Any suggestions for front suspension upgrades??

[Fordman75]

This spring I'm going to be rebuilding the front suspension on my LTD. So I want to start collecting parts.

I was just wondering if there are any upgrades I can do while I'm at it? I've already got a pair of KYB GR-2's for it. But which sway bar? which springs? Is there any upgrades as far as the control arms go?

And what year panthers have the big front brakes that can be used? And what's required to swap them in?

Thanks.

[gadget73]

Brakes: big fronts are 1998-2002. Lower control arms are the same from 79-02, so no point in changing them. New bushings are in order but the arms are the same. For the brakes you need 98-02 spindles, rotors, calipers, caliper bracket. 92-95 (i think) upper control arms. You might need to replace your center link because apparently 79-82 used different tie rod ends and other stuff. You can use a 92-02 center link if you get a pitman arm, idler arm, tie rod ends and sleeves to match.
You can use any 79-02 spring, but depending what you're going for you might want to look at the police springs, as they're a bit stiffer. The later style front sway bars are also better because of how they mount. Old ones use those endlinks with the rubber donuts to the lower control arms. New ones use a solid link with a little ball in the end direct to the spindle for less give. Rear bars you want a 79-91 police rear.

[Fordman75]

Thanks Gadget that's the info I was looking for.

Can anyone tell me for sure about the age of the upper control arms I'll need? Are they the 92-95's like Gadget said? And what's the difference between the police control arms and the base models?

And will the 92-02 pitman arm fit the 79 steering box?

And will a rear diff out of a 99 fit?

[DuceAnAHalf]

Thanks Gadget that's the info I was looking for.

Can anyone tell me for sure about the age of the upper control arms I'll need? Are they the 92-95's like Gadget said? And what's the difference between the police control arms and the base models?

And will the 92-02 pitman arm fit the 79 steering box?

And will a rear diff out of a 99 fit?

The Diff will not fit. In 98 they went to a parallel 4-bar set up, the 79 uses a un-parrallel 4-bar. You can take everything out of a 99 diff and put it in your 79 diff though.

As for springs and such check out the sticky at the top of the forum about suspension parts that will of would work.

[gadget73]

I can't swear the range of years for those upper arms. Mine came from like a 93 or 94. They started using this style with the new body design in 1992, but I don't know for sure if the last year was 95 or 96. The arms are fairly easy to identify. If you open the hood of an aero, you're looking for the arm that is a cast unit with the bolt-on ball joint that still has the pivot shaft through it like your original 1979 arm. Newer ones don't have the pivot shaft, and earlier are the big stamped steel type. You can get an arm off a newer car, they're the same till 2002, but it doesn't have the shaft. You end up pressing the bushings out of your 79 upper arm, press the bushings out of the newer arm, swap the shaft over, then press new bushings in. If you get the arm with the pivot, you can just change the bushings on the new ones. Laziness wins .

[Fordman75]

Ok Thanks, I did a search on car-parts.com and it looks like the range on the upper control arms is 92-94.

Any ideas on the difference between the police control arms and the base ones?

[88MercWagon]

police control arms are a hell of alot beffier. There's a pic of one on here somewhere

[Fordman75]

Ok that makes sense. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a different size shank on the ball joint or something like that. I found a pair at a local salvage yard.

[93 Marquis]

Ford switched the mounting design in '95. FYI, the '95-up upper control arms won't accept the pre-'93 bushings. The last year for the shaft mounted arm was '94, so you'll want to stick with those for your big brake up-grade.

The lower ball joint changed in the '95 model year as well. You'll need to update them to work with the newer spindles.

Ray

[Fordman75]

Thanks for the info Ray!!