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First off ,love the forum,thanks to those who keep it going.
Recently I bought my first galaxie and have started to make a few changes.
It's a 67 fastback.289 auto car.
After installing new coils in the rear to correct poor height attention now shifts to the front.Here's the deal,at one time the car was a power brakes car (I'm assuming because of the holes in the firewall) however it is no longer there.
I am wanting to go back to power brakes..I want to change to disc on the front.Also the front is riding quite high.I want to lower the nose maybe two inches..
After reading everything I can find on this forum I'm more confused than before.
Guess what I need to know is ,, are there M/C power assist combos that I can buy that are made for front disc /rear drum ?
And everything I've read about getting the front end down has been on earlier cars.is they any difference in getting my 67 down?..are there 2" drop coils I can buy? Cool with buying a coil over setup if there's one you guys recommend..and what spindles do I buy..sorry bout the long post.I just need help.
Scott
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Welcome to the Galaxie. Eaton should be able to make you drop springs, or you could cut yours, or new stock replacements. You may want to look at later model disc brakes rather than original 67 front discs. As I recall the 67 had rare and expensive four piston Kelsy Hayes calipers. An aftermarket system, or spindles and brakes from a 69-70 may be a better choice. I would thinkthere are many booster and master cylinder options you could work with. Don`t worry, the confusion comes with the hobby of, especially when modifying these old cars.
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Detroit Eaton does sell a 2 " drop spring for that car. Scarebird Classic Brake sells a disc brake kit for that car for $165.00. They work with a single piston GM brake calliper, from an S10. Buying and switching out aftermarket stuff is pretty straightforward. It does require time spent doing research finding vendors.
My experience has been when making changes to your car that are not OEM is when the confusion starts. For example, if changing to a modern drivetrain or changing the steering system, things tend to get more difficult, unless you have experience doing so. Luckily there are forums like this one that can usually provide the answers to your questions. Good luck.
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scotts67 wrote:
Guess what I need to know is ,, are there M/C power assist combos that I can buy that are made for front disc /rear drum ?
The master cylinder will determine that its for disc drum. You can get aftermarket boosters or even a junk yard booster. In most cases if its a Ford booster and you can get it to fit in the space you have than you are good to go. them you can add the MC just make sure it is is disc/drum and for power brakes.
And everything I've read about getting the front end down has been on earlier cars.is they any difference in getting my 67 down?..are there 2" drop coils I can buy?
I would be really careful running drop coils or cutting your coils. In my experience most suspension parts available for Galaxies have a big block in mind and that 289 is going to be about half the weight of a big block. To my knowledge there is not a coil over system specifically available for your car however you can probably make the same one I used work. I would assume you will need to reinforce the LCA like I did.
and what spindles do I buy
I would see if you can get some late 60s early 70s discs from a donor full size ford like a LTD, Galaxie, or country squire.
sorry bout the long post.I just need help.
no need to apologize, thats what we are here for.
BTW welcome to the forum!!!
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Guy's thanks very much for the replies..Daze I've read that thread three times..it may very well be what I go with.
And yes I'm pretty lost when it comes to vendors for these cars as this is my first galaxie....maybe that would be a great post/topic to start..those of you that have much more time in this branch of the hobby could chime in with who they found most helpful??
And I wouldn't know where to begin for sourcing parts off other cars to use ..
I'm sure to have more questions..Thanks to all of you.
Scott
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Also could I not just buy a power assist for my car and keep it drum/drum??
I had power drum brakes on my 67 c/s and never had any problems...
Could you tell me what I need to be careful when using drop springs..Thanks again.
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Also could I not just buy a power assist for my car and keep it drum/drum??
you can, you just need to make sure you are using a drum/drum master cylinder that is set up to work with a power booster.
Could you tell me what I need to be careful when using drop springs..Thanks again.
Most drop springs are stiffer than stock springs, and cutting a coil off of OEM type springs will also make them stiffer. Yes running stiffer springs makes the car handle better but it also makes the ride less comfortable. Stiff springs are a must have if you are on the track but I do not recommend them for a car that you want to enjoy on the street. Also the fact that you have a small block means your front end is much lighter than a car with a big block. Most of these springs are set up assuming a person is going to run a big block. The less weight up front the lighter the springs need to be.
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Again thank you for the information..
So if I have this right..the coil over setups would seem to be the best solution for finding the ride height that best suits the car..
Would you without reservation always recommend the system you yourself are using??
Thanks Scott
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So if I have this right..the coil over setups would seem to be the best solution for finding the ride height that best suits the car..
Would you without reservation always recommend the system you yourself are using??
That is exactly why I went to coil overs. My 62 came with a big block but I swapped it out for a 302, to make matters worse I have an aluminum intake and heads on my engine shedding more weight. No matter how hard I looked I could not find springs that were soft enough to meet my needs or short enough to fit in the car and acheive the correct ride height. The coil overs gave me exactly what I needed. springs with a perfect rate and the ability to dial in my ride height just were I wanted it. I have said of the rack and pinion install on my 62 "Single best upgrade I have made to the car so far." and I think the coil over install runs a close second.
Make sure you verify the type of springs that your year of car needs. in other words there are three or fore different types of spring end and you need to make sure you get a coil over spring that has the same end type as the top of your OEM spring.
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I think that any time you lower a car with the suspension, as opposed to changing spindle height, you are reducing the suspension travel and will require a stiffer spring to resist bottoming no matter what type of set up you have, conventional springs and shocks, or coil overs. I'd also think that you have more off-the-shelf options with coils overs, but Eaton should be able to make a spring that is specific to the weight of your car, so the BB-SB issue is not a factor. I think the ultimate deciding factor should be how much fun you want to have fabricating custom set ups. From easiest to most difficult it would probably be custom springs, cutting stockers, then custom coil overs. From a cost perspective it would probably be, cutting stock coils, custom coils, custon coil overs. How much fun do you want to have!
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