Street Machine Australia — June 2017

Next, the new upper control arm mounts are measured up

and welded into place. The difference between new and old

here is massive, with the new Rod Shop parts using close to

double the amount of metal as the old. Then the upper and

lower control arms are fitted and measured once more

STEP

Everything is looking good, so it’s time to start the

suspension assembly! Grmusa’s airbag suspension is

slotted between the control arms and the spindles are

bolted in

STEP

Here you can see the difference

between the old and new set-up,

and Peter should be able to feel

it out on the pad too. His old front

end was designed for a hot rod or

early Holden, not for the weight he’s

throwing around, so it ended up

bending. It also used a Gemini lower

ball joint for the top control arm,

which was very restrictive

Now it’s time to get to work on the new front mount power

steering arrangement. The new front end already has the

steering-rack brackets welded into it, so it’s a case of sitting

it in place, checking clearances and then grinding up an input

shaft to suit. This new set-up uses a quicker ratio rack than

before, and with the new IFS affording way more steering angle,

it’s going to make the Falcon much nicer to drive

STEP

Pete’s XR Falcon uses giant six-piston Wilwood brake

calipers, which the Rod Shop front end hasn’t been

specifically designed for, so a set of off-road-spec

caliper brackets are modified slightly to suit

STEP