Is there a difference between pinto and mustang II strut rods? Chassis Engineering says in their instructions to only use pinto strut rods, but all that are available are listed as pinto/mustang II not just plain pinto. And yes this in a fat fender car. Thanks in advance
I don't think it will matter which you use if they are different. Here's why. You are gonna bolt the strut rod to the lower "A" arm , then with the FULL weight of the car on the suspension you will buy, make , or come up with a bracket to attach the strut rod to the frame If the MII is a straight rod then use the Pinto as it has a bend that will bring it toward the frame.
The only Pinto strut rods that are different are the early 1971 - 73 Pinto's. In the 1974 and up Pinto's/Mustang II's use the same parts, and they are beefier parts than the early Pinto's.
What Cape Cod Bob said is true, but if you are using a Chassis Eng. kit you must use the strut rod designed for that kit. Their kit has a bracket that triangulates back to the main cross member. I've used two and the;re very well designed kits. Dave 39
The reason for this post was that I have the CE crossmember kit and an old set of Mustang II strut rods that I got at a swap meet and the angle is close but not right with their mounting brackets. If I wedge them in they push the lower arms forward and are in a bind. I think I will order rods from CE rather than trying to bend these to fit, safety first. Thanks everyone
There is something about the back half of the lower A-arm just hanging out there in space, in single sheer, that I do not like. Ford engineers with much more schooling in engineering than me designed it that way for a reason. The strut rod is in effect the rear arm of an A-arm and is attached directly to the frame not just hanging out there. I wish the aftermarket would make the crossmembers wider at the lower a-arm attachment and then that would be the way to go but they stick with the skinny crossmember and expect you to weld a tube to it with a single gusset. I would love to see some video footage of that gusset/tube and rear arm area during driving, I bet it is flexing all over the place.
Pinto and MII may not be the same...at least with some versions of the MII. The 78 Cobra II I had years ago used a rubber bushed crossmember to hold the strut rods. That MIGHT make for different angles...but I really don't know AND I'm not sure if all the MIIs were configured the same. Might be just the V8 cars.
no problems with heat n bend to the angle you need,tis not rocket science.just dont wedge ,jam,n bolt together. fit it under no tension.