Vintage Mustang Forums banner

Track rear suspension thoughts for a 1966 coupe

7K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  Lance(aka:cyclone03) 
#1 ·
Trying to spin this off my initial post without being too convoluted, I want to get rear suspension opinions. I have a 66 coupe that’s going to be a group2 inspired build. I’m trying to bridge the gap between part time driver and something that can put up a good fight on local track events and autocross. I feel as though i know less than i did going in after researching.

some options I’m looking at are Maiers rear suspension kit with leafs/shackles/shocks/panhard kit. It’s not terribly expensive and as he preaches, a simplistic approach. I was also initially considering a Watts Link and ran across the MustangstoFear link setup that uses coilover and Watts link.

usually my advice is listen to what the guys that win use, but it seems everyone does something different completely and still manages to be very competitive. Overlooking the time in the seat and driver skill portion of the equation, I really don’t know what’s the better route for my needs. naturally if something can meet the goal without costing a fortune great but this is a project that I don’t mind spending the money on to do it right the first time. If the best leaf spring kit is $400 over everyone else then fine, I’ll spend extra. Or if going to a link system is the right way, I’ll go that route.

For you guys with 64.5-66 cars in particular, what path do you advise? I’ll mention too, I’m not concerned with conforming to a particular rule book. The track part is more a have fun thing.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
#3 ·
I disagree with Patrick a little bit, add the Panard or Watts link , Fayes 2 has a nice one.
Watch the rear spring rate,5 is way too stiff. Mid eye "offset" 4 leaf is Mike Maiers set up,only 3 leaf's to the rear. They call them "active" I believe leaf's. Everything else forward for anti wrap.
Careful with bushings, Mike likes urethane front, plain ol stock rear. That allows the little bit of side to side needed to keep the panard bar from causing a bind. I took the Del U Lums out and did this with the Watts Link.
Believe it or not softening the rear helps it grip better coming out of corners, lowering the rear roll center , the biggest benefit to the panard or watts, does a great job helping with corner exit grip.
I ran Del U Lums and 5 1/2 leafs for years until I started autocrossing, softening the rear di good things .
 
#4 ·



1st place:


2nd place:


Choose the SPORT valving or our Double Adjustable Bilsteins and the car is a very comfortable street cruiser and track capable monster. (y)
 
#8 ·
OK then, I will assume you are just choosing not to answer said messages, even from a site administrator. Never mind then and Sorry to interrupt.
 
#9 ·
reading this i am not sure if he meant his response towards you like that, maybe he did not get the hint that you messaged him. i myself did not know that blue dot was indicator for new messages... i thought it was indicating user was online now LMAO seriously i had messages that were many months old.
 
#10 ·
to the original poster, i guess it depends on what style suspension you prefer ? there are many effective ways to go fast, one setup is not inheritly the best for everyone. shauns 3 link kit above is a nice quality setup ( as a bolt in kit that is really nice) . others go fast with good leafs with a panhard / watts. one thing i will say is stay away from a triangulated 4 link setup. they are nice for a sporty cruiser, but not great in a race deal. they have all sorts of geometry issues. they are great for packaging and they look cool LOL.

myself i went with a 3 link with a very long (56 inch) torque arm & fays watts link. double adjustble coilovers. everything adjustable bearing ends. i prefer the torque arm vs traditional short upper arm 3 link.
 
#15 ·
I once had red dots but went to the doctor and he fixed me right up.
 
#16 ·
Bringing this topic back up. Would like to get some input and advice. I've been doing a ton of reading, researching, and thinking through the rear suspension setup. My '65 Fastback is being built into a part street / part track car.

Everything I've read says these cars really need either a Panhard bar or Watts link on the rear end. And I've been concerned about wheel hop too, so trying to make sure I select the right parts combination.

Had decided to go with a Mike Maier setup:
  • MOD rear leafs (5 front leafs and 3 rear leafs in his proprietary springpack...helps eliminate wheel hop)
  • MOD bushing setup (poly front / rubber rear bushings)
  • 1" lowering blocks (otherwise would be at stock ride height)
  • MOD Panhard bar
  • MOD driver side spring plate (Panhard comes with Passenger side spring plate)
Contacted Maier today to place the (gulp) $1,600 order. Neither the leafs or the Panhard parts are available to ship. At best they are looking at 1+ month out (and it could be longer depending on when their parts order comes in).

