Looking at going one of two routes with my 69 Mustang fastback drag car.

A. Full on rack and pinion setup with tubular a-arms and coil overs.
Advantages: 1. extreme weight reduction, 2. room for any engine, particularly those BBF Blue Thunder heads with the BBC exhaust for a possible 514-540 BBF. 3. Off the shelf tube chassis headers will fit. 4. Lot's more adjustablility in the front end.
Disadvantages: 1. Cost. prob looking at $2K+ for the whole deal. 2. Hassle with crossmember/oil pan issues. 3. General headaches/ gotchas that go with major projects. 4. Hassle of remounting radiator and front end sheet metal.

B: Rebuild stock front end with aluminum/delrin bushings, change out stock drum brakes for some much lighter Wilwood stuff, add some *good* shocks (currently using CE 3 ways at 90/10), add some adjustable travel limiters. Car has way too much front end travel. Keeps going up when it should be going forward.

Advantages: 1. Cost, brakes $600, shocks $300, front end rebuild $300. 2. Much easier to install. 3. Would be much harder to mess it up, most of the gotchas have been dealt with by other people. 4. Some weight savings from the brakes.

Disadvantage: 1. Not as adjustable. 2. BBF will fit, but not any fun to work on, Blue Thunder heads with BBC ports out of the question. 3. Still heavy up front

Originality is not a concern. The car has already been back-halved with aluminum interior and dash, ladder bars / coil-overs. For those who have not seen it, my web site has pics:
http://home.earthlink.net/~racrcole/index.html

Any opinions welcomed.

Later,

David Cole

I'd do "A" if you can swing it financially. Even if you ever sell your race car, it would be worth a couple thousand more with this mod. Hell I'd buy it from you! You ready to sell it yet?

SteveW

Steve,

I got a tube chassis Maverick but it isn't for sale! Sorry.