• Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

Exhaust work and Alignment/suspension

spitse

New Member
I live in NE Oklahoma. Not real familiar shops that are “classic car” friendly.

I need my exhaust on my 65 worked on. Ton of leaks and I’m sure blown out rust spots. I haven’t had a need for one in quite a few years. The shop I used last has been gone 15 years.

Im also going to need front end alignment work once I try my hand at replacement of bushings and what ever else may be good to update. Rear springs are shot and I have a set to put on, but having issue getting the bolts to get loose and enough non harbor freight jack stands for the job. Past experience showed me not all alignment/suspension shops know how to set up a classic car properly.

Having a 351 W shoehorn’d into the 65 I am sure is another level of experience would be beneficial. Maybe I am overthinking it.

Any suggestions are welcome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Hello there!

I’m no where near your neck of the woods to inform on decent muffler shops so I can’t steer you any direction there but I did work on these old mustangs for a living when I was younger. The rear springs are usually a pain but I’d try some heat from a torch to see if you can get the bolt moving with a bit of hammer work. Not the easiest of things to do while lying on the floor under but I was usually able to get the job done that way. Alternatively you can soak those eye bolts with penetrating oil a couple times a day for a few days and then try removing them and do a sort of wash, rinse, and repeat approach like that. Once you do get them out and you’re ready to put the new ones in I’d encourage a healthy amount of anti seize on them so you aren’t going through this again.

As for the front end alignment that is tricky and most folks don’t have a clue how to get them dialed in. There was an amazing article in Mustang Monthly once and a blue moon ago about how to dial in your front end using pivot plates. You can search Mustang monthly’s phone app and find the article but if I locate it I’ll paste the link in another response. I myself have been toying with the idea of getting the front end alignment tools via summit or even amazon and doing my own alignment on my ‘68 but haven’t quite gotten that far yet. I’d recommend getting the alignment as close to dialed in as possible and then having a shop do the fine tune on it. I think you’ll find that to be the best way to avoid about a half dozen shims in your upper control arms. Also call a reputable shop and give them notice that you’ll be needing a front end alignment and they can usually get the software that allows them to perform the job. Another avenue you can go down is looking into some of the improved front end components. Tech has changed quite a bit and there are some fairly cool products out there that help bring these front ends into the future a bit and make them easier to dial in albeit the expense is great.

Hope this helps!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Exhaust work can be done by just about any "muffler shop". Exhaust is pretty much the same regardless of vehicle when it comes to fitting and welding tube. Main issue is finding a fair place that does good work.

Alignment is a whole other story. '65's are about as primitive as they come. Having a 351 wedged in there will make it even tougher as the upper arm mounts are nestled in the shock towers right where you have just about zero space to access. They also do not have any real lower arm adjustment for either caster or camber. Stock strut rods also have no length adjustment to help with caster. Moving any one component automatically affects multiple alignment elements. It can be a real bear to get a decent alignment set-up.

Get yourself a set of adjustable strut rods. really helps with set-up and performance of the suspension. Then do the alignment yourself in the garage. It's not that tough if you are patient. I think you will have a very hard time finding anyone outside of a classic car restoration place that will give it a go. I will come back here later and post up the tools I used to do my alignment.
 
Here's a link to a video demonstrating the tool I use. Really simple to do. Just need the tool and a level garage floor. Doesn't have to be perfectly level as most have a slight grade for drainage. I made up a bar out of 1 aluminum angle stock greater than the width of my wheel track too to make measuring from point to point on the front wheels for toe much easier. I now have going on three thousand miles since the initial alignment and things look great. No tire wear and she tracks beautifully. DIY for the win!

 
Horseplay, that’s some great info there. Thanks for taking the time to share it!!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Back
Top