Team-Z Setup in 1990 Mustang GT

vristang

15 Year Member
Mar 31, 2005
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Seattle
I'm getting frustrated, so this is my 'phone a friend'...

The car is a 1990 GT, originally 5.0, with a t5.
Around 2000, I converted to 5lug Cobra brakes, using (as best I can recall)...
95 Mustang spindle, 95 Mustang control arms, 13" rotors, dual piston Cobra caliper, and the rear end was swapped from a 95 Mustang, complete with brakes.

The car has not run since around 2006. I am currently in the process of installing a 2.3n/a for commuting.
During this conversion I planned to install parts I had laying around from years back, when I was running a 351w/408 in the same car. Specifically...
Team-Z K-Member, Control Arms, and Strange Coil overs.
I bought these parts before Feb 2010. Can't find an invoice, so not sure who I bought them from.

I put things together, and all seemed to go fairly well, until the wheels went on. They are located approximately 1" too far forward, causing a clearance issue between the tire and the wheel well.
With stock k-member and 95 control arms, this was not an issue, as the car ran for several years with that setup.

So, I reached out to Team-Z. They were helpful, looked at a bunch of pics, but could not identify my control arms. The ones I have look different than theirs. Maybe I don't have their control arms, so I bought a set of their Autocross control arms.
Installed the new Autocross control arms yesterday, and same thing. Wheel is offset forward by an inch.
So, I have an autocross control arm, and a mystery control arm... more on this later...

I took a bunch of pics of the K-member, and what I have looks identical to the pics I've found on the interwebs, of the Team-Z Kmember...
But best I can figure is that the k-member is moving my control arms/spindle forward an inch, but I don't see anywhere on the K-member that suggests this?
The only relevant parts that have changed are the factory Fox K-member and 95 ctrl arm, replaced with TeamZ k-member and ctrl arm...

Also...
There seems to be a 1/8" difference in the rear mounting point of the autocross control arm compared to the mystery control arm.
Attaching pics to illustrate this issue...

I'll send my new pics to Team-Z on Monday, but wanted to ask you guys.
Most issues I run into, come down to me overlooking something simple, so maybe you guys can catch it, then point and laugh at me?


Slide1.jpeg Slide2.jpeg Slide3.jpeg
 
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Autocross arms should be moved forward to increase caster and cause better handling. Later year factpry control arms also move the wheel forward. The 91+ fox mustangs have a larger wheel opening. They extended the opening forward. Looks like you need a standard position mustang control arm.

The position of the tire may also look off just because the weight isn't on the wheels.
 
Seems like I read in @TOOLOW91 's build thread he ran into the same thing and had to get different control arms. Maybe he'll chime in.
I run all UPR stuff . I needed the reverse offset arms they make . I don’t know any other company beside team z that does all their parts in silver vein . So it’s weird they don’t know if it’s theirs or not .
 
I just re-read your issue in this thread. It's weird that it worked before and now has the wheels pushed too far forward.
 
Finally getting back to the thread.
Yes, it is odd that everything fit just fine, then swapping the K-member and control arms moved the wheels

The pics of my k-member seem to match pics I've found online of Team-Z k-members. I can't see where its different, if it is?

Got a response from Team-Z. They have NEVER built a k-member that moved the wheel/control arm forward. They are still using the original jig...
Been digging like crazy, but can't figure out who I bought this stuff from. In spite of the Team-Z sticker, I'm thinking it may all be counterfeit.
Also, the Team-Z autocross control arms don't move the wheel forward. The geometry is the same as the fox control arm.

At this point, all I can do is move forward.
Tonight I will start pulling the Mystery k-member. Hopefully I can lay it next to the factory 1990 k-member and see a difference...

I certainly don't want to buy any more parts until I know what the issue is.

I don’t know any other company beside team z that does all their parts in silver vein . So it’s weird they don’t know if it’s theirs or not .
Are you talking about their 'hammer tone' finish?
None of the original parts I purchased 15yrs ago had the hammertone, those are black, but they may have not been using that paint back then? :shrug:
 
Finally getting back to the thread.
Yes, it is odd that everything fit just fine, then swapping the K-member and control arms moved the wheels

The pics of my k-member seem to match pics I've found online of Team-Z k-members. I can't see where its different, if it is?

Got a response from Team-Z. They have NEVER built a k-member that moved the wheel/control arm forward. They are still using the original jig...
Been digging like crazy, but can't figure out who I bought this stuff from. In spite of the Team-Z sticker, I'm thinking it may all be counterfeit.
Also, the Team-Z autocross control arms don't move the wheel forward. The geometry is the same as the fox control arm.

At this point, all I can do is move forward.
Tonight I will start pulling the Mystery k-member. Hopefully I can lay it next to the factory 1990 k-member and see a difference...

I certainly don't want to buy any more parts until I know what the issue is.


Are you talking about their 'hammer tone' finish?
None of the original parts I purchased 15yrs ago had the hammertone, those are black, but they may have not been using that paint back then? :shrug:
It isn’t paint they are using . It’s Powdercoat. They call it silver vein , it does have a hammer tone finish . Doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t have coated them . I doubt it though
 
Regardless, the parts that I question the origin of, are all a black semi-gloss finish. I had them in 2007, but can't confirm who I purchased from. I have a suspicion, but don't want to spit out any names unless I can confirm...

Didn't get it pulled apart last night, will get it done today though...
 
SR performance uses silver vein hammer tone, also.

You could get adjustable lower control arms and get almost infinite alignment adjustment with the CC plates, coil overs, and bump steer kit. Suspension geometry can be tricky though. Moving the wheels forward isn't a bad thing. You will probably need to put turn buckles and brackets behind the fender to bow it out a little for clearance and trim the gt molding extension inside wheel well. Doesn't seem like you're interested in doing all that though.
 
I’m at a loss.

I pulled the TeamZ kmember, put in the stock kmember, 95 ctrl arms, and wheels are back to proper position…

I used the factory kmember to locate some wood blocks, kind of as a jig. Nothing precise.
Then dropped the TeamZ kmember into the jig.
As can be seen in the pics, there are some differences, but nothing that looks like the 1.0” that I’m looking for.
I was able to confirm the TeamZ kmember drops the engine 3/4”.

I did similar with the control arms, although that is a little sketchier setup…. But still, I don’t see a difference of an inch anywhere.

Maybe you guys will see something I missed? 11EB5D66-E323-4FE2-AAF9-9E354DE02773.jpeg F02EBBE7-265A-4E0A-9337-DB95F8FE811C.jpeg 3F07A823-6130-4DD8-923E-A7EA0F8DCFD6.jpeg 50E076A2-7E34-46F5-80BC-1A1D0D1B8AC6.jpeg 1376301C-9937-4902-82E0-064689BE4159.jpeg 9C78CC48-DF02-4897-91EA-7850720ECF66.jpeg 80711B2F-B150-42A7-9DEB-65A1A1C9A236.jpeg A71E42AF-7261-48DB-986F-38B72D60812C.jpeg CD05ACA5-F711-4C85-91AD-744323059CAE.jpeg CDEAAF8D-BA53-4D33-B49D-039DFDBB39F0.jpeg