I have a 66 coupe, 3spd/man w/manual steering and the bushings are pretty mush rotted to nothing on the suspension and steering linkage. At a minimum I need to put in all new bushings. Should I use rubber or go with polyutherane? I know the poly is more durable but I've heard their stiffness can be hard on older Mustang parts (urban legend or true?). Should I replace all the components, control arms, tie- rods, center link, idler, sway bar, pitman and so on (we're talking over a grand there) or are there certain parts that should definitely be changed and others can stay? What are some good upgrades for the money, 1" sway bar, Koni shocks, Moog arms? My main priority is safety, then comfort. I'm on a budget here, so performance or staying original are probably luxuries I can't afford. What do you think? Thanks, Doug Stang

i would use poly on everything exept the lower strut rods.use rubber for them. the strut rods are supposed to move freely . i have heard horror stories of the rods snapping when poly is used because the poly bushing causes them to bind at the bushing where it is supposed to "pivot". on my '66 i reused all of the steel parts and just put new bushing, with a few exceptions. i switched from power to manual steering , so i had to replace the drag link and idler arm. on your idler arm you can just replace the bushing. if i remember correctly it has to be pressed in. i replaced the lower control arms because it is just cheaper (and easier) to get the new control arm ,which comes with a new bushing and ball joint already installed. i also had to replace the upper control arms. the threads for the shaft were worn out. if yours are OK then the shaft is all you need. HA!!!! come to think of it....i did replace all the metal parts...LOL. but you already have manual steering so you probably wont have to , just carefully inspect each part and make sure it doesnt look bent or worn out. Jason '66 coupe New Albany , IN

go with 1" sway bar, kyb shocks (gas-adjust), you can use poly bushings they wont hurt--just scuff them up with sandpaper and coat them with teflon grease and wrap everything where the bushings come in contact with metal--such as the sway bar where it mounts to the frame with teflon tape and coat with teflon grease it will not squeak. I really like progressive rate springs from eibach--got them from pro-motorsports in sandy utah. no need to replace center link (drang link) or pitman arm. try mustangs plus in stockton, ca

Thanks Jason, this is just of kind of advice I was seeking from somebody who's been thru it and had to make all the same choices.  I was thinking along the same lines on a lot of this.  Regarding the disk brake conversion I had also thought about that for a long time.  After I examined the brakes and found the brakes were practically new, I decided against it.  In any case, since I have a 6cyl w/ 4 lug setup, I could go to the 5 lug setup, and keep two spares, but I've also heard their are issues with the tie rods not matching up (but supposedly someone sells tie rods to fit the conversion).  Also aren't these Granadas getting hard to find nowdays since everybody knows about them now - lucky you found one.  They are selling disk conversion kits for 4 lugs now - so if those ever come down in price I may one day make the switch.   I agree the dual MC is a good upgrade and thats on the list.   Doug 66 coupe

the progressive rate springs give you the stock feel but stiffer ride in curves and turns, they are about twice($130) the price of replacement springs. You can also get them from eaton detroit spring if you want stock replacement or some 620's from mustangs plus are good ($60 or so). kyb's are the way to go for shocks summit racing akron, oh has them for around $27/ea. and performance suspension components(psc),phoenix, az, has them for around $120 a set. Springs sway and shocks will make a big difference. go with the granada/monarch/versailles disc brake conversion as you can get the parts from a junkyard cheap and new and reman parts are also inexpensive from kragen/checker and autozone. The stainless steel brakes conversion is way too expensive and for a couple of hundred more you could have wilwood brakes. The granada conversion if you get the spindles and rotors cheap from a junkyard and everything else new/reman from a auto store will cost roughly $200-$350 less than half of the stainlees kit price. As for the tierod problem for 65-66 and 6 cyl. cars it has been solved cheaply. check out www.mustangsteve.com as he sells spacers that press into the sprindles so that you can use you stock outer tierods and he has spacers for the lower ball joint if you use versailles spindles, which are slightly different from granada. his site has articles and links to other sites with articles on the conversion. hope this helps. Going back to the $1000 suspension rebuild, if you have the extra money total control products in sacremento ca sells a bolt in rack and pinion steering kit for around $1000. very nice, but you would still have to rebuild the suspension. Check out the pricing, as sometimes it is actually cheaper to upgrade to v-8 suspension and steering components, though you may have to change the steering box. not sure hope these tips help.