Here are photos of my Maverick with 1" drop 620 springs from Mustangs Unlimited installed last winter (2011-12) and General Springs 4 leaf springs installed this winter (2012-13.) There's been enough questions about ride height I thought I'd post these. They're still pretty fresh so I don't know how much they'll settle, plus the front end needs to be aligned. I haven't had that done yet as it doesn't pull, and I'm still toying with cutting a coil. However, if you look at my gallery you'll see the front tires look like they might tilt in a bit. I don't know if alignment would change the height. That's a question for someone with another knowledge base.
It really depends on how many miles you have on the car since changing the springs. Usually brand new coil springs settle 1/2" to a little more than 3/4" after 500 miles or so. Leaf springs don't settle as much, but do settle. I don't think the camber will make that much difference in the ride height unless it's totally off.....................if it were you would certainly notice when you make a turn. Now with that said, if you start cutting the front coils only cut 1/2 coil at a time....................do not cut a full coil. I agree that you should drop the front just a little............but only if you have at least 500 miles of driving............if not.............get it aligned and drive it. Nice looking Maverick!
I've used those same 620's from them several times through the years and they won't "settle" as much as some others due to the thicker/stronger material they're made of. If I were you.. I'd seriously consider doing a 1 inch Shelby/Arning drop and see where you're sitting after that. You may be about right(should drop the front end about 1/4-3/8 inch).. or only need to cut another 1/4 coil to give a very slight rake. The factory camber curve is just beyond horrible on these cars and that will help to make better use of those sporty springs. The tires contact patch will also be much improved in the process and reduce some of the need for much larger sway bar too. Cutting them much shorter will only make the ride even stiffer than it already is and reduce the load capabilities before bottoming.
I don't think there's enough room to do a Shelby drop on the later Mavericks without getting into the added shock tower bracing at the frame rail.
wow.. you might just be right. That does look tight and I'm amazed that Ford even did that mod at all on these cars. They obviously found it problematic enough/worthwhile to include it at the extra cost. Is that also on the 6 cyl models too.. or just the V8's? Personally.. I'd be getting the grinder, scrap metal, and welder out to make it fit. Although that 1 inch isn't going to be that much when you consider from original bolt centerline to new 1" drop centerline. A good old fashioned messaging with a hammer just might be enough. I'll be bracing mine too.. but due to the potential interference issues from the heavier 1 3/4 drop.. I'll likely have to notch my frame rails in the process. IMHO, it's well worth the time from a handling standpoint and also a nice way to get a bit lower stance without having to run a shorter/stiffer spring to do it.
It's a 250 cyl car. I don't think it being 6 or V8 has much to do with it. We're only talking 40 lbs. difference between the 250 I6 and 302 V8 (75 lbs. for the 200 vs 302). Plus the 6 cyl sits more on top of the axle where the V8 sits more to the rear taking the weight off the axle. This is the reason why a some, if not most, 6 cyl car has stiffer spring rate than a V8 car...and the reason why 6 cyl spring wear out faster. To ncmaverick...Here's mine with 2 coils cut from the Moog 8304's that had a 262 lbs. spring rate and new 4-leaf springs.
Thanks for the comments and photos everyone. I'm a little hesitant about the Shelby drop with the possibility of clearance issues. I expect I'll whittle away at those coils to obtain a slight rake. I should have looked around more at the General Spring site to find those 2" lift leaves. I like the ride with the new springs and kyb's, though. I expect the right wheel and tire combo will make a difference, too. Those little 195 70 14's are comfy, but not exactly corner carvers.
I might be wrong about not having enough room. See post #139 http://www.mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=58349&page=14
New pix; 1/2 coil cut Thanks. I'm still going to hold off on that. I'm not much of a craftsman. I did cut half a coil yesterday. There were cars where I last took photos so these will have to do for now. I'm going to wait until I get new tires (and possibly wheels) to think about going lower. It'll take that long to get my nerves settled. (I hate taking out/putting in coils.)
