Help me choose springs, tires, and wheels???

[dodj]

I know that guys have put 305's in the back with Dr Diffs kit. I seem to recall someone trying for 315's.

I got the Nitto NT05 315's in there with Dr Diff's kit. Not a lot of extra room, but there is enough.

[Jamie]

I just finished my 70. I chose smallblock with aluminum everything, 727 trans and 3.23 posi 8 3/4.
Up front i chose 1.03 bars, hotchkis upper arms,hotchkis strut rods, hotchkis sway badrilled /slotted 11 " rotors.billsteins

Rear I have xhd`s, hotchkis sway bar, dr diffs relocation,billsteins,drilled/slotted rotors.

wheels are for now; rally 15 x 7 with 245/60/15 bfgoodrich t/a. 15 x 8 rally with 275/60/15 t/a.

I must say that this car feels pretty good, and i drive cars all day as a mechanic so I get to feel all sorts of cars.

My front may be a tad stiff but this car corners with confidence. very nimble with minimal body roll.Not harsh with the tall tires. I should mention that I have owned newer mustangs and the wife has a 2008 charger so I am not comparing ford taurus`s.

All the above responses are great and I put this combo together with the suggestions from this website!!!!!!!!

[mellowguy]

Thanks everybody, a lot of great responses. If I want to relocate the springs slightly with the Hotchkis rear springs, it looks like I may have to have some new front hangers fabricated or rear new shackles fabricated? Doctor Dif 3/4 inch relocation kits may not be a simply bolt in? Everything that I have read here and other places have mentioned Hotchkis rear Leaf Springs are great for handling and even good for the drags? 

[HP2]

You certainly can fabricate the hangers and shackles if you want. It isn't hugely difficult. However, Mopar and Dr Diff both offer bolt in kits. Mopar's kit is 3/4", Dr Diffs kit is 1". Either of these kits offer a drop in soultion if you swap to a B body rear housing. If you do not want to swap housings and want to use your existing E body housing, then the spring perches must be moved in to match the new spring location. This requires welding.

Hotchkisparts are designed for good handling. The stiff front segment reinforcement they use will also provide decent bit at the drag strip. I doubt they would be as consistent with the reduced 60 ft times compared to a set of dedicated drag racing leafs, but for the occasional bracket race, they will probably hold up fine.

[Road_Runner]

I just finished my 70. I chose smallblock with aluminum everything, 727 trans and 3.23 posi 8 3/4.
Up front i chose 1.03 bars, hotchkis upper arms,hotchkis strut rods, hotchkis sway badrilled /slotted 11 " rotors.billsteins

Rear I have xhd`s, hotchkis sway bar, dr diffs relocation,billsteins,drilled/slotted rotors.

wheels are for now; rally 15 x 7 with 245/60/15 bfgoodrich t/a. 15 x 8 rally with 275/60/15 t/a.

I must say that this car feels pretty good, and i drive cars all day as a mechanic so I get to feel all sorts of cars.

My front may be a tad stiff but this car corners with confidence. very nimble with minimal body roll.Not harsh with the tall tires. I should mention that I have owned newer mustangs and the wife has a 2008 charger so I am not comparing ford taurus`s.

All the above responses are great and I put this combo together with the suggestions from this website!!!!!!!!

Your setup sounds very close to what I'm going with on my 73.  Its a small block car, 318 now / may go 340 or just build the 318, 904 auto (again for now, could go 727 or even 4 speed over time), 8 3/4 with 3.23.  I just bought ESPO springs that are similar to your Mopar XHDs, I have a stock 3/4" rear sway bar, and either a stock 7/8" front bar or a 1 1/8" Hellwig for the front.  I'm running the identical wheels & tires you are, and have Edelbrock IAS shocks that I may just use on the Roadrunner and go for Bilsteins on the Barracuda.  I've considered the Dr Diff relocation kit but don't need it with the rear wheel/tires I have on now.  So I'm very glad to hear that you are pleased with your setup, that makes me know I'm going in the right direction.

Later, Jim

[PlumCraZRT]

Thanks everybody, a lot of great responses. If I want to relocate the springs slightly with the Hotchkis rear springs, it looks like I may have to have some new front hangers fabricated or rear new shackles fabricated? Doctor Dif 3/4 inch relocation kits may not be a simply bolt in? Everything that I have read here and other places have mentioned Hotchkis rear Leaf Springs are great for handling and even good for the drags?

I have read of some issues with using the Hotchkis leaf springs with relocation brackets, so do your homework.

If you do go with Hotchkis, don't hesitate to call their tech support if you need help.  EASILY the best tech support experience I've EVER had.  They ran out and measured their Challenger while I waited on the phone so they could give me an answer.  Hotchkis rocks!