'''''First let me state that this not a step by step "how to" and that you ultimately make your own choices. Anything you do based on any of the info found here you do at your own risk. This also assumes that you know how to and do carry out regular maintenance on your car.''''' ------ ;:'''So you own a Ford 1979-93 Mustang and you want to make it handle like an "XXXX" type car but you have a limited budget. What can you do?''' !To begin with: __Do it once; Do it right__: ;:The first thing to know is, to get the most out of your car for the least amount of money you must get over the fact that good parts aren't cheap and buying cheap parts to just get the job done will cost you more in the long run. What that means is that if you buy a part that is of lower quality and end up having to replace it a couple of times, you have not saved any money, and if you are not the one turning the wrenches you are going to be out a lot more money. This also goes along the lines if you are going to tear something down when you replace one thing and you know there are other items that are ok now but you know will need to be replaced in another 10,000 miles go ahead and replace those items while you are in there. This will save the cost of time, seals, and other parts. Spending before you must can often times save you money compared to waiting until you have to spend the money. __You have hands and a brain too__: ;:To save money you have to be willing to take your time and crawl under your car and turn the wrenches yourself. __Blue Light Special__: ;:Another thing to keep in mind is that there are often times many sources for the same part. Take your time when shopping whenever you can and find the best buy for your money. For example, I have found that one of the leading suspension manufactures sells bushings that I can purchase through another vendor for almost half the price. __Is your car new?__: ;:Your car isn't new and your parts don't have to be either. In many cases you can locate parts that were used for a year or less at significantly reduced prices to install on your car. Even on parts that have been used for a long time, you can often times clean them up and they are as good as new. There are also used parts, like parts with bearings, which you can purchase and rebuild for considerably less than you could buy them new. The key to doing this is to price everything out from the cost of the used item to the parts/paint/etc needed to do the job and all the way down to your time. If you think the price savings are there then go for it. __Use the F'ing Search Function!!!__: ;:It's not hard and it's free advice/voices of experience/education and practical application. [Search Corner-Carvers | http://corner-carvers.com/forums/search.php] __Books are too expensive__: ;:Go to Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. Many allow you to read in their store. Barnes & Noble has chairs and tables for you to sit and read at. ---- !Now on to your car. __Things to look at__ ;:1. Check your tires for wear and air along with inspecting your rims for any signs of damage or out-of-roundness. Replace and fill as needed. Use a compressed air system that has a dryer built into the line to keep moisture out of the rim/tire. Moisture can cause uneven heating, rust rims, degrade the tires. Replace out of round rims and cracked rims. Are your tires rated for the speed and traction/performance that you are trying to reach? (i.e. Drag tires don't work as well in autocross.) ;:2. How do your struts and shocks look? Any leaks, deep scratches, bent rods, cracked flanges, or anything else that doesn't look right? If you see an issue locate the cause, which could range from a bad pothole to regular wear over time. ;:3. Inspect the bushings in the suspension. Rear Upper Control Arm bushings have been known to melt from time to time with hard use. End link bushings can tear apart. Front stabar bushings break down with time. Front Control arms...C/C plate bushings...trans mount bushings...axle bump stop...engine mounts...shock bushings (upper and lower)...and so on. Replace as needed, but do your homework when you replace. In many applications urethane isn't the answer with the mustang because it restricts articulation more than the factory rubber design. ;:4. How do your stabars (swaybars) and control arms look? Any cracks or breaks? Ball joints and tie rods look ok? Replace/repair as needed. ;:5. When was your alignment last checked? What settings are you using? __Parts to install__ Let me start this section with three important points before you throw the parts on. *Point one: ;:In reality you need to factor in brakes as the first mod you