The folks at Laurel Mountain...
The folks at Laurel Mountain Mustang sell several brands of suspension products, but we asked them to send us their most popular sellers for our project Mustang. The company sent us its Platinum Series progressive-rate lowering springs ($149.95), its six-piece KYB shock and strut kit ($194.95), its Ground Pounder caster/camber plates ($139), and a full complement of urethane bushings and spring pads.
Horse Sense: Everyone has a different idea of how his or her Mustang should sit and look when it's lowered. Some like a nice rake, others want the wheels tucked up tight in the fenders, while others want a modest 1/2-3/4 inch drop just to close the wheelwell gap and improve handling. Different spring rates, free height, and installed heights cause different amounts of lowering. Know how low you want to go before you pull the trigger on your purchase.
What may be considered an easy installation for one Mustang owner can turn out to be a scary proposition for another. It's easy to become jaded once you have some wrenching experience under your belt, but think back to your early days of Mustang knowledge and you'll likely remember having lots of questions and being hesitant to rip into a project. Often it's a matter of personal comfort zones. Some people can handle mechanical repairs, while others are at ease doing electrical work. I've known plenty of people who could rebuild an engine but didn't have a clue about how to wire a simple relay circuit or install an ignition box, and vice versa.
This month's 5.0 Basics is on suspension modifications. Many Mustang owners want their cars to handle better and have that low and lean stance. The actual replacement of the most common suspension components is straightforward, nut-and-bolt work. The only challenge for the first-time installer might be the springs, especially the fronts. The springs store a tremendous amount of energy and can be dangerous if you don't take the proper precautions. While we always recommend a spring compressor for those who aren't experienced in spring removal, after dozens of spring installations we found the only time we really needed a spring compressor was for the longer-than-stock front "drag" springs. Everything else can be handled carefully with a prybar and some common sense. So get your car down where it belongs and enjoy the firmer ride and better handling.
Associate Editor Johnson recently...
Associate Editor Johnson recently screwed together a new Franken-Stang with a four-cylinder body (that came with a V-8 suspension already bolted on) and a used 5.0 and T5 tranny. Although the interior is in three colors, the Chrome Yellow topcoat stands out. As you can see by this wheelwell shot, the stock suspension had this Fox notch up in SN-95 territory, and that's just not cool.
While it's not mandatory,...
While it's not mandatory, we measured the wheel openings to see just how much drop we'd get after the new suspension was installed and had time to settle.
Beginning with the rear suspension,...
Beginning with the rear suspension, raise the body and set it securely on jackstands so that the rear tires can be removed. Make sure you have enough room to allow the rear axle to articulate for spring replacement. Unbolt the rear shocks from the housing end first. The floor jack under the center of the rear axle allows for slight up or down movement of the housing to free the mounting bolts.
Inside the trunk is where...
Inside the trunk is where you'll find the top mounting hardware for the rear shocks. Usually there will be two nuts locked together to prevent loosening. Remove the first nut completely, then back the second nut off to free the shock from the body. Hatchback owners have it easy with quick access covers in the rear trim panels.
Since Mike's ride led its...
Since Mike's ride led its first life as a four-cylinder, there weren't any bodyside quad-shock brackets or quad shocks to remove. So, with both main shocks removed, the axlehousing is lowered and the rear springs easily pop off the lower control arms with a push of a prybar or a big screwdriver.
The factory rear-spring lower...
The factory rear-spring lower isolators are made of hard plastic and-due to the age of Fox Mustangs-have usually deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. These urethane isolators ($24.95 for an axle set) sit in the stock location and do the same job with less flex.
The top of the spring also...
The top of the spring also gets a new urethane isolator. While not visible due to the angle of this shot, the upper isolator is taped to the top of the spring to prevent shifting or misalignment. The new springs slide into place with a light amount of pressure to seat the spring properly over the lower isolator.
While the rear axle is still...
While the rear axle is still at rest, rotate the rear springs until the "pigtail" is located toward the rear of the car as shown here. This is at six o'clock if you're looking straight down on the spring. Give the floor jack a few pumps with the handle to put some tension on the springs and keep them from moving.
Secure the new shocks with...
Secure the new shocks with their included hardware to the body mounting position. Raise or lower the axlehousing to line up the lower mounting bolt holes. Slide the lower mounting bolt through the shock mounting bracket and the shock, and secure it with the original nut. Repeat the steps for the other side. Our new Craftsman 18-volt, 1/2-inch-drive impact gun makes tightening the hardware an easy chore without needing an air supply.
After locating some quad-shock...
