Coilovers on an SVO

[svony]

SN95/Cobra brake update

Ok, I finally got around to doing the install tonight, so here's a quick run down... Just to refresh everyone's memory, the parts I'm using are: '99 Cobra spindle and brake assembly, KYB AGX with coilover kit (175# springs), Motorsport Caster/Chamber kit, tubular A-arm for a Fox body Mustang (the wheels I have stick out just a bit with the stock suspension, figured I'd bring it in a bit.

First I test fitted the brake line to make sure it will fit ours, that was fine but I later found out that the mounting bracket for the hard line to brake hose has to be moved or remove (the coilover spring hits at full turn. Next I removed the tie-rod end, swaybar end link on the control arm, brake line, strut assembly and finally the control arm and spindle.

The install was pretty much the reverse with the tubular arms needing a little help going in (hammer). I install the arms first then the spindle and brake assembly. The caster/camber was next then the coilover/shock assembly. When I tried to install the endlink to the control arm I found that they did not line up (link was about half an inch away), I had to push the link towards the hole on the arm then raise the arm with a floor jack so that I could mount the lower bushing and retaining nut. Now the endlink sits a bit crooked.

Finally the tierod ends (I'm using a bumpsteer kit), I thread them into where the original ones stopped... wrong move. My wheels are now facing opposite directions (pointing outwards), they need to go further in by atleast 1 inch... need a wheel alignment first thing tomorrow. The caster plates I wont even attempt to adjust those

So there you have it, the entire swap took me about 4 1/2-5 hrs.
On the ride home the tires sreeched a little but the steering feels much lighter and brake pedal was firm (could be the braided lines I got with the Cobra brakes). I let everyone know how it really feels after the alignment.


Wes.

[CP86SVO]

I just finished my SN95 front suspension install as well. I used 94/95 SN95 spindles, 13 inch Brembo rotors, Bullit calipers, MM standard offset SN95 front control arms (with Steeda X2 balljoints), MM taper stud bumpsteer kit. For wheels, I used the 1998 Cobra 17 by 8 inch rims and Yokohama ES100 tires in 245/40/17 size. I already had the MM caster/camber plates, MM race valved Bilsteins/coil over kit, MM aluminum rack bushings, Flaming River steering shaft and Earl's braided steel brake hoses.

Everything went together relatively smoothly; I needed to grind down the front crossmember slightly to make sure that the front MM control arms would clear when the suspension compressess.
When I installed the bumpsteer kit, I had to wind in the jam nut for the tie rod about an inch (the MM bumpsteer kit is about 1 inch longer in length than the stock tie rods).

My observations...you will need something to correct for bumpsteer with the 94/95 SN95 spindles, either with rack bushings &/or bumpsteer kit, as the tie rods would be at a pretty wild angle without some form of bumpsteer correction...you do NOT need the SN95 inner and outer tie rods for this conversion, as there will be enough on the standard SVO steering rack for proper tie rod engagement...you will need to install a smaller master cylinder in order to get the brake effort to human levels; I wound up using a 15/16 inch bore master cylinder from a 1993 Cobra R and an adjustable proportioning valve to decrease the pedal effort and get proper brake balance...the rear wheels stick out a bit more than I like, but I don't have any clearance problems, however; I may be converting to SN95 Cobra rear brakes/axles to bring the rear track in 1 inch total i.e. 0.5 inch per side so that when I get some sticky race rubber I'll have a larger selection of wheels/tires...the front sway bar will work with the SN95 arms, even though the sway bar holes don't match with the stock SVO location; the sway bar end links are a bit out, but not as much as I initally thought...the front track (width) appears to be a bit narrower than expected; this may be due to the slight decrease in length of the SN95 arms and 94/95 spindles.

My take on the install...it was well worth the expense and effort. The brakes work incredibly well, and the front suspension works better than the stock SVO front suspension (this may be due to the better suspension geometry the SN95 spindle provides, the higher roll center that the Steeda balljoints give or the decrease in unsprung weight, I haven't figured out which yet).

Time for corner-weighting and then an open track at Seattle on the 17th!

WS