Suspension Suspension problem--lowering springs gone wrong

7991LXnSHO · Jul 18, 2021

As poly flexes little and twists even less, how is this going to help? Do the shells not have the serrations?

HemiRick · Jul 18, 2021

no serrations in poly bushings they are fairly free to rotate

OldManRiver · Jul 18, 2021

In the case of these cars I've found that the free floating,nonbinding,and decreased wheel rate associated with the change to poly front control arm bushings help with DEcreasing impact harshness,far more than any increase of NVH one might associate with the change alone from rubber to poly in this position.
All this relies on the proper install since most,if not all polyurethane bushes will need trimming to obtain the no binding aspect and to eliminate the so called "poly squeak"

forango · Jul 18, 2021

Wayne Waldrep said:
Do you have one of the springs that came out of the front? If so, please show us a pic of it sitting right beside the new lowering spring showing the height difference. A pic from the side.

NO...i had them originally done at a shop and the shop tossed them...they might still have them but I am kind of not sure I could contact them and not loose my since I paid money and the job was not done right

forango · Jul 18, 2021

Does anyone know an average height of an unloaded lowering spring? These are about 14"

Mstng93SSP · Jul 18, 2021

I don't know off hand, but I don't think your springs are the problem. Have you checked the cup area of the lower control arms yet to see if there is anything still in there from the old spring?

forango · Jul 18, 2021

Mstng93SSP said:
I don't know off hand, but I don't think your springs are the problem. Have you checked the cup area of the lower control arms yet to see if there is anything still in there from the old spring?

Yeah I cleaned it all out....all that was in there was caked up dirt and rust/crustiness....I sanded it out and blew all the debri out.

forango · Jul 18, 2021

Does any of this look odd? Only thing I noticed is there is no sway bar on this car, is that a vert/84 model thing that didn't come with? Also, this is the pry bar I am using...I cannot get the spring to compress enough to get the rear to come within 2" of the perch.

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 18, 2021

I have no problem swapping springs. Swapped a bunch both lowering and stock back in. What I haven't done is try it with the spindle on. I may be wrong and it works fine with it on. I couldn't do it like that. You need the spring as close to in place as you can, then use the pry bar head on. That's the best spot to keep the spring from popping out. You start slightly lifting the control arm with a jack (a second prison would help you) while using the pry bar to place to bottom of the spring. At first if you have the arm low enough, only the back side of the bottom will be touching the recessed area on the lower control arm. The pry bar keeps the spring from popping out as the jack slowly lifts the arm.
That's difficult to explain. Hope it's sorta understandable. You'll get it. We'll all keep helping till you do.

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 18, 2021

I have no idea who this is but this is how I do it. I do keep the pry bar on the spring as I'm jacking the control arm up because it often pops out. Takes a few tries sometimes. Nothing very difficult though. He did it with the spindle on so maybe I just need more room than most...lol.

View: https://youtu.be/XJXMuaocmMw

forango · Jul 18, 2021

I think one of my main issues is I have the tie rod still attached and that is keeping from full a arm extension

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 18, 2021

forango said:
I think one of my main issues is I have the tie rod still attached and that is keeping from full a arm extension

Oh....Take that off before you hurt it.

ThinBlue502 · Jul 19, 2021

2000xp8 said:
The reality is that you should have purchased the shocks and the springs at the same time if the shocks were unknown.
It's just easier to do these things all at once.

If the shop tightened the a arms drooped, that is their fault.
If that's not the issue, they were never going to be responsible for the aftermarket springs that a customer provided.
It's not like they made on money on the spring purchase.

I think you are going to have to learn what many here already have. These cars are old. The need a lot of minor repairs. It appears you have a garage. May just be easier (and way cheaper) to do some things yourself.
Even if that means learning and buying some tools.

I have set out so many times to pay someone to do a job on the Mustang just to do it myself when the person I’m trying to pay has no idea what they’re doing. I always figure if they don’t know what they’re doing and neither do I, why pay?

forango · Jul 19, 2021

ThinBlue502 said:
I have set out so many times to pay someone to do a job on the Mustang just to do it myself when the person I’m trying to pay has no idea what they’re doing. I always figure if they don’t know what they’re doing and neither do I, why pay?

LOL...yeah it is just sad you cannot trust people to do what they say anymore

forango · Jul 26, 2021

Update...So I was able to get the new springs I ordered in...had to use the old struts still because I ordered the incorrect year on the new ones but it came out pretty good...is very close tot he stance I was looking for to begin with.

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 26, 2021

that's a great stance. good work.

2000xp8 · Jul 26, 2021

So what was the issue with the last set?

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 26, 2021

2000xp8 said:
So what was the issue with the last set?

Yes!! We do need a "reason." I asked for pics of the originals compared to the Ford Racing springs but the shop kept them. I'm hoping you remembered that and took one for us of the new ones compared to the tall sitting ones you took out?

forango · Jul 27, 2021

Wayne Waldrep said:
Yes!! We do need a "reason." I asked for pics of the originals compared to the Ford Racing springs but the shop kept them. I'm hoping you remembered that and took one for us of the new ones compared to the tall sitting ones you took out?

I am not sure if I took that pic I have to go back and look...I was so wrapped up in my nightmare(honestly if my cousin didn't come to visit this past weekend the car would still be on jack stands--lol) that I might have forgotten...but the newer springs I got were definitely 3/4--1" shorter, had one less coil in them, and the coils were farther apart so they had more flex in them. The odd thing is the ones that were "wrong" were rated 500--570lbs and I could not get them to compress with the pry bar hardly at all, maybe 1"...where as the new ones are rated 525lbs and the compressed a good 1-1.5" easily....the springs are the only thing I changed though so either they were the issue or me working on stuff "unbound" something.

2000xp8 · Jul 28, 2021

Well, now you know how to do springs.
And the shop that installed the last set is off the hook. It's always a risk to provide your own parts for someone else to install.

Suspension Suspension problem--lowering springs gone wrong

wanna catch the space herp

I'd be looking at jacking under the house

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You have a nice rear end there Dave.

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