Old Fords never die

The plan is to install a Mk4/5 Ford Cortina front IFS and a Jag rear IFS. The object is to strip, clean and paint it. On the build up the springs are to be lowered by 2" and Ford Capri 2.8 vented discs fitted with Princess 4 pot calipers. The rear will get uprated spings and all parts reconditioned if required.

This shot shows the nearside front suspension partly dismantled. I am having problems with taking the top bolt out of the shock absorber. Gallons of WD40 has not worked. Heat is needed - this I do not have but I am in the process of sorting that out.

New Gas shocks, -2" lowered springs, vented discs, upper arm bushes and caliper seal kits.

Also shown are some of the suspension units that have been painted ready to be re-fitted.

Front suspension virtually complete installed back onto car.  Car is really low now - hard to tell from picture.

Close up of the front suspension unit with the Gabriel front shocks and lowered front springs fitted.

The Anti Roll Bar was fitted to the car with its new Superflex Polyurethane bushes. The only thing needed was to fabricate some mounting brackets for the front mounts. I stuck some cardboard in place and offered up the front mounts to mark out the bracket (see outline in the picture above). I also wanted to do something different than having a plain rectangle bracket. I sketched some flames out on paper, cut them out and stuck it on to the cardboard template. This was then transferred to the 3mm sheet metal ready to cut out.

Here you can see the metal bracket welded in place with the 3 holes ready for the front mount bracket to be fitted. It turned out sort of OK. It was harder than I thought. There is only so many tools, blades etc. I wanted to buy. The Anti Roll Bar is currently been cleaned up and painted. Should be ready for installation soon.
Update June 2009 Now have a small grinder so this will get all smoothed out before paint prep takes place.

ARB bracket fabricated and fitted.  All new Polyflex bushes (blue) used throught out front suspension.

Here we can see the bottom arm showing where the offset position of the shock needs to be.

Plans do not always work out.  This is the case with the front suspension.  The shocks were sort of ok but the springs were too low and did not have a satisfactory spring rate.  A call to GAZ sorted this out, hopefully.  A pair of adjustable shocks were purchased together with a pair of custom made standard height springs at a spring rate of 350lbs per spring. All this was put together and re-fitted to the car. Time will tell if this works out ok.