SEMA 2011: 60-70’s Ford Suspension Upgrade Parts from Chris Alston

With help from names like Carroll Shelby, Jerry Titus, Bud Moore, and Parnelli Jones, Ford had many victories in road racing during the 60’s and 70’s.  Many of Ford’s cars during this time frame utilized the same shock-over-control-arm suspension designs and while it might have been effective for its time, suspension technology has come a long way.

Total Control Products, a Chris Alston Chassisworks brand, has a trick front suspension package for many popular 60’s-70’s Ford muscle cars.  While TCP does offer piece-by-piece, direct bolt-in suspension upgrade components for all the OEM suspension parts, they do also offer a conventional coil over conversion as well.  TCP’s pieces are top notch in quality and function and can be upgraded in a variety of ways to best suit a builder’s budget.

The entire front suspension bolts into the factory locations and starts with upper and lower adapter brackets that holds the Chassisworks coilover in place.  The coilover comes as height adjustable only, but has options for both compression and rebound adjust-ability  for an additional fee. The upper control arms also come part of the kit and is features double-adjustment couplers. Adjustment range is 1-inch with travel centered at the stock control-arm length. Caster can be varied within a 6-degree range and camber within 5-1/2 degrees.

From there you can upgrade to TCP’s lower control arms to improve suspension geometry by better controlling the balljoint travel arch. A one-piece spherical bearing (80% larger in diameter than our previous rod end), and high strength polymer races, create a deflection free, low friction pivot point. Additionally, the newly redesigned strut rod makes improvements in the areas of performance, serviceability, and ease of installation. The key to these refinements is their billet concentric pivot assembly, and a set of uniquely mounted, pre-loaded Delrin bushings move the pivot point to an improved location increasing the effective length of the lower arm assembly and improving the axis angle.

Lastly TCP now offers direct replacement disc-brake spindles for early Mustangs and other classic Fords. The spindle is a one-piece, alloy-steel forging. TCP’s spindle shares Ford’s identical geometry, and can be used with many 1960’s and 70’s Ford/Mercury vehicles.

About the author

Mark Gearhart

In 1995 Mark started photographing drag races at his once local track, Bradenton Motorsports Park. He became hooked and shot virtually every series at the track until 2007 until he moved to California and began working as a writer for Power Automedia. He was the founding editor for its first online magazines, and transitioned into the role of editorial director role in 2014. Retiring from the company in 2016, Mark continues to expand his career as a car builder, automotive enthusiast, and freelance journalist to provide featured content and technical expertise.
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