Several Suspension Q's..

dustinv

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Hey guys. I'm looking into my options for suspension upgrades on my 96 Cobra. I have a couple questions/issues so I'll break it up into sections.
Springs
I know that linear springs were on the vehicle from the factory. What I don't know is what is on the car now. From looking at so many pictures on the forum, I have come to the conclusion that the springs are not stock- it seems to be lowered a bit. The springs are glossy black with no markings, extremely worn rubber isolators top and bottom. Take a look at the first picture and tell me if you think its had a spring swap. It is difficult in trying to decided what product to go with when I don't really have anything to base it on as I am unsure of the type and brand of my current spring setup.
Struts/Shocks
What I do know is that the previous owner had installed Tokico Illuminas struts and shocks. About a month ago the passengers side strut blew out so after doing a little reading on the forums, I decided just to replace the struts and shocks with what was already on it.. Tokico Illimunas - Fox body spec to be exact. What this did was raise the front about 1/2 inch and dropped the rear about the same..very frustrating. I was under the impression Springs determine the stance and ride height, not struts and shocks. Any ideas as to why this happened?
CC Plates
Also installed were "Saleen Racecraft" CC plates, or at least upper strut mounts. I'm not sure what the original equipment looked like on the car, so I don't know what has been modified to the CC plates. Below is a picture of the CC plates; is any of this OE or aftermarket?

Thanks for any help guys!


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MustangChris

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springs could have been cut stock ones... but considering he put steeda (overpriced, but luckily you didnt pay for it) and tokico on it... i doubt it... i know ford and BBK both make black springs. i want to say they are ford since they have rubber isos on them, but then again, the previous owner could have re-used stock isos.

the ride height tends to change as it gets older. the shocks will change the height a little bit, but usually not much if you go with the same thing... after doing my suspension my ride height came back up (about 1/4 inch) after a month or so of letting it settle. it changes over time... springs get smashed down, bushings get crushed, isolaters get smashed... . . .. .
 

OnyxCobra

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Struts do not change the height of the car at all so chances are something was installed incorrectly... as for the springs i'm not gonna try to guess what they are but take a look at the top of the spring, if the top coils are closer together than the bottom then the springs are progressive, if they're evenly spaced, like stock, then chances are they're linear. (at least i'm 99% sure)

Judging by your pic though i'd say the car is definitely lower than stock.
 
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dustinv

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Thanks for that tip Onyx. If that that is a correct explanation of a progressive spring (more coils on top..), then I indeed have progressives. From the lowering spring database, I'm going to take a guess at Eibach Pro Kit..seems to match up.

My goal is to bring down the front (now approx 4 fingers in between tire and body) to match the gap on the rear (approx 3 fingers in between tire and body). In my upcoming suspension overhaul, I will be replacing the balljoints with Steed X2 units. If I install the X2 balljoints without the supplied spring spacers, will this be enough to compensate for new rubber isolators after settling and drop the front that 1/2 inch, or will I just break even due to the new isolators?
 

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