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  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

spring install from hell

  • Thread starter Thread starter stangman
  • Start date Start date Feb 2, 2004
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stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
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Feb 2, 2004
#1
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #1
well chris (boss281mustang) & i just finished the longest ever spring install so i thought i would post a few pics

it took us friggin forever to do because of the rear right spring, we could not get the lower control arm & the axle to line up. well after several hours later (on the same spring) & a trip to a couple auto parts stores, we finally get it in. BTW-anyone thinking about doing this job...... GET A SPRING COMPRESSOR. well anyway the whole thing took a full 10hrs

also one more thing....... Do the springs settle & actually get a little lower after some time casue i didn't get as much of a drop as i was expecting. it said a 1 1/2in drop & it ended up being about a 1in drop

well enough with all that, here are some of the pics




 

Beau

Founding Member
Jan 29, 2000
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Feb 2, 2004
#2
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #2
yea give it a little while to settle..thats what mine did
 

JonJon

Founding Member
Aug 16, 2002
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back in Marylands
Feb 2, 2004
#3
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #3
Glad you got it to work finally

And I do believe it does end up settling lower after a few days.
 

jadesville

the polarbear conservation corps protects a polarb
20+ Year Stangneter
Oct 8, 2003
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Feb 2, 2004
#4
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #4
should take a week or so to fully settle, glad to hear you got it all worked out
 

Boss281Mustang

New Member
Nov 6, 2003
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Huntington, WV
Feb 2, 2004
#5
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #5
Those control arms made the baby jesus cry
 
S

san~man

O-G
Founding Member
Nov 29, 1999
8,546
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A little grass shack on a big lava rock
Feb 2, 2004
#6
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #6
Funny you had so much problems.

My whole suspension install (springs, shocks/struts, and rear LCA's) took about 3 hours, with a lunch break in between.
 
T

tarch

My 8V > 4V > 2V
Founding Member
Aug 20, 2002
3,073
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Redmond, WA
Feb 2, 2004
#7
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #7
wow! that looks like stock ride height... how high was it before
 

vipergts281

Mr. Metrosexual
Founding Member
Apr 17, 2002
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Probably driving somewhere.
Feb 2, 2004
#8
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #8
san~man said:
Funny you had so much problems.

My whole suspension install (springs, shocks/struts, and rear LCA's) took about 3 hours, with a lunch break in between.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my springs were swapped out in about 90 minutes.

But I've done some installs that were a friggin nightmare.....H-pipe and brakes.
 

stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
2,690
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Feb 2, 2004
#9
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #9
well the install from hell has turned into the day from hell well after chris & i got done with the install, we decided to have some celebratory taco bell well chris lives right across the bridge in ohio, so we did it in his heated garage . the only open taco bell was in WV so we decided to go there. well when we got on the bridge both of us hit it at the crown of the bridge, just screwing around. well we get stopped on the WV side at a red light (for a good 30+ sec too) & all the sudden we see cop lights..... ohio cops too. well they were bound & determined to give us a ticket

well first off, in order to issue a ticket in another county, let alone another state, you would have to have a commisioned officer of that area write it out. well to get around this they wrote us a ticket for being in ohio, even though we wern't in ohio when it happened.

secondly, they wrote us for wreckless driving 65 in a 25 . well when the officers came back up to my car to give me a ticket, they told me that they clocked me at 65, so i asked to see the radar. well he said that he cleared it off so i was like so you have nothing to show me that i was going that fast, & he said no, didn't you hear me i just cleared it off. so said "oh ok" (just let it go, for now)

and thirdly, they told us that we did it under the light in ohio, & under the light is still one lane, there are two lanes, one left turn only, the other you can go straight, or turn right, so there was no way that we did it under the light.
all they were doing was trying to throw their weight around & piss us off. so there is our friggin wonderful day......... sorry guys i just had to vent
 

stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
2,690
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Feb 2, 2004
#10
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #10
oh btw..... when we were pulled over, we noticed that the car had settled a little & was sitting a little lower i wish i could have seen that in a little better circumstances

oh & the cop gave me a classic too...... Cop -- "yeah those 5.0's are pretty fast, all i have is a 4.somethin, i almost didn't catch you all" so i had to correct him Me -- " nope, i don't have a 5.0, it's got a 4.6... same as yours, just a few minor differences" him--"well yours is a lot faster" he didn't seem to appreciate it too much, but he couldn't do anything to me without a assisting officer from WV so really could have cared less.

just thought some of you might enjoy that one
 

JonJon

Founding Member
Aug 16, 2002
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Feb 2, 2004
#11
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #11
 

mogs01gt

Founding Member
Jul 22, 2002
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Feb 2, 2004
#12
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #12
what kind of springs are they? stock shocks?
 

stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
2,690
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in a 3 bed, 2 bath
Feb 2, 2004
#13
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #13
mogs01gt said:
what kind of springs are they? stock shocks?
Click to expand...


they are mac lowering springs (supposed to be a 1 1/2in drop) & for the moment i have the stock shocks & struts (they will be replaced with strange adjustables before long ) & it is settling more i just went out & looked at it & it is setting lower today
 

1fast03pony

Member
Jul 1, 2003
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New york
Feb 2, 2004
#14
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #14
it looks like stock from those pics. let it settle for a few days and take some more!
 
G

GinoGT

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Aug 11, 2002
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Feb 2, 2004
#15
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #15
The front doesn't look any lower than stock.
 

stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
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Feb 2, 2004
#16
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #16
GinoGT said:
The front doesn't look any lower than stock.
Click to expand...

well it really wasn't at the time..... it only was lower by a 1/4 at first but today it is sitting much lower i still think it could be a hair lower in the front though... like another 1/2in. i think i might order the steeda x2 ball joints to take care of that
 
G

GinoGT

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Feb 2, 2004
#17
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #17
c2see21 said:
well it really wasn't at the time..... it only was lower by a 1/4 at first but today it is sitting much lower i still think it could be a hair lower in the front though... like another 1/2in. i think i might order the steeda x2 ball joints to take care of that
Click to expand...

Really? My H&R Supersports gave me about the same ride height from day 1. I'm guessing they did settle a tiny bit, throwing off my alignment by just a hair giving me this annoying pull to the left. I need to get off my ass and get an alignment.
 

stangman

15 Year Member
Jul 10, 2003
2,690
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69
in a 3 bed, 2 bath
Feb 2, 2004
#18
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #18
well i found out that the tickets we got by the ohio cops are horse crap, so i'll keep you all updated on what happens. but i was told by a few people i know in the legal system, that what they did was completely illegal. so i really can't wait unitl the court date now, cause i'm going into it really prepared
 

nickthegenius

Active Member
Dec 23, 2002
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Elwood, IN
Feb 2, 2004
#19
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #19
c2see21 said:
it took us friggin forever to do because of the rear right spring, we could not get the lower control arm & the axle to line up.
Click to expand...

Boss281Mustang said:
Those control arms made the baby jesus cry
Click to expand...

Am I understanding correctly that you unbolted the control arm to install the spring and it wouldn't line up? If so, what possessed you to do that? Put the rear framerails on jackstands, unbolt the bottom of the shocks, lower the rear end with you jack, and the springs should flop out like Janet Jackson's breast.
 

jeff1414

New Member
Jun 19, 2003
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Sacramento
Feb 2, 2004
#20
  • Feb 2, 2004
  • #20
ha it looks like we got the same rims. Mine is really lower that that though. it should go down some.......
 
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