It sounds like this will be a walk in the park for you.
To get the steering around the filter, You can add a support pillow (plastic block clamped around the steering shaft to the frame) and an extra joint or tow if the angle is too great for one.
Universal bushing sets from energy/prothane are reasonable or turn nylon rod in a lathe to make “top hats” i.e. 1/4 inch flanged bushes and use pipe (smooth the inner weld bead) or dom tube for the outer race with pipe or ¼ wall dom for the inner all driven by the size fastener required through the center, typically 3/8 to ½ inch grade 5 depending on the application.
I prefer 1/8 plate/strip for nearly anything if it is arranged properly. Flanges should have some give for clamping loads but one side can be gusseted for rigidty, precise locating and strength.
It’s unusual to be able to reuse axle control arms in these builds because it is so cramped and low making bump travel of a forward link arm under the floor an issue. A three or four link is typical. There have been off-road versions with high ground clearance that solve this problem.
Imho, rear steer is ideal for these cars. Most fwd cars are rear steer. Some have an intermediate plate between inner tie rods and a center tapped rack. This plate can be modded or replaced to alter the distance between the inner tie rods to eliminate bumpsteer in the suspension. The distance needs to fall somewhere between the lower control arm (LCA) inner pivots (LCAP) and the upper control arm (UCA) inner pivots (UCAP), usually within a couple inches of the LCAP distance.
Vsusp is a good tool for sorting out the suspension geometry. Level LCA of about 19 inches, UCA of 7-9 deg slope and around 13 inches, and a virtual swing arm of about 60-70 inches seems to work well for camber gain and a stable X and Y roll center through 4 degree of roll. Try to minimize scrub to ½ inch or less with the wheels and tires.
Feel free to ask for opinions and post lots of pics.
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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742Simple Spring select
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