make. Going with the SN-95 Cobra PBR setup with solid SN-95 GT rotors out back will allow you to keep costs down and still get a good brake setup for the daily driver occasional track car. Look to spend around $800-1000.00 by the time you are done if you put this kit together yourself with a combination of used parts and new parts and still do it right with things like SS brake lines. Just keep in mind when going with used parts that you are building the most critical part of the car's system. FRPP offers the M-2300-K kit that costs $1900-2300.00. *Point two you need to grasp before you get started: ;:If you have started or plan to start with a 4 cylinder car, the 7.5" rear end, spindles, and a few other assorted parts are going to be significantly different compared to the V8 cars and need to go when you start down this road. *A third major point you need to understand before you get started: ;:__THE FACTORY MUSTANG SUSPENSION MOUNTING POINTS DO NOT ALLOW FOR SIGNIFICANT LOWERING WITHOUT NEGATIVE TRADE OFFS.__ ;:If you want to "SLAM" your ride for looks and think it is going to improve the way the car rides and drives you are way off. Rule of thumb here when you are on a budget, don't lower your car more than an inch all around. With that said let's move on to __parts__. Here is a quick run down of the parts I would install listed in the order I would do them in. ;:The steps that are labeled with an "a"/"b" etc. are meant to all be done at the same time as the number beside the letter. ;:The "choice" listings are simply a "pick your weapon", not a ranking. (Numbers 2&3 are up in the air somewhat because it depends on how aggressive you want to get with alignment, but keep tire wear in mind): __1__ ;:[http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/large/MMSFFL.jpg] Maximum Motorsports Full-Length Subframe Connectors MMFL-1B $119.00 + S/H [link | http://www.maximummotorsports.com/sfc.asp] ;:Why you ask? Take a standard sheet of printer paper and hold it so the short sides are in your hands. Now rotate your hands in different directions, one up and one down. See the paper twist? The Mustang chassis does the same thing, adding subframes corrects quite a bit of this. ;:Why Maximum Motorsports? Because they sell one of the best setups out there for your Mustang that doesn't mandate a cutting saw to install them and doesn't significantly reduce your ride height. You are going to have to do more welding than a lot of other manufactures but it pays off. You want to go with the full-length units over your "standard"-length as well because it significantly improves the chassis stiffness compared to "standard"-length units made by other manufactures. The price difference or lack of offerings compared to other manufactures on the full-length subframes and standard length isn't enough to justify not getting them. If you can't afford them at this point just save for a few more months. __2__ ;:[http://www.partshopper.com/mmFORDMUSTANG/Images/large/pro3-arms.jpg] ;:Pro3i Lower Control Arms~Street/Race 79-98 ;:PRO3-23957 $179.00 + S/H [Link, look under suspension tab | http://www.partshopper.com/fordmustang/index.asp] ;:Why Lower Control Arms? The factory units restrict articulation of the rear end because of bushing bind. The rubber used for the factory bushings gives too much for front to rear control and not enough for rotational articulation. What's rotational articulation? When the rear axle is compressed on only one side, the bushing on the other side has to compress or rotate around the mounting points. The factory material compresses on itself and restricts the articulation. This was one of the "trade offs" Ford made. These Lower Control Arms solve the problem in two ways by using the following: ;:On the chassis end a three piece "ball-in-socket" urethane bushing that uses a stiffer urethane for the ball to control the front to rear location but at the same time they use a softer material for the outer ends of the bushings that allow the ball to rotate and compress more than the stock design. ;:On the axle end they completely do away with a bushing and used a bearing. The bearing allows for even more rotational articulation of the ends than a bushing can because it doesn't compress on itself. The bearing also, for our intents here, eliminates any front to rear play from that one end of the Lower Control Arms. The trade off with using a bearing over a bushing here is an increase in Noise transmission from the rear end and an increase in Harshness since the bearing doesn't give. Both of these trade offs are not significantly noticeable and are well worth "living with" because of the improvements. ;:The factory stamped