buckfu

Hey all,

It's been a while since I've posted, my dad and I have been enjoying the 68 fastback we finished a year ago.

- stock 289
- 3spd manual trans.
- Granada disc conversion up front, drums in rear

anyway, I've been thinking about that baby sitting in storage over winter, and of course the mod bug keeps biting me.... We spent so much of our time & money into restoring the body and interior, that the suspension and such was really left to stock, or at least new stock replacement parts, and no upgraded versions.

I'm not very knowledgeable about the complex details that make upgrading the supsension, and reducing 'bumpsteer', let alone the various options that are out there. I've been reading various threads about products, and they all sound great, but it's difficult to make a decision when you're not sure about fit & finish and overall satisfaction from the greater mustang community.

I am looking to put together a plan, part list, and a budget to take my dad's mustang to the next phase, and really make it a complete, solid ride. We're not looking to race it, but to make it a solid ride that we will feel confident sitting behind the wheel. I would greatly appreciate everyone's feedback to help make this happen.

Areas I'm wanting to begin listing out are:

- Steering:
Manual Rack & Pinion kits

- Suspension:
Front & Back

- Brakes:
Front & Rear, we already have the granada swap up front, but looking to improve this more

- Transmission:
Car has the stock 3speed manual.


Please list any additional items such as sub-frame connectors, etc. From my research I've found places like Global West that provide complete handling packages, brake kits, etc...curious what people think of them. Also have the Total Control Products site bookmarked. It's just tough to know the pros and cons of these things, and hopefully ya'll can shed some light on these areas for us. Thanks in advance.

KungFuDan

Not any help with your ?'s but I just wanted to say great looking car!! I bet your itching to get it out of storage..I live in Madison and the spring itch it very much alive right now. I'm getting a 66 GT Fastback in a month or so. If you ever make it down this way, give me a hollar. It would be fun to go cruising the capitols surrounding areas with ya!! Your car looks [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/drool.gif[/img]

buckfu

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KungFuDan @ February 23, 2006, 7:07 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Not any help with your ?'s but I just wanted to say great looking car!! I bet your itching to get it out of storage..I live in Madison and the spring itch it very much alive right now. I'm getting a 66 GT Fastback in a month or so. If you ever make it down this way, give me a hollar. It would be fun to go cruising the capitols surrounding areas with ya!! Your car looks [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/drool.gif[/img]
[/b][/quote]


Thanks KFD, We are very pleased with the way it turned out.... at first folks were skeptical of the 2004 Jaguar Platinum color I recommended, but as soon as it was on, the paint guy said, 'that color is perfect'...now we just need to begin looking to the future and bringing the other equally important aspects up to the same level as the 'look' so that the function equals the form. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img]

My reasoning for this post and help to make this list is two-part, 1) to help continue the 'fun' my dad and I have working on the car, and 2) I made the decision to put money into this classic car, rather than purchase an 06. rather than spending 30k for the car, plus everything I would want to put on it to put more of the retro feel into an 06, I could take much less money and raise the 68 to a great road handler, and have something very special.

buckfu

Hello folks,
It's been quite a while since I posted, and not much has changed since my father and I finished the car mentioned above, except the fact that on my father's birthday he asked if he could store the car in my new garage, of course I said yes, and when he came with the car he handed me the keys with a smile and said, "You'll be needing this too." as he handed me an envelope with the title..... My heart started pounding like my first buck in hunting season! I couldn't believe it.

So with that, I need to develop a plan to begin saving up for the parts and enhancements we dreamed of back then (getting married changes perspective a bit!)

Anyway, I would like to focus on the areas below:

1) transmission: 3spd to manual T5
I see the FAQs are STILL not working, so if anyone can provide some feedback on a budget/parts list for accomplishing this, would be much appreciated.

2) rear-end swap
I really don't know anything about this, lol but currently there's a very noticeable whine that comes from the rear-end. not sure what to do, but figured this could be part of the tranny swap process.

3) steering
current/original steering is very worn at center and has a lot of play, needs to be improved.

I could look at suspension and brakes, but I figure I'm not taking it to the track or driving crazy with it so our current suspension and disc brake setup should be sufficient for several years. If I can find a way to improve those 3 areas this car would be rollin pretty well for a long time.

ANY feedback for places to look for these parts, brands, manufacturers, would be so greatly appreciated. I really want to put a plan to begin saving for this and make it happen and I could really use ya'lls help.

Thanks in advance,
B

BA Mustang

T5 swap is easy. You just need the T5, T5 crossmember, and T5 adapter plate. I found out the yoke is the same for the 3 speed as it is the T5 and C4 automatic transmission, so no need to swap that out. Your driveshaft may need to be shortened, but I'd check first before paying someone to shorten it or buying a new one.

The adapter plate will require drilling of the bellhousing to create a couple holes for bolts to go through.

Also I believe the T5 needs to be pre 1994, because after that the input shafts are too long and even the adapter plate won't help.

kennyg

Forget the T-5, unless you are going to spring for a World class. Its just a weak 4 speed with OD. Keep your Stang more original and buy yourself a quality rebuilt 4 speed toploader and go out and pound on that thing. I hear more about broken T-5s than praises for their performance.

buckfu

Great information/feedback, very much appreciated. I found a helpful site on the T5 swap, http://www.stangnet.com/tech/t5swap.html, but I'll do some more research into the rebuilt 4spd option as well.

The other things I'm most concerned about are

- the 'whine' from the rear end and what would be required to put new gears/bearings? or should I just replace the whole dang thing?

- I think the clutch plate is bad, b/c when taking off from a stop, we basically need to let out the clutch with no gas, then ease into taking off. If I try to accelerate as I let out the clutch, she just starts buckin.. and yes I know how to drive a stick

Thanks for the feedback I really do appreciate it, I'm not the biggest gearhead, so having good feedback/advice to go on means a lot to help me make the right decisions

OKLACOP

Buckfu,

I just purchased a Flaming River manual rack. As soon as it's installed I'll give you some feedback. Right now it's sitting in my garage awaiting my car to be painted.