My car is currently on the lift at my buddy's shop without a rear suspension. Really need it back on the ground by late August (when the new 9" rear axle arrives). Don't think I can wait 1+ month to maybe get Maier parts and then only find out they may not know when they will have parts ready to ship...

So, I'm looking at other options. Now leaning towards Global West (already have their front coil springs and a set of 4 single adjustable Konis). Now I'm thinking this combination of parts:
  • Global West
    • "CAT 5" reverse eye leaf spring pack (lowers the rear either 1.25" or 1.5")
    • Spherical bearings on front and rear of leaf spring eyelets
    • Del-a-lum bushings for the rear frame
  • Ron Morris rear spring plates
The above GW+RM parts are ~$1,350. About $250 less than the Maier parts comboi. Global West says there's no need for lowering blocks or a Panhard bar. Plus there's no welding required that comes with Panhard bar installation.

According to Global West's webpage:

  • "...a reverse eye cat-5 mustang performance rear leaf spring....The difference between a cat-5 reverse eye leaf and standard reverse eye is the rear leaf spring eyelet dimension. The cat-5 is larger, it will measure approximately 1.625 inside dimension. A standard reverse eye rear leaf spring will measure approximately 1.350 inside dimension."
  • "The spherical bearing and bushing combination do not allow the leaf springs to move laterally. Standard rubber and polyurethane bushings do; therefore, using a CAT-5 system eliminates the use of a panhard rod or any other lateral-locating device. Therefore if you use a panhard rod with Del-a-lum bushings, in this application, you will create bind in the rear suspension."

For a car that will see aggressive street use and some track use too:
  1. Can anyone weigh in, from experience, on the Global West leaf springs for street+track use?

  2. Do you any of you know (again from experience!) that the use of the above Global West setup is really equal to other leaf spring setups that ALSO utilize a Panhard bar?

  3. Wheel hop. How well do the Global West parts handle wheel hop? (will be running ~500 crank horsepower...so probably ~425 hp at the rear wheels)
 
#17 ·
I disagree with no rear locating device , I spent a lot of money 3 times....
The Watts link was the single best addition to the rear of my car.
If a rule package does not require rear leafs give Shaun a call....
For leafs John at Open Tracker or Mike Maier . You can also go to Cobra Automotive as they actively Race on leafs...but it will cost you. I thought I had a picture,but they have a 3 link set up that uses leafs and spring floaters, but it not a kit and it’s not cheap.
 
#18 ·
@Lance(aka:cyclone03) Thanks. Actually your comments earlier in this thread helped confirm that Maier was probably the best route for me on rear suspension.

Hadn't given Cobra Automotive much thought for rear suspension and unless I'm seriously competing on the track their "competition" suspension prices are out of my league. I've even looked into Hane Performance too, but I'm concerned their narrow leafs won't handle the potential for wheel hop (requires Panhard/Watts + CalTracs or other traction adder).

At this stage, I'd prefer staying with leafs and not doing more than a Panhard or Watts. So a 3 link, 4 link, or coil conversion isn't the direction (or amount of $) I'd like to spend.
 
#19 ·
@Lance(aka:cyclone03) Thanks. Actually your comments earlier in this thread helped confirm that Maier was probably the best route for me on rear suspension.

Hadn't given Cobra Automotive much thought for rear suspension and unless I'm seriously competing on the track their "competition" suspension prices are out of my league. I've even looked into Hane Performance too, but I'm concerned their narrow leafs won't handle the potential for wheel hop (requires Panhard/Watts + CalTracs or other traction adder).

At this stage, I'd prefer staying with leafs and not doing more than a Panhard or Watts. So a 3 link, 4 link, or coil conversion isn't the direction (or amount of $) I'd like to spend.
how much power do you plan on having ? in a high hp application you are asking a set of leafs to do a ton of work, it makes no sense lol. even with good leafs i would still use a traction device. and leafs limit your tire size too. biased response because i am against leaf springs in a race car unless you have less than 350 hp lol.
if you are set on leafs and have a good amount of hp you can find a reasonable priced torque arm, they work with leafs and you will get no wheel hop when its set up right. but add up good leafs + watts or panhard + torque arm you gotta be somewhat close to a 3 link price range. im betting that a good set leaf spring with a watts + torque arm would compete equivalently to about anything. Lots of options for these old cars !
 