lower control arms also have issues with deflection due to the material and design. Since the arm isn't "boxed" it can twist more than it should in an ideal situation. Take a rectangular cardboard box and leave one of the long sides open. Twist the box by holding the ends. Now, tape the box shut and twist. You should notice a difference in the resistance. Similar idea. ;:Why Pro3i/J&M Products unit? They are the best bang for the buck. If we were working with more money reserves we would go with Maximum Motorsports. One note though on the Pro3i/J&M products vs. the Maximum Motorsports unit, the Pro3i three piece urethane bushings offer more surface area than the Maximum Motorsports three piece design and because of this, they are probably less likely to suffer a failure as Maximum Motorsports units have seen. __3__ [http://www.partshopper.com/mmFORDMUSTANG/Images/large/pro3-24211.jpg] ;:Pro3i Caster/Camber Plates 79-89 & 90-93 ;:1979-89: PRO3-24211 $154.95 + S/H ;:1990-93: PRO3-24212 $154.95 + S/H [Link, look under suspension tab | http://www.partshopper.com/fordmustang/index.asp] ;:Why? The factory units allow for only a very small amount of adjustment of the Caster/Camber settings. From the get go, the factory mustang can stand to have some adjustments to get improvement. Once you lower your car you are going to need even more adjustment. Just keep in mind that the more aggressive you get with your adjustments the higher your chances of seeing uneven tire wear. MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE THE TOE EVERYTIME YOU CHANGE YOUR CASTER/CAMBER SETTINGS. Also, as mentioned in the Lower Control Arms, the factory design uses a bushing on the mount that can restrict the articulation of the strut. Once again a bearing in place of this will improve the freedom of movement. Why Pro3i? Best bang for the buck. If money wasn't an issue, Maximum Motorsports would be the company to go with. __4a__ [http://www.fordracingparts.com/images/part/full/M5400A.jpg] ;:Ford Racing Performance Parts Mustang Handling Kit* ;:M-5400-A $360.00 + S/H ([Go here for this price | http://www.oemfordparts.com/PartDetail.asp?S=1&PartID=1300]) [Link | http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=5740] *Note that I don't think you can use the front or rear stabars that come in this kit, but the price is one heck of a deal on springs, struts, and shocks. Plus you can resell the stabars to SN-95 owners. This is the suspension kit that the Mach 1 uses. ;:Why? This setup will lower your ride height by aproximately an inch and raise the spring rates enough to help control body roll with out being too harsh for daily driving. The kit's struts and shocks are also valved to match the spring rates and won't require you to try to find the better settings that you have to do with adjustable shocks and struts. The struts will also allow you room for growth with coilovers latter on. ;:Why this kit? Simply the best bang for the buck. __4b__ [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/large/6-205BWsm.jpg] ;:Prothane Front Control Arm Bushings ;:6-205-BL $24.39 (Summit Racing) Why? Maximum Motorsports puts it best on their page ([Link|http://www.maximummotorsports.com/urethane_front.asp]): Quote: ------- ;:"Ford built your Mustang with a lot of rubber bushings. This provides a nice ride but is not always ideal for performance handling. Not only are they soft, rubber deteriorates quickly leaving you with a spongy ride and premature failure. Unlike rubber urethane is unaffected by oil and grease and it lasts longer. When used in the correct application urethane bushings will eliminate the imprecise handling caused by the deflection of rubber bushings. Whether your Mustang is an all-out race car or a daily driver, with urethane in the right places you will feel the improved handling." And further on they go on to say: ;:"Urethane front control arm bushings are full floating and non-binding. In the front they maintain proper camber and caster alignment and give quicker turn-in response." ------ __4c__ [http://www.energysuspension.com/media1/image173.jpg] ;:Energy Suspension Greaseable Front Stabar Bushing W/ Mount and new End Links ;:4.5162-G $18.99 + S/H & 9.8121-G $13.69 + S/H (Price from Summit Racing) Why? The firmer urethane is going to transmit the force more consistently to the car and that in turn allows you to use roll bar rates to help control body roll without having to use extremely high spring rates. __(Choice 1) 5__ [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/large/MMPBA.jpg] ;:Maximum Motorsports Panhard Bar ;:MMPBA $329.95 + S/H [Link | http://www.maximummotorsports.com/panhard.asp] __(Choice 2) 