houtex

Previously, on Awesome's Adventures:

https://themustangsource.com/f669/4-...talled-531229/

And now, the continuing story...

---

Ok, so today was the day I finished the suspension project up. Hooray and stuff!

I woke up with a massive headache and neckache... Ugh. I hate that. So I dealt with that best I could. Gathered up my tools and my jack, in the trunk ya go. Got out of the house, went to the storage unit where I'd put the springs, shocks, struts, mounts and camber bolts and put 'em in the car. Got some brefas, and then headed on to the shop, finally getting there about 10:30am. I'm not terribly happy about the lateness, but what are ya gonna do? Stupid neck.

I'm on the other side of the shop because it's the other team's Saturday off. Not a big deal, just different. Put Awesome on the lift, just enough to break loose the front wheel lugs, unloaded my tools (I need a proper box, but the cardboard one did ok, nobody cared to comment)

I pull the front wheels off, set them aside... and just then, *work* happened. I had to go do my job. Ugh. I can *never* figure out why it is the computers decide to break just when I'm sitting down to do things (figureatively speaking, I wasn't actually sitting.)

Well, I solve that, thank goodness, and get back on the suspension. Go in the trunk, take off the top nuts of the shocks. Lift the car, take the mid sway bar links off, sway bar down out of the way. Lower shock bolts out, one at a time, put new shocks on lower bolts. Pull the springs out, put in the new ones, 1" lowering Ford P springs. Reinstall sway bar. Lower car down to compress the springs, ensure the shocks go in the holes, lower car enough to ensure shocks are lined up and bottomed out, install bushing/washer/nut combo, rear suspension is now complete! I was done in about 20 minutes, I kid you not. That was... surprisingly easy. Wewt!

Now the front.

Car up about 1/2 a foot or so. Jack positioned on the arm, supporting suspension on the left side. Undo the sway bar link, the brake line bracket, and the abs line clip. Undo three of the top four strut mount nuts up top. Loosen the strut/spindle bolts up, remove the nuts, leaving the bolts in for now. Lower the jack down, and out of the way. Remove top strut/spindle bolt, brakes tilt toward, but I catch, hold 'em with my knees. Remove lower strut/spindle bolt, strut is hanging by a thread (of the stud due to the nut up top.)

Briefly let spindle 'relax', long enough to get the nut off the last stud of the strut mount, catch and remove the strut/spring/mount assembly, set aside. Using two long tie wraps, I secure the spindle/brake assembly so that the brake line is not under stress.

I then take the old strut/spring/mount assembly to the wall mounted spring compressor, compress the spring (new thing I just learned, that machine!) and remove the nut on the top. (Props to Motorz for the method used, very easy, very nice!) Saved the nut. Saved the strut cover thingy. Saved the spring isloator on the bottom of the old spring.

Got the right strut out, and one of the front P springs, and did the work. Attached the isolator as needed, positioned spring on the strut, put the 'accordion covers', or whatever they're called, on, and then put the GT500 mount on the top... Pushed down with brute force (meaning I leaned into it with both hands) and then somehow with enough force behind the left hand holding it all down, get the nut threaded on, and tightened it on up.

Assembly complete. Now to install it in the car. Go to the left side, clip the tie wraps for the spindle/brakes as they'd otherwise be in the way, and wrangle the strut in (with the notch out as specified on the mount) and get one of the nuts on one of the studs up top. Positioned the strut and spindle to get the lower strut/spindle bolt in, then the top one, and bolted them up.

Using the jack, jacked up the lower arm until the strut mount studs were in place, and locked them down with the four nuts.

I then went to put the sway bar link in and... um... hm... it's not going in the hole...

I go to the right side of the car, and verify which of the two holes it goes in on the strut... yep... it's that one... Huh.

I then go to see the other strut, and I see the 'LH' symbol on it... "Oh. DAMMIT!!!!"

See, people, I have this problem, and I've seen it classified as 'directional dyslexia.' I, without even thinking about it, continunally and ad nauseum, will confuse the rights and lefts in my world. Rights, lefts, Easts, Wests, and even, in my case, Houston and Katy, as to my North/South thinking mental map... they're East/West, Right/Left in my mind.

And so I seriously had picked up the RH strut in my hands and said "Yep, I just removed the right side strut!" and went about my merry way.

