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One of the more primitive
aspects of classic Mustang
and Ford cars is the
leaf-spring rear suspension
found on most models-dating
to the horse and buggy days
and usually reminiscent of
riding a buckboard. Besides
offering varying levels of
ride quality, the rear leaf
springs do a poor job of
preventing axle windup
during a hard start. The
spring actually winds up
with the torque from the
axle, and when it lets go,
all traction is lost.


It's not the best recipe for
a street-performance Mustang
or racer. With soft rubber
bushings front and rear, the
leaf-spring suspension also
does a fairly poor job of
keeping the axle centered
inside the car's body. The
axle travels side to side
during a hard turn, spoiling
steering accuracy and feel
while encouraging the
rearend of the car to
wander. Even with a great
front suspension, these
rear-suspension hurdles
should be addressed for a
serious high-performance
Mustang.
Revelation Racing Supply of
Australia now offers a
state-of-the-art 3-Link rear
suspension ($3,500 through
RRS) to fit classic Mustangs
and select classic Fords.
It's a far better
arrangement than the stock
leaf-spring suspension from
both an acceleration and
handling standpoint, as it
precisely controls axle
movement in all three planes
of motion. An equal-length
Watts linkage assembly
locates the axle in the
center of the car while
firmly controlling any
sideways movement. A center
torque arm or traction bar
attaches to the front of the
differential case and
prevents axle windup with
its long moment of leverage.
Dual trailing arms locate
the axle in the
front-to-rear plane, while
coil springs installed over
Koni shocks support the
weight of the car. The OE
leaf springs are eliminated
entirely.
Join us as we venture to
Autoworks International in
El Cajon, California, where
we'll see just what's
involved in putting this
advanced suspension system
onto a classic '67 Mustang.
It's an easier job than you
might think.
Here are the new
3-Link
suspension
components from
Revelation
Racing Supply.
At the top is
the rear-axle
torque arm,
which is made to
install onto the
rear axlehousing
using the
differential
stud pattern.
The forward end
of the arm
pivots in the
front
crossmember.
That is the
equal-length
Watts linkage
setup shown
alongside the
coilover shocks
made by Koni.
The coil springs
on the outside
of the shocks
are manufactured
by Eibach. The
coilover shocks
allow for
complete
ride-height
adjustability.
The rear main
crossmember is
at the center of
the picture
while the front
crossmember is
just below it.
The two trailing
arm assemblies
are shown at
bottom along
with the
mounting
brackets that
tie the
suspension
members
together. A wide
variety of
specialized
fasteners are
included in the
kit.
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At Autoworks
International we
have our subject
Mustang up on a
rotisserie. This
makes access
easy and adds
clarity to the
installation
procedure.
Autoworks owner
Matt Couper
begins by
locating the
front
crossmember in
the correct
position.
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Once Matt is
satisfied with
the
crossmember's
position,
C-clamps are
applied to keep
the alignment
true while the
installation
holes are being
drilled. The
holes are then
opened to the
final 11/42-inch
diameter with a
stepped bit.
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Washers with
attached
center-tube
framerail-reinforcement
sections are
installed into
the framerail.
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The forward
crossmember
attaches to the
framerails.
Because the
interior tubes
are exactly the
correct length,
the fasteners
can be tightened
down firmly
without
collapsing the
framerails.
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Next, the
fasteners go
through the
floorpan. Every
nut has a nylon
locking collar,
making lock
washers
unnecessary.
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