65 comet suspension drop

[Comatt]

Side shot, don’t mind my extremely messy garage lol

[SASSY]

Looks like its coming down alright.
Careful cause if you have to run a shorter tire the front will come down more.
How much clearance upper aarm to subber?
My experience with hardtops is that the rocker needs to raked so that the rear deck is at least level otherwise the car looks to be tail draggin.

[Comatt]

I measured the rocker behind the front tire and In front of the rear tire and it’s dead even. 10” inches to the ground. I was hoping to get the front down lower then the back but maybe it will get lower with a smaller sidewall tire.

[Jims65cyclone]

Don't get too low. If you drop in a FE with headers like you mentioned the possibility of in a PM, the collectors may be collecting speed bumps.

Jim

[Comatt]

Ok so if I understood correctly this is how I get my backspace? It looks like it’s about 3.5” on these wheels?

[Jims65cyclone]

Yes. And it looks like 3.5".

Jim

[Comatt]

Hey Jim how critical are these shims I forgot to put back in before I bolted the control arms on and put everything back together!

[poboyjo65]

those are critical ! they are alignment shims. do you remember which stack was where?

[A/FX]

The front alignment will need to be adjusted to compensate for the ride height change, so the number or size of the shims will change.

[Comatt]

I don’t remember which side went where but they’re both exactly the same size. I didn’t even realize they were on there until I went to toss the old control arm and they popped off. Is there a way to get those back in without having to completely disassemble and pull coils out again? Thanks

[Jims65cyclone]

They're U-shaped and slip over the control arm bolts between the outside of the shock tower and the control arm shaft. Like AF/X said, the mods you made to your suspension have changed the geometry, so you'll need a complete alignment. It wouldn't have been right if you had put them back where they came from. That needs to done soon because it will probably drive like crap and wear the tires.

Jim

[Comatt]

I noticed there was a tow in the tire after I set it back down and also I replaced the tie rod ends and they seem slightly to long even tho they’re the exact size of the old one. Probably because the shims aren’t in place I would assume? Would an alignment shop mess with those shims when they do an alignment?

[Jims65cyclone]

That's how they do the alignment. Depending on how many, what thickness and which control arm bolts they insert the shims on
determines the caster and camber. The toe-in is adjusted with the tie rod sleeves. You've changed everything, so you need a complete alignment.

Jim

[A/FX]

I noticed there was a tow in the tire after I set it back down and also I replaced the tie rod ends and they seem slightly to long even tho they’re the exact size of the old one. Probably because the shims aren’t in place I would assume? Would an alignment shop mess with those shims when they do an alignment?

The alignment shop will place the shims in whatever position is needed to set the proper alignment. They will also adjust the tie rod sleeves. Your strut rods are not adjustable, although Ford did change to adjustable units in late years. Depending on how much you lowered the suspension the ride height will change slightly when the proper alignment is set.
Make your decision on the wheel/tire combination before the alignment is done. It makes a difference.
Jim

[Comatt]

Okay so I shouldn’t even bother trying to get those shims back in?
I talked to John at Opentracker the other day and he said he has alignment specs that will greatly improve the ride over stock. Apparently he’s closed for awhile now tho. Does anyone have or know the specs he was talking about?