Gah. I get so tired of that thing I do.

Well... Ok, so I remove the strut (see procedure above, same deal.)

And then.. it occurs to me that I now have a ready to install right side strut, as the springs and mounts are the same... just the strut is 'sided'. Well, ok then.

And so I put the right strut in after taking out the old one. I mean, it was right there, so there ya go. Same procedure, except this time, the sway bar link goes in, and then the brake line bracket, and the ABS clip.

I now I tear apart the right strut/spring/mount assembly, and assemble from it's nut, accordion, and isolator, the left strut/spring/mount assembly with the new parts.

And then attach it to the left side as per the now triply known process.

Front is DONE.

Well, except for the right (I swear to you, the right side one) tie rod end. The boot was blown out, and it was loosey goosey for sure. I got a Moog one to replace it. I feel that it'll do just fine. 20.5 turns out, 20.5 turns back in, jam the nut. Put in the zerk, add grease.

I put the wheels back on, lower the car off the lift, put my tools all up, and then take the car out for a little spin to settle out the suspension a little bit. Bring it back, acquire the alignment rack, and do my first ever alignment on an alignment machine.

I love learnin' new stuff.

I had some serious toe issues, way way out, but that was brought under control at 0.03 Left and 0.04 Right Toes, with a combined of 0.07.

Caster and camber wound up being in the green too, no camber bolts needed. Which was cool, I was kinda hoping I'd miss that bullet. However, I now have camber bolts that I don't need. I'll keep them, though, in case.

End result of all the suspension I did?

Rides nice. No more squeaks, squawks, or pops. Steers better, turns better, and no more wheel hops, just leaves the scene.

Oh, and she's 1" lower all the way around, and looks right with the 275/40-18s now. When these wear out, I'm going to go with the 2010 setup and get the 255/45 up front and 285/40 in the back, and that'll work even better for the look. I'll get pics one day, but just imagine a (mostly) stock GT with the 4x4 look, and now it doesn't.

Anyway. I know it was long, but totes worth the time/effort and dough. I'm a happy camper, and she's a better animal now.

So there ya go. Laters!

Glenn

Glad you gotter dun. If you stand about 25 feet out in front of your car how do the front tires look camber wise? I know its in spec just wondering how they look.

houtex

They look right to me. Everything appears centered, upright... like it should, really. And the tires and fender have the right amount of gap I was lookin' for.

I like it. Looks like it ought, mostly. I'll have to wait until the current treads run out before I can get the tires I should have got in the first place, then it'll be exactly right. For me, of course.

In case it matters, camber is at -1.3 degrees. both sides. Toe was set at .03 left, .04 right (.05 is 'perfect', but I apparently shake or something), and drives straight. Maybe falls off the center crown just a little, but not near as bad as it used to be. Thrust angle is .04 degrees. Original spec for camber is -.75 both sides, with a .7 +/- either way acceptable. So they're *just* in spec. But I dont see any real difference, visually.

I will admit, though, after driving it a bit more, it seems... well, a little rougher, of course, due to the lower height and subsequent required harshness to keep the new height. That was expected. But what it also seems is that it has extra travel... up? Like it doesn't wanna bottom out, but will fly upwards over a bump.

It's hard to describe really. But I'm guessin' it's because I went with stock struts/shocks, and while I didn't think that 1" would have made that huge a difference... perhaps it did. So it acts like, due to the 'wrong center' of the shock/strut... it floats upwards expecting to land in the 'right center' of the shock, and then it's disappointed and flutters down.

Or something. It's not terrible. I'll put up with it, 'cause budget. Next year I'll probably get some Koni SR.Ts? I dunno. I'll research it then. (here is where a few of you can go 'Told ya so!' and I'll just take the broiled crow, thanks. )

Excepting that one quibble, I love love love what the end result is. Car's more hella fun to just drive now, turns are fun, launching is great... Kinda wish Ford had done this in the first place.

Glenn

you have to post at least one pic of your ride .... otherwise none of this ever happened

houtex

Soon as I get a good set of 'now' pics, that'll happen, man, promise.

I have the before, so I'll review and put 'em up soon(tm).

lowblustang00

It's been over a month :-/

Where are your now pics? ;-)