anyone got a pic of a STOCK 1979-2004 GT rear springs, and a tape measured overall length? hoping someones got a old set lying around they might be able to get a pic/dimensions of- any help sure appreciated

helping my 16 yr old son redo a '90 mark vii, gave him my old 89 for extra parts, but my old Arnott coil spring conversion apparently sagged from sitting like 8 yrs...shoulda just repaired his air suspension, but i hated the 'occasional issues' that pop up with it, so we swapped the coils in, but its riding kinda low.

I borrowed a set of rear springs from a buddy, mustang gt BBK (#2501) 1.5" lowering springs, was interesting that they fit both fox and sn-95 chassis- they have 7.5 turns total of approx 9/16 wire, 11" free length, rockers sat at 7.5" from the ground, the old Arnott conversion coils are 6.5 turns of approx 17/32 wire, 12.5" free length, sits 8" off the ground...old ride height was closer to 9".

so I'm assuming the non 1.5" drop OE springs will gain us about a inch of ride height... just wish Arnott published their specs, but it looks to me like mustang parts fit their adapters perfectly, and at nearly the same loaded heights. just want to be more certain before he buys any springs- think a boneyard set should be ok, hes paying his own way thru this- finding out how hard it is to earn vs spend he just spent his first paycheck on new tires, think all up hes got about 1500 in it now- and a couple hundred hours

thanks in advance for any info-
Tim

 

I've done coil conversions on Mark VII's....a LOT of them over the years but have gotten out of the Mark's for the most part. The mustang springs will fit but can be short. A stock rear spring out of a '92 LX I have here is 13" unsprung. We used to use T-bird rear springs and that is probably what Arnott and strutmasters are using if I were to guess. Be careful lowering the car too much as the double U joint on the back of the driveshaft can pick up a vibration.

 

thanks Paul- I'll check out the t-bird springs too, probably closer to the right weight...I just tried a mustang spring as i saw one loose a buddy had and it looked pretty close.

when you were working on Marks, ever find a better lower front control arm bushing that wasnt so soft as the OEMs, but still rode OK? my old 89 that was my biggest beef- in hard cornering it felt kinda loose, new bushings helped for a year, but they are awful thick rubber and seem to soften up pretty quick

heres a pic of his 90(with lots of parts scavenged off my rusty 89), as you can see, its definitely sitting a bit too low.

Tim

 

I put polyurethane bushings in a few Mark VII's and they improved handling but they got stiff. My favorite combination was a stock front control arm bushing and a Poly rear bushing set....kept a decent ride but also stopped the back end from shifting and settling in on a corner. Some people like the poly all around but I thought it was a bit much.

 

Just a follow up, we put a set of tbird rear springs in, sits up much better-thanks for the info... Next looking for a set of 94-04 front arms and springs from a v8 mustang, know the ball joints are a little different, guess the stock spindles can be reamed for the larger taper...we'll see. The only 94-04 at the local pull apart was a v6 with rusty arms, so just waiting for one to pop up...

 

Hi. first time poster, what year of tbird springs did you use for this? i ma having an issue, this might resolve it.

 

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oh man, its been a minute, and I honestly cant remember...oldest son drove it a year, sold it to third oldest son 5 yrs ago or more, its sat here in the driveway since...hes talking about giving it to youngest son, but we're redoing my old mercury first...sorry but cant remember tbird year we stripped them from- it looked like my moms old 1990 though. hopefully youre long done with this
tim