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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-

Project "BlackOut" 89 convert.

  • Thread starter Thread starter ryan218
  • Start date Start date Sep 17, 2008
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ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 21, 2008
#241
  • Nov 21, 2008
  • #241
1991notchbackLX said:
man, that would be really, really awesome... i would be really grateful if you could... i can't find any good write-ups on lowering a fox... only older guys warning younger guys about how dangerous spring compressors are
Click to expand...

i can attest to that. 2 broken teeth for the people who said. use zip ties...they got some ****ing balls. front springs scare the hell out of me honestly. last time the jack slipped. and it hurt..there was alot of blood
 

1991notchbackLX

Active Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,483
47
48
New York
Nov 21, 2008
#242
  • Nov 21, 2008
  • #242
yeah man i hear you, all that tension and potential energy scares the living hell out of me too, that's why i'm looking for a good write-up, trying to avoid the gallons of blood if at all possible but i'll stop cluttering up your thread and just stay tuned... thanks again
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 21, 2008
#243
  • Nov 21, 2008
  • #243
1991notchbackLX said:
yeah man i hear you, all that tension and potential energy scares the living hell out of me too, that's why i'm looking for a good write-up, trying to avoid the gallons of blood if at all possible but i'll stop cluttering up your thread and just stay tuned... thanks again
Click to expand...

ha your fine. its project(s) related. no stupid ****. it was my fault though. let it down...way to fast. and had no compressor on it. lets just say. that was a no license no parents home. and drove myself to the E.R. 10 miles away. i refuse to ever call an ambolunce . they take forever and im not a patient person.
 

riceslayer302

Banned
Oct 3, 2006
0
1
0
CT
Nov 21, 2008
#244
  • Nov 21, 2008
  • #244
im gonna catch hell for this... but i put eibach drag springs in with the sweet ass hose clamp method...


i did a write-up/huge argument thread on it before it got locked...
http://forums.stangnet.com/755749-remember-guy.html

just dont tell jason (vristang) i told you about it

its coming along great, i must say i doubted it when you posted the first pics of it, but its coming along great keep up the good work! those springs are gonna make it look sweet.
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 21, 2008
#245
  • Nov 21, 2008
  • #245
thats the hope..just gotta wait for when the old man isnt home to put them in...lol
 

cenok is family

15 Year Member
Jun 25, 2003
1,409
69
79
Norman, Ok
Nov 22, 2008
#246
  • Nov 22, 2008
  • #246
looks 100000x better! you're doing good with it man. can't wait to see some pics of it lowered!
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 23, 2008
#247
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #247
cenok is family said:
looks 100000x better! you're doing good with it man. can't wait to see some pics of it lowered!
Click to expand...


Me too. it will be a little while though. im having no motavation at all to do it in this weather.
 

riceslayer302

Banned
Oct 3, 2006
0
1
0
CT
Nov 23, 2008
#248
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #248
your gonna do the hose clamp method????
 

25thmustang

Mustang Master
Sep 5, 2003
2,021
85
99
Montgomery, NY
Nov 23, 2008
#249
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #249
The thread where we called it junk you asked opinions from some nasty pictures... and you know what it looked like from them... junk.

Car looks good now that you've taken it over and taken care of it, but if your harping on things we said months and months ago...

Not sure the internet is the right place to keep your head straight!

My opinion.
 

hsean

10 Year Member
Jul 24, 2006
656
69
69
dearborn,michigan
Nov 23, 2008
#250
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #250
25thmustang said:
The thread where we called it junk you asked opinions from some nasty pictures... and you know what it looked like from them... junk.

Car looks good now that you've taken it over and taken care of it, but if your harping on things we said months and months ago...

Not sure the internet is the right place to keep your head straight!

My opinion.
Click to expand...

cut him a break fellas he is from columbus and probably a buckeyes fan it would explain alot.i would know my buckeye friends here in michigan are very annoying
 

Aaron

20+ Year Stangneter
Dec 5, 2003
94
35
38
Buffalo, NY
Nov 23, 2008
#251
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #251
Forget the hose clamp method. Do it the way I did it.

