Mustang Chassis Upgrade

Owners of late-'60s and early-'70s Mustangs know all too well both the bright spots and blemishes of these highly popular sports cars. They're strong on styling, speed and affordability. However, their suspension, steering and braking weren't particularly noteworthy. Engineering has come a long way in the last few decades, and the automotive aftermarket has developed a wide range of upgrades and retrofits for the Mustang's antiquated chassis design. If you own or are thinking of buying a vintage Mustang (or other related Ford models such as the Cougar, Comet, Fairlane, Falcon, Maverick, and so forth), here's a brief rundown of suspension changes you can make to modernize your pony car. Many of these are from Total Control Products, a company that built the stunt cars for the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" (particularly Eleanor, the flying Shelby GT500).

Frame Stiffness The automotive aftermarket has developed a wide range upgrades and retrofits for the Mustang's antiquated chassis design.
In order to build a house, you start with a firm foundation, right? The same is true of upgrading a car. A stiff chassis is essential for all those performance parts to do their jobs correctly. If the frame flexes too much, you'll be wasting your money on any suspension upgrades.


For a more rigid Mustang platform, start with some subframe connectors that bolt to the underside of the chassis. These can dramatically reduce chassis twist by linking the car's subframes together, creating a unified structure. In addition, a tower brace kit that ties together the top portions of the front suspension in the engine bay can add rigidity as well. A high-quality system typically incorporates lightweight aluminum rods, spherical rod ends and stainless-steel hardware.

Steering
In the steering department, early Mustang systems are known for excessive play, but a new rack-and-pinion unit that reduces the number of turns lock-to-lock from four to, say, three turns can markedly improve your car's handling. While you're at it, a power steering pump with variable sizes of nozzles can allow you to tune the feel of the steering system.


With the chassis stiffened up and the steering improved, the next stage is to address the suspension. One of the major shortcomings of classic Mustangs is their overly soft suspension, due to the stamped-steel parts and rubber bushings. These components allow unwanted deflection, causing erratic handling in hard cornering.