engine you have. For my 1948 Chevy panel truck with MMII I used the six cyl springs and cut one coil on each side to make it lower. Also did you install those rubber rings below the springs? I also run just regular mid priced shocks. Some people go to performance type shocks which end up giving a rough ride. So much hype about air bags, coil overs. etc. Really a shock inside a spring is a coil over!:confused:
woops! i have decided against the 428,Its really too much engine.It would be good if i was just going to use the wagon for fun.But it will be my daily driver. I will be running a 302/fmx..i hate the fmx cuz i dont have a shifter that will work.I have to modify a factory C4 or C6 floor shifter..or spend over $200 for one from a vendor.Im not going to go crazy on the IFS the convertible i drove for years with no trouble using factory components.I just was wondering what others may have used for springs..the 4cyl spring i was running were too stiff and i dont know if 6cyl or V8 springs would be a better choice. Yes i did use the rubber donuts under the springs.I didnt change anything from what was already there on the suspension.I only added the coilover shocks because i thought the 4cyl springs would be too mushy and i didnt have other options at the time..after i began driving it,i felt it was too harsh,Thats why i added the cheapo shocks.After that i put nearly 100,000mi on the car.
On a Ford, I've found the best riding and handling, and least expensive option is the stock, bought from Ford, gas shocks. They are considerably less money than the aftermarket, are made by Monroe, and seem to last better than anything. Since your Falcon is an inline 6, I would go with the 6 cylinder strut for the Mustang II front suspension. I would also match that with rear shocks of the same general type. It's always nice when both ends of a car react the same way to bumps.
the only options were 4cyl,v6 and 302...Pintos and mustangs weigh about the same in the nose as the Falcon....so it would all come down to how you want it to ride? footnote;....the v6 only weighs a few LBS less than a small block
Used to build/own a bunch of MIIs...all the stock rate springs (yes, this includes the 302 A/C spring) are too weak. I always (after learning the hard way) went to a foxbody spring...same ID/OD/coil ends and a much better selection of heights and rates. If you can find a place that still has the paper books, there's a numerical listing in the back with all the specs for all the springs. Not really a lot of difference between the various MII springs (4/6/8), but they were trying for a "big-car" ride at the time. If you're interested, I could look to see if I still have notes on which springs I used on mine...a MII is a fairly nose-neavy car with a 302 in it, so I usually went up quite a bit on the rate. FWIW, Monroe does not manufacture high pressure gas shocks..unless that's changed recently. Gas shocks, yes, but not a high pressure one. I used and liked the regular Gabriel high pressure gas shock available at any parts store. Also like KYB gas-a-just shocks, but never used them on a II.