Mustangmotorsport - Mustangs and a whole lot more!

mustangmotorsport.com said:
Here is the tech article for installing springs:

This is the procedure I've used to change front springs in a Fox-body Mustang without the use of a spring compressor, which due to packaging of the front end components is often a source of frustration. And unlike other methods that require disconnecting the struts and actually prying the springs in and out, this one lets the spring completely decompress so that no unsafe prying is required.

Bear in mind that compressed springs contain a lot of stored energy. I am documenting the steps I took to perform this operation and although I am comfortable performing this task you should know that as with any job if you do it you do so at your own risk.

Required tools:

- Floor jack
- a 2nd jack, not necessary but helps
- 2 Jackstands
- Crowbar
- A good socket wrench is preferred, with the following sockets mandatory, box wrenches a less attractive alternative:
- 21 mm deep
- 24 mm deep
- 15 mm deep
- penetrating oil
- a "persuader" made of a roughly 12-inch length of roughly 2-inch pipe. Slipped over a wrench and used to effectively lengthen it, it is invaluable when it comes to applying real torque to really tight bolts.
- a small hammer
- a medium sized flat blade screwdriver

Now on to how I've done the install:

Block the rear wheels, raise the front, and place the car on jackstands. Keep in mind you'll want all available floor space to place the jacks under the inner side of the A-arm so the stands will need to be pretty close together and you don't want the car close to any walls or other cars.

Remove the front tires. Undo the lower swaybar end links (15 mm deep).

Spray some penetrating oil on the nuts and bolts that attach the inner end of the A-arm to the K-member.

Loosen the inner a-arm bolts but do not remove the bolts yet. You won't be able to, but don't even try. Breaking these loose will require a lot of torque on the 24mm. The bolt on the other end is 21 mm, put a wrench on that for leverage.

With the nuts loose, place a floor jack at the inside lip of the A-arm, between the mounting ears.

Raise the jack until you can see the tension taken off one of the bolts (probably the rearward one first). Punch the bolt out with a small hammer and jockey with the jack until you can remove the bolt. You may want to insert the screwdriver to keep things roughly centered while you remove the other bolt, just don't forget to remove the screwdriver before lowering the assembly.

Place the second jack so it will raise the other ear of the arm while you position the rest of the arm with the first jack. The arm will bend a bit if unsupported so you need the second jack for the second bolt.

Notice that the spring is in a perch and can't squirt out. Notice it's in a perch at the top too. Notice that when you lower the jacks, the spring will decompress vertically and that thanks to the strut and the tie rod still being attached it is very unlikely the spring will ever squirt out. But don't have your head in the wheel-well nonetheless and if you're the real nervous type tie it to the K-member with a piece of rope or chain. Lower it until the spring is fully decompressed, which will happen well before the jack gets to the bottom of its travel.

With the jack lowered and out of the way, swing the A-arm to the rear and the spring will practically fall out.

Cut the insulator off the bottom lengthwise so it will come off, then wind it onto the bottom of your new spring.

Clean off the crud out of the lower spring perch.

Position the spring so the bottom end (the one that isn't flattened) ends up between the two holes in the spring pocket. Position it in its pocket at the top, which may require raising the jack a bit just to hold it in place, and then get the jack positioned so the A-arm is roughly lined up.

Raise the jack and guide the A-arms into place. A little WD-40 type stuff on the pockets in the K-member eases the positioning process.

When you get at least one of the ears situated roughly (probably the rearward one), you'll probably have to pry on the ear out a bit to get the bolt holes to line up. Insert the prybar from the bottom between the K-member pocket and the ear on the A-arm and you can move the arm in and out pretty easily. By being precise with the jack and prying a bit if necessary you'll be able to slip the bolt right through and seat it. Place the nut on it for safekeeping but don't tighten it down yet.

Place the second jack under the other ear just like you did to remove its bolt, and positioning the jacks and wiggling things around as necessary, pop the second bolt through and install the nut but don't tighten it.

DOUBLE CHECK that you haven't bumped a jackstand out of the way in the process. It's easy to do because raising the A-arm will probably lift that side off the stand and it's easy to bump it out of the way when you move the jack around. So easy you might not notice you moved it so trust me on this, before you lower the jacks, double check the placement of the jackstands.

