How to Lower your Mustang 5.0

Ford’s Mustang 5.0 is a powerful
vehicle with a sleek design and excellent handling, so it’s no wonder
that it’s a prized possession of many car fanatics and collectors. The
vehicle is attractive, but many people wish to modify it and customize
it in certain ways in order to make it even more distinct. One of the
best ways to do this is by lowering the car using a new suspension kit.
By installing new springs in your car, you’ll not only change the
handling of the vehicle, but you’ll also give it a unique and
distinctive appearance as well. New springs are also relatively easy to
install, although it can be a bit dangerous to go through the process,
so it’s perhaps best to use caution if you’re not already experienced in
suspension work.

Step 1 — Get the Materials

You’ll need the following materials and tools before you can lower your Mustang 5.0:

• Hydraulic jack system and two tall jack stands for mounting
• Torque wrench
• Socket wrench with spare sockets
• New suspension kit with lowered springs
• Breaker bar
• Assistant to help with the process of lowering

Step 2 — Prep the Car

Before you begin, park the 5.0 in an open area where there is plenty
of flat space in which to work. If it’s a manual car, set the emergency
break in place before you continue; if it’s automatic transmission, you
should set the break and put the car into park. Raise up the front end
of the vehicle so that you can mount it on two jack stands. Place the
stands on the outer section of the chassis so that you’ll have the space
needed to access the underside of the car.

Step 3 — Remove the Front Springs

First, turn the steering wheel in your Mustang all the way to the
left so that you can work on the passenger’s side first. Later, when you
shift to the driver’s side, turn the wheel all the way to the right
instead. Loosen the lug nuts with the socket wrench and torque wrench so
that you can access the suspension system behind the wheels. Next, use
the breaker bar to remove the caliper bolt and place the caliper out of
the way. Have your assistant help you to carefully and gently decompress
the spring; this is the dangerous part of the task, where the loaded
spring can cause you injury or damage to the car, so be very cautious.
Repeat the same procedure for the other side.

Step 4 — Replace the Front Springs

Next, replace the front springs with the new lowered ones. Have your
assistant hold open the A-Arm in each side of the vehicle and fit the
new spring into place into the bottom isolator. You should then secure
the spring into place before tightening up the lug nuts and moving to
the other side to repeat the process. The two springs for the front are
interchangeable, so it doesn’t matter which one you place on which side.

Step 5 — Remove and Replace the Back Springs

Lower the vehicle down off of the mounts and place them back on the
rear of the car so that you can access the rear suspension system.
Remove and replace the back springs in essentially the same way as the
front. They are less dangerous than the front ones, but still could pose
a threat, so it’s important to still be careful. Additionally, the back
springs are not interchangeable in the same way that the front ones
are, so you’ll need to put them in place according to the order in which
you found them from the suspension spring kit. Once you finish that
process, tighten up the lug nuts once again and remove the vehicle from
the jack stands.

The process of lowering your Mustang 5.0 should take about 3 hours or
so in total. Be sure that the vehicle is even before you attempt to
drive it once again. Ask a professional in your area, like a certified
auto body worker or a Mustang specialist, for more advice.