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Photography from the Mustang & Fords September 2000
article, Street Trans-Am Buildup.
At southern Missouri's SEMO Classic Mustang, the Street Trans-Am '68 was dismantled and prepped for the Rod & Custom frontend installation. Here, as the car is rolled into the shop, the frontend has been test-fitted prior to the final installation. The job went smoother (and made for easier photos, too) with the shock towers and fender aprons removed.
The Rod & Custom frontend kit comes with everything needed to convert an early Mustang or Ford to coilover shocks and rack-and-pinion steering. The main crossmember (top) mounts the rack-and-pinion unit and the engine mounts (lower right), which must be cut to length (depending on the engine) and welded in. The front sway is not shown here; it was back-ordered but arrived in time for the final installation.
Because Austin wanted the superior road feel of manual steering, SEMO utilized a brand-new manual rack-and-pinion setup (right) from Flaming River. It will be adapted to an Ididit tilt steering column.
1. The upper shock mounting brackets went into place on the frame first. At this p[oint, everything was either clamped or secured with sheetmetal screws. No welding was done until all the components were in place, measured and aligned.
2. Next, the main crossmember was positioned and attached to the frame with sheetmetal screws. After the crossmember has been welded in, the dcrews will be removed and the holes filled in and painted over.
3. For better road feel, a Flaming River manual rack was mounted to the crossmember in place of Rod & Custom's power rack-and-pinion steering unit.
4. The Ford Racing GT-40 crate engine comes with a vintage-style front sump oil pan, which must be replaced with the double-sump pan for a late-model Mustang to clear the Rod & Custom crossmember and Flaming River rack-and-pinion steering unit.
5. With the crossmember in place, the SEMO crew lowered the Ford Racing GT-40 crate engine and five-speed into place. The correct positioning of the engine will be crucial to the final placement of the crossmember and the engine mounts. It was a close fit, particularly with the rack-and-pinion-to-oil-pan clearance and the Coast High Performance long-tube headers. In fact, we're speculating that these headers will have to be replaced with short-tube versions to clear the steering shaft and other components.
6. The Rod & Custom tubular upper control arms mount to the upper shock mounting brackets. Notice the slots for alignment.
7. Next, the lower arm attaches to the main crossmember with long bolts, supplied with the Rod & Custom kit.
8. The new Rod & Custom spindle mounts to the upper and lower arms. The attaching nuts were installed loosely to provide adjustability until the entire frontend is installed and aligned.
9. Unlike the Rod & Custom frontedn we installed on an early Ranchero back in the Nov. 99 issue, the newer version came with coilover shocks. They mount to the upper brackets and lower A-arms.
10. Here's the final Rod & Custom front suspension, with the rack-and-pinion arm mounted to the spindle. It's a clean-looking setup that will aid steering and handling.
11. Because we couldn't wait to see how the drilled and slotted Baer Racing rotors and aluminum calipers looked on thefront suspension, we went ahead and mounted them on the spindles. They're almost too nice to hide behind wheels!
12. For checking alignment and clearances, especially engine-to-hood, the new radiator support and inner fender aprons and secured with tack-welding and sheetmetal screws.
13. Because the shock towers are eliminated with the Rod & Custom Motorsports' frontend, a pair of sheetmetal plates are supplied to cover the openings bewteen the front and rear fender aprons.
14. The sheetmetal shock tower plates are universal in design, so they had to be trimmed where needed to fit our '68 Mustang application.
15. With the fenders in place, the SEMO crew was able to determine the engine-to-hood clearance before trimming and installing the engine mounts. It's close, but it'll work.
16. Exacting measurements were made to determine the length needed for the Rod & Custom engine mounts.
17. Then the mounts were cut to length. In most cases, the mounts are welded to the top of the crossmember. In our '68 Mustang/crate engine application, the mounts were actually notched to mount behind the crossmember.
18. Here, as Terry Duffel welds the engine mounts permanently in place, you can see how the stands for the mounts attach to the rear of the crossmember. Braces will secure the angled mounts to the side of the frame.
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