Lower the jacks and put one under the balljoint and raise it until the assembly simulates ride height position. This is so the bushings get torqued down in their natural position (If you don't do this you'll be "preloading" the bushings when at ride height). This will probably raise that side off the jackstand a bit again but that's OK, leave it right where it is for safety. Tighten the nuts down now. I don't have a torque reading but suffice to say it's tight as hell.

You're about 1.5 hours into the job and you're done with that side.

Don't replace the swaybar end link nuts until you finish with the other side.

Now do the other side as outlined above. Reattach the swaybar endlinks when you're done. You may have to pry on them a bit to give yourself enough clearance. When all is said and done you should be about 3 hours down with the whole front done.

NOW FOR THE REARS

Block the front wheels and raise the rear end. Leave the floorjack under the diff, and place the rear end on jackstands just ahead of where the lower control arms connect.

Remove the rear wheels.

Undo and remove the swaybar (15mm Deep)

Undo the lower shock mount, fasteners vary but it may be a Torx and it may be a 15mm 18mm combo.

Remove the quad shocks.

Lower the jack so the axle drops as far as you can without pulling the rear brake flex line.

Now put a second jack under one end of the axle and raise that end as high as you can.

You can now probably just pluck the low-side's spring out. If not, have a helper stand on the low end of the axle to help it the last little bit and pull the spring out, it's not under any compression at this point.

Swap isolators to the new spring, orient it so the flat side is up and the bottom pigtail points to the drivers side (for BOTH springs).

Lower the high-side jack, make sure the new spring is seated properly, and repeat the process for the other side.

When you're done, raise the diff back up, reconnect the quad shocks and shocks. Re-attach the swaybar, reinstall the wheels, lower the car and you're done in way under an hour.

*Installation procedure courtesy of Frasier Elliott (MFE)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at:

info@mustangmotorsport.com
Click to expand...
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 23, 2008
#252
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #252
riceslayer302 said:
your gonna do the hose clamp method????
Click to expand...

hell no.

pics before lowering.







 

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795.0pacecar

lover of pudgy polygamists
Jul 11, 2003
480
0
17
Senoia, GA
Nov 23, 2008
#253
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #253
Looks good ryan. I am glad you wont be using the dumbass hose clamp method.
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 23, 2008
#254
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #254
^ i want to live to tel about it lol. ill use the spring compressor
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 23, 2008
#255
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #255
hsean said:
cut him a break fellas he is from columbus and probably a buckeyes fan it would explain alot.i would know my buckeye friends here in michigan are very annoying
Click to expand...

Michigan got there asses owned buddy
 
B

bentley429

Banned
Nov 25, 2004
528
3
0
Connecticut
Nov 23, 2008
#256
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #256
Looking good, is it possible to lose the wing? Car has come a long way for little $$!
 

Aaron

20+ Year Stangneter
Dec 5, 2003
94
35
38
Buffalo, NY
Nov 23, 2008
#257
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #257
ryan218 said:
^ i want to live to tel about it lol. ill use the spring compressor
Click to expand...

Ryan - unless you find the Ford specific one, spring compressors WILL NOT WORK on the front end. Both the inner and outer ones won't fit. The only one I know of that would work is a $300 one from Napa.

I'm telling you - my mechanical abilities are below average and I had no trouble following the instructions I posted above.
 

1991notchbackLX

Active Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,483
47
48
New York
Nov 23, 2008
#258
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #258
the car really looks awesome, ryan... i missed the original thread but is that top brand new? if it isn't it sure as hell looks it
 

ryan218

In just 10 years, I'll be old enough to drive!!!!
Dec 28, 2005
0
1
38
columbus ohio
Nov 23, 2008
#259
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #259
its org top.

aaron. using a shop wall mounted on.
 

LaserSVT

Got FB banned again for saying nards
Founding Member
Nov 29, 1999
9,390
3,536
233
Nov 23, 2008
#260
  • Nov 23, 2008
  • #260
Hey looks good.
You sure its not too low though?
 
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