#22 · (Edited)
@bikefreak600 the car will have 507 crank horsepower and ~431 ft/lbs of torque (dyno confirmed this past weekend). Very likely traction adders will be needed...but John at OTR even suggested slipping in an extra 1/2 leaf on the top front of the pack before jumping into other more expensive options.

Thanks @pancuronium for the reply and suggestion. I'm not building a 100% dedicated track car. Its a weekend only car for the street and the track.

The SorT 3 link rear end costs $3,000 plus another $2,300 for the SorT 9" rear end housing and I'll still need to buy a 3rd member with gears and brakes (another $1,500 minimum). All in that's almost $7,000. That's just too much cash outlay right now. And I'd like this car to be somewhat true to the Mustangs that were raced in the mid to late 1960s (that alone knocks out a 3 link and conversion to coil springs).

I've spoken to Mike Maier and John at OTR. Both were recommending basically the same Maier Racing leafspring + panhard bar setup (as in my earlier post). However, parts shortages at the moment (thanks to COVID-19) means I can't get MM leafsprings for 1.5 - 2 months. With my entire existing rear end and suspension sold this past weekend, I have to move forward and buy what I can to get my car off the lift at my buddy's shop in <30 days.

This is the route I'm going to take (suspension items recommended by OTR):
  • OTR reverse eye 5 leaf spring packs: higher 170# spring rate, addresses wheel hop, will help support the extra weight I'm adding to the rear (22 gallon fuel tank, Tank Armor plate, rear battery location); while the springs are a 2" drop, since I was running standard GT springs with a 1" lowering block and will now have a 3" rear axle housing (vs. stock 2.5") I'll be gaining 1/2" of rear drop at most.
  • Del-A-Lum Bushings: all 3 bushings (front eye, rear eye, chassis frame); from OTR but are Global West products
  • Viking Shocks: dual adjustable shocks on front and rear; modern shock valving handles (and rides) better than Koni single adjustable; quick and easy to dial-in over a weekend to go from street to track and back to street use again with no shock removal for adjustment settings
  • Panhard Bar or Watts Link: none; OTR feels that with the above Del-a-Lums, I likely may not "need" any additional lateral control; but if I do at a later date I can add a Watts Link
  • Leafspring Plates: either Mike Maier or Ron Morris Performance
And thanks again to @patrickstapler, @Lance(aka:cyclone03), @2nd 66, @bikefreak600 and everyone else who chimed in on this thread!
 
#23 ·
GT350R I’m surprised no one has recommended the Global West Cat5 rear springs with the spherical bearings..
 
#24 ·
@Jsams yeah that's what I leaning to in post #16 of this thread, but no one weighed in on those parts. After a combination of @patrickstapler, John at OTR, and a couple other off-forum people all recommended reverse eye springs with Del-a-Lums that's the route I went...

It's a fairly modest price point for the reverse eye leafs and Del-a-Lums. If I don't like that part of the rear setup, I can sell those to someone with a street-only car and switch to different springs and bushings and carry-over the other parts.
 
#25 ·
GT350R ..If you splurge on anything pricey for the rear end, go with a watts link. Everyone i have heard comment that was the single best improvement. You could try some of the under rider shelby style traction bars or caltracs, ive heard they work pretty well. I almost had a custom adjustable panhard for sale when i realized mine was not going to work with my coilovers setup. i made it when i still had leaf springs, then built a watts link and realized i can re-use the panhard as a heavy duty monte carlo bar LOL.
 
#26 ·
I've been following this and and other threads for a while. I currently run GW 5 leaf reverse eye rears with Del-a-Lum bushings. As of last week I have added two 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 5" steel plates to the spring pack to act as lowering blocks. Front end is SoT "sport" coil overs. My problem moving forward is if you are going to be competitive in autocross CamT you are going to need over 10" in rear tread and you can't do that with leafs or most 4 links. Mini tubs for sure but I have never got a response from Shaun on just how much tire you can run with his 3 link. I did run against a guy this weekend in a super nice 65 hardtop with all the SoT goodies including the 3 link that he moved the axle mounting points in to allow 285 "something" 18"s. I barely edged him out but his super experienced co driver got my by 1/2 a second. It would seem the more you move the link mounting points toward the center of the axle the worse the car will handle.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top