SUSPENSION

On an old-school fast Ford, it’s fairly likely that the chassis will be a little bit tired. Interestingly, unlike in days gone by, it’s far easier to source uprated aftermarket replacements for shocks and springs than it is to find OE-spec standard items. Not everyone wants their car to be low and stiff of course, and if you want to retain your car’s original feel, you can – standard springs for models such as the XR3, XR2 and RS Cosworth are still made by Bilstein and KYB. Be aware that they’re not always kept on the shelf, however – you may have a little wait, but it’s not an insoluble problem by any means; similarly you should find OE-spec shock absorbers available from Bilstein or Monroe.

If you’d rather fit uprated dampers and shorter springs to optimise the car’s performance, Burton Power have a whole catalogue of options on the shelf and ready to despatch.

You’ll almost certainly need to replace your various bushes – Superflex stock a huge selection of these, all engineered to the appropriate ‘shore’ ratings of hardness.

One final key ingredient to keeping your old Ford’s handling and steering on-point is decent wheel alignment set-up. If you rock up to local tyre fitters in an old Escort, do you really think they are going to know how to set things to get the best possible performance? The best they’ll be able to offer is ‘book’ settings for a standard car, if you’re lucky. They may have the latest fancy laser alignment equipment, but like so many things, the tool is only as good as the person using it. That’s where specialists like Northampton Motorsport come into their own; not only do they have the right tools for the job, but more importantly they have years of experience (with both road and race cars) to call upon when dialling things in to really optimise the handling abilities of your Ford.