5__ [http://www.evolutionmsport.com/image-2003/WattsC-400x250.jpg] ;:Evolution Motorsport Watts Link $725.00 [Link | http://www.evolutionmsport.com/evm-Product-wc.html] ;:Why either of these setups? Ever notice when you are cornering hard that the ass end of the car has some wander and then snap to it once you straighten out? Basically the Ford design is relying on some more sloppy bushings to hold the rear axle in line with the rest of the car. It can't do it. Lateral control of the rear axle is pretty much non-existent on the Mustang if you are serious about hitting the track. ;:Going with either one of these will properly locate your rear axle and provide a more stable car that you can push harder through the turns. ;:Why these manufacturers? Well, other than Griggs and maybe one or two other small manufacturers, the other designs out there either require you to relocate to side exhaust or dumps (Steeda), or are poorly designed to the point that you will end up breaking the unit off and doing damage to your car (Kenny Brown). ;:Note: By design, the Panhard bars and Watts links will somewhat fight the Upper Control Arms, and if/when pushed hard enough can cause damage if the Upper control arms are left in place. Because of this, it is almost mandatory to move onto step 7 and install a TQ Arm or a 3rd Link. __6__ [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/MMCO2.jpg] [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/MMCO-3.jpg] ;:Maximum Motorsports Tokico Front and Rear Coil Over kits with springs ;:COP-2 $369.00 + S/H Tokico for rear not available yet. [Link Front|http://www.maximummotorsports.com/coilover.asp] [Link Rear|http://www.maximummotorsports.com/mmrco.asp] ;:Why? Coil-Over setups place the force directly on the point that you are trying to control with the spring rates. This means you can use a lower spring rate and get the same control as that higher spring rate factory style setup. You also will see that you can lower the unsprung mass over the wheels and that you can also adjust the ride height as well as rates with a lot more ease. ;:Why Maximum Motorsports? Because they offer the front coil over kit for the Tokico struts that come in the previously mentioned (step 4a) strut and spring kit. Maximum Motorsports' design also includes small features like the bearings and such that are mandatory if the system is going to hold up. A lot of the cheaper coil over conversion kits on the market, D&D motorsports units for example, don't have these small extras that make a big difference when it comes to the life and performance of not only the coil over system itself but also the life and performance of the struts and shocks. Griggs Racing also has some offerings but they only offer conversion kits for Bilstein and Koni struts. *Note that if you do a search on CC.com for "homemade rear coilover" you will turn up a thread on how to make a good rear coil over kit with Bilstein shocks for a pretty small amount of money. __(Choice 1) 7__ [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/large/MMTAFront.jpg] ;:Maximum Motorsports Torque Arm ;:MMTA-1 $449.00 [Link | http://www.maximummotorsports.com/ta.asp] __(Choice 2) 7__ [http://www.evolutionmsport.com/image-2003/Tri-Link1-400x250.jpg] ;:Evolution Motorsport Three Link (Note that EVM has stated here that the design has changed some since it is a prototype about to hit the market) Price TBA [Link | http://www.evolutionmsport.com/evm-Product-3link.html] ;:Why? Well, Maximum Motorsports puts it pretty well ([Link | http://www.maximummotorsports.com/ta.asp]), and while they are talking about their torque arm, the same applies to the Evolution Motorsport Three Link. Quote: ------ ;:"In the stock four-link design, the rear upper control arms are trying to do two jobs at once. One is to control axle wind-up, the other is to locate the axle side to side. When pushed to the performance limit, the upper control arms don't do either job very well. Our Torque-arm suspension system separates the functions of the suspension components; each component has only one job, and is designed to perform that one function with no compromises. The MM Torque-arm controls axle rotation much better than the upper control arms. In addition, the Panhard Bar has the sole job of locating the axle side to side, which it also does better than the upper control arms. The lower control arms primarily have the job of thrusting the car forward under acceleration. The MM Torque-arm suspension system allows complete removal of the rear upper control arms and the quad shocks. The resulting three-link design will articulate freely, even during extreme cornering, acceleration and