I'm new on the forum here, so I've been looking for information on the 1971 front suspension. Most of the posts are pretty old, so I'm hoping for some updated information. My '71 has drum brakes on the front so I plan to install larger disks. So far, I've seen that Wilwood has a 5 lug kit for the '71 Pinto and PST has a front end rebuild kit for a '71 that includes the lower ball joints. If there are no distinct advantages to swapping in the later suspension, I'll plan to go this route.
On the other hand, the '74 and up suspension components are readily available and considerably cheaper. Are there major handling advantages to using the later suspension? Dropped spindles and tubular a-arms are sexy, but is it worth the fabrication needed to change the crossmember? Also, has anyone actually swapped a later Pinto crossmember into an earlier car? Would you recommend using one of the street rod crossmembers or try to source one from a scrapped car? I don't mind doing the fab work, but if it ain't broke...
I've seen a couple of Turbo Coupes available for donors if I want to go 2.3 Turbo, but if this is truly going to be my time machine, I gotta go V8.
Any and all input is appreciated!
Thanks, John