After locating some quad-shock brackets in the local salvage yard, we fitted the new quad shocks to the axlehousing and the body brackets. The shocks come with a pair of spacers (per shock) to take up the extra room between the axle-bracket mounting ears. You may need to spread the bracket open slightly with a few careful hits of a ball-peen hammer to get the shock and the two spacers to fit between the bracket ears.
On the front, each side is...
On the front, each side is worked on separately. Choose a side and raise the chassis so a jackstand can be positioned under the framerail. Remove the tire and wheel assembly. The brake caliper will need to be removed from the spindle for access, so unbolt the caliper and wire, or tie it out of the way. Do not let it hang by its brake hose.
Temporarily remove the tie-rod...
Temporarily remove the tie-rod end for working room. Remove the cotter pin and discard it, and remove the castle nut retaining the tie-rod end. Hit the spindle "eye" with a few sharp blows from a ball-peen hammer until the tie-rod end separates from the spindle. Remove the retaining nut that secures the sway bar to the sway bar end link at this time as well.
The two big mounting bolts...
The two big mounting bolts that retain the front strut to the top of the spindle are usually a bear to deal with. Don't remove the bolts until you have a floor jack safely under the lower control arm to allow the controlled release of the front coil spring. Before even attempting to remove them, spray the bolts liberally with penetrating oil and let them sit. Use the proper socket or boxed-end wrench to muscle the bolts loose.
Using our Craftsman impact...
Using our Craftsman impact gun once again, we made quick work of the upper strut mounting nut and the factory camber plate. Measure the location of the strut tip from two locations and record these measurements. You'll be placing the new strut in the same location before you can align the car. If your Mustang has never been aligned, you might need to drill out a rivet or two to release the camber plate. With the factory plate and strut free for removal, you're ready to release the front spring.
Extracting the stock coil...
Extracting the stock coil spring takes a bit of patience-and a big prybar. Begin by slowly lowering the lower control arm until it will not travel any farther. At this point you should see that the bottom coil of the spring is about to slip out of the spring pocket in the control arm. Use a block of wood or a shop broom braced across the spring to control its movement when released. While the spring is braced, use a large prybar under the edge of the spring coil to pry the spring up and out of the pocket in the control arm. Once you've performed these steps, the spring no longer has any tension and it can be lifted out of the control arm.
With the coil spring out of...
With the coil spring out of the way, remove the rest of the sway bar end-link assembly. Don't install the new end link just yet, as it will get in the way of installing the new spring.
We also ordered spring isolators...
We also ordered spring isolators for the front springs ($24.95 an axle set). To give an even more aggressive stance to Mike's ride, we used only the upper isolators. Position the new coil spring into the upper pocket and use the same technique as before-secure the spring and pry it up into the pocket of the control arm. Raise the control arm with the jack to secure the spring into place.
Next we installed the Ground...
Next we installed the Ground Pounder caster/camber plate to the strut tower, loosely setting the adjustments for the time being. It might be easier to install the lower bushing into the bottom of the caster/camber plate before installation of the plate, instead of sliding the lower bushing onto the strut and trying to install it from under the fender.
Install the proper spacers...
Install the proper spacers and suspension stop per the strut's instructions. Slide the strut up and into the caster/camber plate, securing it with the new mounting nut provided. It only needs to be snug for now.
Raise the control arm as needed...
Raise the control arm as needed to install and tighten the sway bar end link kit ($15.95).
Reusing the factory hardware,...
Reusing the factory hardware, mount the new strut to the spindle assembly. It may take a bit of wiggling with the floor jack to align the two holes properly. Tighten the mounting nuts and reinstall the brake caliper.
Reassemble the tie-rod end...
Reassemble the tie-rod end to the spindle eye and secure it with the original castle nut. Be sure to use a new cotter pin to prevent the castle nut from backing off.
Reinstall the wheel and lower...
Reinstall the wheel and lower the car to the ground. Now you can tighten the upper strut mounting nut properly and tighten down the caster/camber plate adjustment. Using the measurements taken before removal, locate the tip of the strut in the same place. This might require an assistant to move the strut while you measure and tighten the adjustment hardware. Once complete, repeat these steps for the other front spring and strut on the opposite side.
Finally, we added a set of...
Finally, we added a set of offset rack bushings ($14.95) into the mix. These bushings help to prevent or lessen bumpsteer characteristics by raising the steering rack on lowered Mustangs. Unbolt the steering rack from the K-member, free the steering-shaft rag joint, slide the rack forward enough to pop out the old bushings, and slide in the new ones. Bolt the rack back in place. Now head to your favorite alignment shop to bring your alignment specs back into line.