65 Roadster Mark 3

Suspension

Front Suspension

The Factory Five Racing Mk3 kit comes with a fully independent tubular front suspension with unequal length upper and lower a-arms and high-end Bilstein brand mono-tube adjustable coil-over rod-end shocks (say that three times).  Our car has earned huge praise and recognition for its suspension which delivers razor sharp handling and a comfortable ride. 

The front suspension design is a big reason why that’s true.  Our rugged front suspension is race-proven to deliver superior handling without the notorious problems of Mustang II style set-ups that are commonly used on hot-rods, replicas, and customs

In the stock kit we use the lower control arms from the Ford Mustang, which incorporates Ford’s low friction ball joint.  We offer an optional tubular steel lower control arm for people seeking lower un-sprung weight over the Mustang unit.  The advantage of using the stock Mustang lower control arms is primarily cost savings, however they also provide an amazingly smooth ride.  We manufacture a custom spindle bracket that allows you to attach the 1987-2004 Mustang front spindles and use the massive 11” front brake assembly from the Mustang.

The front suspension components are well engineered and bolt-on with ease.  The big Mustang disc brakes are excellent.  We supply the aluminum coil-over shocks, coil springs, custom mounts, spindle brackets, and upper A-arms with ball joints and fasteners, all ready to bolt together.

Rear Suspension

1.  Standard 4-link Suspension

The standard kit comes with welded mounts ready to accept the bolt-in rear suspension right out of the Ford Mustang donor car.  This is a four link solid axle suspension that uses the Ford Mustang quad shocks and 8.8” posi-traction differential.  You can slip the variable rate Mustang coil springs right into place and bolt the whole thing together in about 30 minutes!  This standard Ford Mustang rear suspension works amazingly well. 

We added custom anti-squat geometry, similar to those used by the Mustang race crowd, and engineered all mounts to be in double shear, made from 3/16” plate steel.  The car handles great with the standard 4-link suspension and Ford’s 8.8” rear end with Traction-LOKÔ differential delivers eye-ball flattening launches. 

As our racing programs have progressed over the years we have added optional upgrades to the 4-link Ford suspension.  Check out our parts and options catalog for a full line of parts for the Ford 8.8” rear including, coil-over shocks, control arms, bushing kits and more.    

There is a whole aftermarket of upgrade items for this bulletproof rear suspension.  You can change everything from gearing and brakes to springs and shocks.  About 75% of FFR roadster kits are shipped with the standard 4-link rear suspension.  It works great out of the box, is the most affordable, and with the huge aftermarket, you can always upgrade individual parts later. 

2.  FFR 3-Link Rear Suspension

The 3-link suspension is a great example of how racing and product development go hand-in-hand.  After two seasons of racing our Challenge Series cars in the Mid-Atlantic and West Coast series we found the standard four link suspensions had a tendency to oversteer (similar to Mustangs) when pushed to ten-tenths competitive driving.  Our engineers began working with customers, racers, and the team at the Bondurant School to develop a more neutral, racer-friendly suspension. 

After more than four years in racing action and thousands of hours of brutal track testing, the FFR 3-link is recognized as a proven and worthy upgrade to the standard Mustang 4-link.  The 3-link suspension is standard in all FFR Challenge Series cars.  It works wonderfully, aiding hook-up, eliminating bind and provides an amazingly predictable ride.  The 3-link suspension is designed to upgrade the stock Mustang parts with a steel framework and panhard bar package that includes high-end Bilstein shocks.  The 3-link handles better and costs $550 (if you’re using the Mustang coil springs).  A complete 3-link package that includes the coil-over shocks and aftermarket springs costs $1,000.

3.  Independent Rear Suspension

The story of the FFR independent rear suspension, like the 3-link, is really the story of our company.  Every day we do something better.  The IRS was designed for those looking for not only the best handling package available, but the most elegant as well. 

In 1998 we put our engineers to work full time on the new big block/IRS program (the big block program was included in the IRS effort as part of a design upgrade to make the FFR kit capable of 100 point authenticity awards).  Our goal was to take the FFR platform to a higher level of performance and offer customers more choices than a simple single donor kit.  We introduced our optional IRS in 1999 at the NE Replica Challenge.  Our first race car outfitted with this rear suspension won 1^st Place in the Pro Class at the NE Replica Challenge, beating the competition by more than two seconds! 

The IRS option costs $1950 and includes the welded-in cage, upper & lower tubular control arms, high-end Bilstein pre-valved mono-tube rod-end coil-over shocks (matched to the fronts), and custom axles.  The IRS requires that you provide the 8.8” center section from a 1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird as well as the T-bird rear spindles, CV joints & brakes. 

The roadster assembly manual has a full section on the IRS set-up with installation instructions, bill of materials and high quality photos.  We feel this suspension set-up is for the absolute purist who wants the very best.  Best ride quality, best handling and best looks/authenticity.