Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Topic: Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please.. (Read 1863 times) previous topic - next topic

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

December 07, 2017, 06:50:42 PM

So my car is an 85 turbobird (well, was turbo in a previous life). circle track car so I need as much adjustability for camber as possible, and the least amount of bumpsteer, but I plan to use the bumpsteer kit/heim tie rods for that. My plan is the entire front knee swap ( as we call them in the junkyard, strut down to lower control arm) to achieve my 5lug and better brakes up front. I know there are different lengths of lower arms, and I *believe* mine are the longer of the two, ive tried searching and its all confusing as hell to me. strut lengths, LCA lengths, just shoot me haha. can anyone shed some light on it?? ive read that in the circl track world, the longer LCF is a common trick for the RF for added negative camber, but if ive already got the 'longer' arms (which aren't they the same as the 94+ arms?) couldn't I use a shorter LCF on the LF to help my positive camber where I need it on the driver's side? SN ball joint in a early 'short' LF LCA so it matches the spindles? Im considering coilovers too if it makes any difference.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #1 – December 07, 2017, 08:38:31 PM

Yes, the sn95 lfca’s are the same length as the longer tbird arms. My 85 turbo coupe did have 14” Lfca’s . Everything I searched said it should of had the shorter 13” arms. Fox mustangs also run the shorter 13” lfca’s.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #2 – December 08, 2017, 01:39:37 AM

Throw some sn-95 front springs at it as well. This will drop the car a bit, should give ya a bit more camber. Then get some caster camber plates. I would run maximum motor sports as they make them for our cars and bolt right up.

I've seen guys use mustang caster camber plates, but you will have to redrill or enlarge or slot some holes to make them work. Bolt pattern is completely different, might not be enough sheet metal on the top of the tower without filling the old holes, then you will have to make sure everything is centered properly.

Since its a dirt track car and mustsng plates are way easier to find cheap/used, that might be the easier/cheaper was to go.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #3 – December 08, 2017, 11:55:19 AM

its an asphault car, I am torn between regular springs and coilovers, what's the diameter of the stock coils? ive got a slew of 5" diameter coils from my last car, but I think they're too wide. I like the adjustability of height/rate with coilovers, just not sure of what rates ill need, but speedway sells all kinds of springs in all kinds of rates so ill address that when the time comes haha. seems Im 50/50 with tubular K members too, am I reading that correctly with the bird chassis being slightly different than the rest of the fox chassis?

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #4 – December 08, 2017, 05:49:42 PM

Quote from: kellyracing;463909

its an asphault car, I am torn between regular springs and coilovers, what's the diameter of the stock coils? ive got a slew of 5" diameter coils from my last car, but I think they're too wide. I like the adjustability of height/rate with coilovers, just not sure of what rates ill need, but speedway sells all kinds of springs in all kinds of rates so ill address that when the time comes haha. seems Im 50/50 with tubular K members too, am I reading that correctly with the bird chassis being slightly different than the rest of the fox chassis?

The suspension is slightly different. The rear control arms are a different length than any of the others, but the front control arms are the same length as the sn95 mustangs. The K-member is different, but you can use a fox mustang K-member by using spacers(MM sells a kit). A full setup from Maximum Motorsports will fit your bill perfectly, just give them a ring and they'll help you out.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #5 – December 09, 2017, 02:14:54 PM

All of my 83-85 cars have had the shorter Fox Mustang FCA.

It *is* possible that the 85.5 and later cars had the longer arms, but the vast majority of the research and info has pointed at the 87-88 cars only having the longer arms. The 85-86 cars were oddballs.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #6 – December 09, 2017, 10:10:03 PM

Holy , props to MM, emailed them with some questions and the response i got was waaayyy more than i could have imagined. Ill definitely be using them for my suspension parts.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #7 – December 10, 2017, 11:59:08 PM

Chuck, I remember reading that the '86 through '88 cars had the longer SN95 style arms, though I have no real world data to prove it. I CAN say however that ANY car with the Mustang style mounts (k member) does indeed have the shorter CA's.

I've only ever seen the longer arms on those cars with that k member...that is, the one that has the mounts that bolt to the K member with the long horizontal bolt. '86-88.

And to the OP...there's differences that will play into effect between the Sn95 spindles too. '94-'95 are different than the '96-04. I won't go into much detail here as it's covered extensively elsewhere here, but the general consensus is that stock ride height cars are best served with '94-5 spindles, and lowered cars with bumpsteer kits can use the '96 and up stuff with good results. Wheel backspacing might be a consideration, as the '96+ spindles will move the wheel and track width out by a half inch or even 3/4 inch or thereabouts. I ran the 94-95 stuff on an '88 Sport with Bullitt wheels from an '04 and they fit perfect, was using SN95 springs...seems like from a '97 GT...was about perfect in terms of ride height and tire placement. No rubbing.

Help me get to the bottom of the 85 to SN95 suspension swap please..

Reply #8 – December 11, 2017, 12:08:09 PM

Its well known that all of the SCCA guys ran the SN95 style control arms on their Fox Mustangs to gain added negative camber. I have a buddy that had a bad ass 89 Coupe with a full Griggs setup and SN95 length control arms. You will have to flare the front fenders to get things to clear if you run more than a 245 width front tire. If you really want this car to stay pinned to the ground skip the McPherson strut and go SLA. Griggs has them and so does Agent 47, I have no experience with any other brand.