I am having front lower a arms built for the 86 Mustang notch that is my challenge car.
The car has no power steering and will gain significant camber, ie it will be possible to exceed 3 degrees.
How much caster is ideal, the car is heavy at slow speeds now and a lighter touch would help at autocrossing.
That said, most people say to max the caster out, so how much is enough, we can build a lot in if we need to.
Steve
Normally, the drag race crowd is about 5.5 degrees caster. I would think for AX, you would want no more then about 4 or you would be fighting the straightline tendency of more caster.
I basically run as much as I can, I dont remember exactly how much I have.
Sorry, no experience working without power steering on mustangs.
You will probably be able to move the front wheels forward a bit to gain more than stock allowed, but you would have to watch for bumpsteer and akermann and adjust the rack position.
I know of someone running 7.7* with 3/4" forward offset control arms.
Honestly, caster is dynamic camber and is a good thing because it reduces the amount of static camber required, which reduces your braking ability.
Best answer I can give you, as much as your arms can take. If at all practical I would retain the power steering.
I have friends who were playing with FFR cobras (so lighter car) and they did some testing with and without power steering in auto-x and having it on the car made a big difference. Without they could not make the fast inputs, so their times suffered.
A have owned 3 Fox cars and raced one. What Apexcarver has said is all true and I agree that keeping the PS is better if you want to get good handling. I know of only one racer who went without PS and he was built like a gorilla and had no issues steering but no one else could drive the car! 5-7 degrees of caster, 2-3.5 of neg. camber and 1/4-0 toe out.
YES ! Keep the power steering ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
MAN does it ever make a difference . . .
I've never, ever, ever considered removing the power steering on my Fox notchback. I like my low speed steering to not be of the Armstrong variety.
I went with Max Mo recommendations (car has an annoying habit if following every damn rut though) max caster possible (rat tail file to oblong the hole where the strut rod comes through the tower) and -1.5* camber for the street and maxing it out when I autocross (IF I feel like messing with it). I've done the so-called Mathis mods (except the anti-dive -- left that factory) on my Mustang's k-member. This amounts to raising the control arm pick-up points, slotting the frame mounting holes and adding slots to move the engine back. I never bothered with engine setback either even though I did mod the k-member to have that option. Too much worrying about driveshaft length and all that bs. I also didn't go that extreme on raising the pickup points but every little bit helps if you're stuck with the stock k.
ps: I'm no goo-roo. You might want to check out "Toys" on the corral autox/road-race subforum. He did a similar stealth job on a factory k-member.
I have an aftermarket K member to install, so no issues with the factory unit any more, I am now addressing the A arm issues only.
The Power Steering went away, it was worn out and I got a great deal on a Flaming River unit. However if I can find a power rack that someone wants to swap I will do it. Not much chance though.
I found it to be OK when moving but very heavy from stationary. One of the pro drivers suggested getting it back but alan wasn't so sure. I will do the rest of the front steering mods then reassess whether I need the PS rack back.
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