Rear suspension CoilOver conversion

Can any of you guy's that have made this conversion share whether you used the stock lower control arms modified to accept coilovers or found aftermarket ones (make/model)?

My car is a 5000 with the leaf springs. I'm setting it up for coilovers, but I will be replacing the mounts. Most factory shock mounts won't take the loads imposed by being used as primary supports.

If your car is the MX version with the Fox Mustang rear, then you might look into some of the "Pro Touring" setups that are sold for those cars. You might get some ideas. There are all manner of different suspensions available from the aftermarket for those cars. I doubt any of them will bolt in to our cars, though.

I have been looking in our manual and they talk about installing leaf springs. I'd prefer to go modern with new upper and lower control arms to hang my 8.8 rear end with spring and strut. i'm investigating if this is a possible configuration with my MX frame.

Does anyone have experience going a different route vs leaf springs or pics they can share, seems the original manual didn't have this as an option back then......

Looking at these from American Muscle - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] says they support my 1989 8.8 rear end. Question I have to check is the hookup from the lower control arm length to the frame.....

Mark - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The MX version should not require leaf springs at all.  They used the complete Fox body Mustang triangulated 4 link with the Mustang coil springs.  You may be looking at a Sebring 5000 assembly manual instead of an MX version.  The 5000 does use Mustang II leaf springs.  That is the version I started with.

If you are building an MX, then any aftermarket links intended for the Fox Mustang "should" bolt in.  I put the should in quotes because you never know with non factory parts.

Perfect, thanks for clearing that up.

Hotrod wrote:The MX version should not require leaf springs at all.  They used the complete Fox body Mustang triangulated 4 link with the Mustang coil springs.  You may be looking at a Sebring 5000 assembly manual instead of an MX version.  The 5000 does use Mustang II leaf springs.  That is the version I started with.

If you are building an MX, then any aftermarket links intended for the Fox Mustang "should" bolt in.  I put the should in quotes because you never know with non factory parts.

Hello everybody. Everyone here is very knowledgeable on their Sebrings. Lots of very good improvements have been done to make your cars run better. What about a guy like me that has little knowledge of suspension modifications and just want a little smoother ride with new shocks and or coilovers. What is the best replacement that I can get to make the "lumber wagon" drive smoother. I have heard that adjustable coilovers seem to be the way to go. What make should I be looking at. Thanks for all the tips. My little Sebring is running beautifully and is a joy to drive as long I am on a smooth road.

DrJ converted his car to coilovers.  He would be one to give you advice on how he did it.  Some welding will probably be required.  If you can't weld, you may be able to design some simple brackets that bolt on and have them fabricated by someone that welds.

At the very least, you will need heavy duty upper and lower shock mounts.  I doubt the original shock mounts will be heavy enough to support the weight of the car for very long without breaking.

Coilovers with spherical bearings will be more forgiving of misalignment in the upper and lower mounts. Viking Shocks sell double adjustable coilovers for a reasonable price, but they're still not exactly cheap. Double adjustable shocks allow you to adjust the amount of shock dampening on both compression and rebound. Getting the spring rate correct is only part of getting a better ride. If the dampening of the shock is too stiff, the car will still ride rough. Shocks with adjustable dampening allow you to dial in just enough.

DrJ has done a lot of analysis on the MX suspension in the search for a better ride. The last I heard, he had achieved what he set out to do so it can be done. He used Viking Coilovers at all 4 corners.

Another thing to consider. If your car has anti-roll(sway) bars, they can also affect the ride. They increase the spring rate at each wheel (wheel rate). You need them to keep body roll under control, but if they are too stiff, the car will ride rough.