J&M caster/ camber plates...
J&M caster/ camber plates require only basic hand tools to install and can be fitted to your Mustang in about an hour, using a floor jack and jackstands.
When it comes to their Mustangs' suspensions, most owners choose to lower their cars with a set of aftermarket springs. The new springs improve handling by altering the spring rates from the stock springs and by lowering the vehicle's center of gravity. While springs are effective, however, they are only part of the suspension equation.
Many factors-including K-member design, suspension mounting points, steering linkages, and so on-can determine whether other suspension products are necessary to make the car handle to its fullest potential. Some cars, usually '90 and newer, don't need bumpsteer correction unless the car has been drastically lowered. But one product from which all Mustangs can benefit is a quality set of caster/camber adjustment plates.
Raise the front of the car...
Raise the front of the car and secure it with jackstands under the framerails or engine cradle. Remove the front wheels. To take the pressure off the top of the strut, use a floor jack to apply upward pressure on the lower control arm and spring. Mark the strut's caster and camber location to the strut tower with a marker or grease pencil. Remove the large strut-retaining nut and the three nuts that hold the alignment of the factory plate.
Caster/camber plates take the minimal adjustment capabilities of the stock upper strut mounts and make the strut completely and independently adjust-able for both caster and camber adjustments. Many aftermarket caster/camber plates improve the vehicle's handling by replacing the soft rubber strut bushing with a harder durometer urethane bushing, or even solid-steel spherical bushings. With larger-than-stock tires, lowering springs, and so on, a good set of caster/camber plates is exactly what's needed to tie everything together and to allow for a performance alignment.
J&M Products makes a high-quality caster/camber plate for '79-'93 and '94-'04 Mustangs. These super-strong adjustment plates are powdercoated and feature precise TIG welds. The Teflon-lined spherical bearing offers precise handling and increased suspension travel for lowered cars. At $152.50 (including shipping), these caster/camber plates are a great deal.
Lower the jack a few inches...
Lower the jack a few inches so the strut comes out of the strut-tower opening. You may have to apply hand pressure to the strut shaft and pull the shaft down and out of the opening so that you can remove the lower half of the factory alignment plate.
After removing the old alignment...
After removing the old alignment plate, assemble the new J&M caster/camber plate with the proper spacers, according to the included directions and exploded-view diagram. Prepare the strut according to the instructions. Raise the strut so it passes through the spherical bearing. Install the top spacer and strut retaining nut.
Snug the three adjustment...
Snug the three adjustment nuts first, lining up the strut with your original camber mark. Align the strut with your original caster mark and tighten the Allen-head bolts. Retighten everything once the strut is positioned in its original location. You should still have the car aligned with the specs included in the directions, but at least the struts will be close to where they were when you began. Now repeat for the other side and go get that alignment!