braking." ------ ;:Why Maximum Motorsports or Evolution Motorsport? Great quality with great durability. The only other major manufacture out there right now that you could go with would be Griggs Racing. __8__ [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/large/MMRSB.jpg] ;:Maximum Motorsports Adjustable Rear Sway Bar ;:MMRSB-"XX" $345.00 + S/H [Link|http://www.maximummotorsports.com/rsb.asp] ;:Evolution Motorsport will be introducing an adjustable stabar kit. ;:Why? The ability to vary your roll bar rates will allow you to make quick adjustments to increase or decrease wheel rates during roll. ;:Why Evolution Motorsport or Maximum Motorsports? They are the two companies who have sound designs that will bolt in. While the Evolution Motorsports design has not been pulled to market yet it is a well thought out and tested design. __9__ [HPM/Barts Works SLA | http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=204567] [http://www.maximummotorsports.com/images/mmkm-1.jpg] ;:HP Motorsport/Barts Works SLA front suspension with a matching Maximum Motorsports K-member. ;:HP Motorsport/Barts Works SLA price $2200.00 + S/H & MMKM-1 $649.00 + S/H [Link to SLA | http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4821] [Link to K-member | http://www.maximummotorsports.com/kmember.asp] ;:Why the SLA? By this point, you have added so much to the rear of your car that the front is going to be extremely lacking. While you can take quite a few big steps that cost a pretty good amount of money and require some fabrication on your part and get good results the more user friendly step to take would be to install a Short/Long Arm front suspension and ditch the strut setup. SLAs offer significant improvements in how the tire will contact the road throughout the range of motion and a whole bunch of other stuff that you can read about on your own once you have gotten to this point with your car. ;:To add some more info on the SLA vs. the strut setup I will take from another info site that I have also added to the wiki page. [Link|http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm] Quote: ------ [Strut | http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=204587] [SLA | http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=204585] ;:"The above animations compare the camber changes of the Mustang's modified MacPherson strut suspension (left) with those of the unequal length A-arm or double wishbone suspension (right) used on many high performance cars. When negotiating a fast turn, you want negative camber gain on the inside front wheel to counteract the tendency of that tire to roll under. But the fixed location of the strut mounting point on the Mustang suspension limits negative camber gain during jounce and rebound. At the extreme limits of suspension travel it adds positive camber. In contrast, the unequal length A-arm suspension provides consistent negative camber gain throughout the full range of jounce and rebound. You can compensate for the Mustang's nasty camber curve by adding negative camber to your static wheel alignment. But that has drawbacks, as explained below under "wheel alignment". Another approach is to install stiff springs and struts that limit the suspension's travel to a very narrow range in which camber change is insignificant." ------ Why the tubular K-member? ;:Increases the strength and reduces flex of the front suspension and lowers weight on the nose of the car. Why HP Motorsports/Barts Works SLA front Suspension? ;:Because a SLA is only offered by them at this point. Rumor has it that Maximum Motorsports and Griggs Racing currently have systems either in testing or waiting for market demand so keep your eyes and ears open for info. Why the Maximum Motorsports K-member? ;:It is one of the strongest if not the strongest tubular K-members on the market so worries of a failure do not have to be as big of a concern for you. --------- ;:Finally I want to make one thing clear, no matter how much money you throw at your car I don't think you are going to find a setup that will make your mustang handle as well as that "XXXX" car. You are trying to adapt a car that is full of trade offs and all of these parts are going to require trade offs, often on the side of Noise, Vibration, and Harshness. With that said, you will be able to make some very noticeable levels of improvement that will improve your cars ability, but keep in mind the biggest improvement can come with your experience behind the wheel. ;:Please remember this is an overview; there are tons of small things you can do that will add up but I frankly don't have time to type that entire volume of information up. Wangstang Wes