By including an adjustable rear sway bar, we’re getting the ability to further dial in the feel that we’re looking for. Adjusting the bar allows for finite tweaks to rear body roll and overall grip. The panhard rod gives you the ability to further tune the rear roll center. This effectively allows for raising and lowering rear end grip when hard cornering. Pair this with a set of our leaf springs and a good shock, and you have an awesome, affordable setup that installs easily and performs excellently.

This kit includes

• MOD Panhard Rod Assembly
• MOD Rear Sway Bar
• MOD Leaf Spring Plates

MOD Panhard Rod & Sway Bar Kit features:

• Vertical adjustment on both chassis and axle brackets for tuning
• Unique leaf spring plate design with panhard rod mount and sway bar mount
• Weld in chassis bracket
• Bolt in axle bracket with shock mount
• Sheetmetal drivers side spring plate with shock & sway bar mount
• Urethane sway bar bushings
• Turnbuckles for sway bar adjustment
• Adjustable sway bar for ultimate tune ability

Don’t panhard rods move the axle side to side and isn’t that bad?

Yes, the shorter the panhard rod is, the more the axle is thrust side to side. This is why we make our panhard rods 35” long. The misalignment is roughly 1/8”. Considering the flex of the tire and the previous 2” movement, it becomes a non-issue.

Why did you choose to do a panhard rod vs. a Watts link?

Watts links are wonderful but we took into consideration multiple aspects when deciding on the panhard rods, including price, function, installation, exhaust, roll center height and tuning ability. When installing a Watts, it is difficult to mount it low enough. The lower the lateral controls device (Watts of panhard rod), the lower the roll center. The lower the roll center, the more the car can lean on the outer spring driving the tire into the ground. Manufacturing a Watts link also is a lot more costly. This does not help the budget for the rest of the car.

Chassis tuning is also a little simpler with the panhard rod. To raise and lower the roll center (panhard rod or Watts pivot) dictates how much leverage the chassis has on the outer springs. However, when raising and lowering the roll center, you want to keep the arms level. If the panhard rod or Watts arms are not level, they can input a jacking force into the chassis (not always the best thing). This can free up or tighten up the car upon steering input. The panhard rod is the easiest to keep level when adjusting.

Running exhaust is also easier with the panhard rod assembly. Making our lives easy is an important part of having a good time with our cars.

The post 60-65 Falcon MOD 1 Panhard Rod & Sway Bar Kit appeared first on Mike Maier Inc.

The original Falcons utilized a unibody construction. Rather than relying on full length frame rails as you might see under many other cars of the era, the Falcon relied on the floor pan and other body structures to connect frame rails located at the front and back of the car. Originally this reduced weight and cost, but time and questionable repairs often leave the Falcon with less than desirable chassis strength.

Chassis stiffness is important for two primary reasons:

1. It improved torsional rigidity, aka the resistance to twisting. Keeping the car flat through corners or when under stress is essential for a repeatable feel and quicker times.
2. It allows the suspension to do it’s job. If the car is twisting and bending (even over small bumps in the road) the chassis isn’t supporting the suspension, it becomes part of the suspension. Stiffening the chassis allows the suspension to work and do it’s job of handling the bumps.

This kit includes

1. MOD Subframe connectors – designed to connect the front and rear frame rails, these solid connectors weld on in more than two locations, exponentially improving their effectiveness. They also serve as handy jacking points to prevent further damage to the frame rails.
2. MOD X-Brace – Our X-Brace ties the subframe connectors together, further improving stiffness. We designed the X-brace to be removable for servicing of exhaust and other under car pieces.
3. MOD Shock Tower Brace – The shock tower brace kit is simple in design yet very effective. Triangulating the shock towers to the firewall with rigid mounts give unsurpassed strength compared to other brands.

Adding this kit to your ride will greatly enhance the feel and handling reliability of the car, giving you a better platform to build from. We install this set on nearly every car we work on and consider it nearly essential when adding more power to a classic Falcon.

The post 60-65 Falcon Chassis Stiffening Kit appeared first on Mike Maier Inc.