Old Mustanger

The lower attachment bolts from the spindle to the struts cannot be loose at all!

The torque should be 141-191 ft lbs according to my 1997 factory service manual. You will want to verify the proper torque for your exact year & model, but this number should be comparable since the attachment is very similar.

Does somebody have the exact service manual for his year Mustang?

808muscle

I upgraded to GT500 strut mounts and clunk is still there. Maybe its the bushings? IDK.

Derf00

I'd check the front lower A-arms if the End-link bushings aren't it. 05 to mid-08 had a slightly different diameter shaft on the lower ball joints that were prone to failure. Late 08 and up had a revised ball joint used with a larger diameter shaft.

rooneyeb

I am glad I finally found this huge post. Like the rest of you , I've dealt with this since buying mine used in 2008. Once I paid the dealer $95 to look at it and they told me it was a blown rear shock; I changed both myself and nothing changed (glad I didn't pay them for more wasted labor). Finally just this weekend with a friend helping to bounce the car I can hear the clunk. I can feel in the passenger side front sway bar link, the bolt is loose enough for the link to knock up and down at the sway bar. The bolt is tight, so I will start with swapping the links now and see if that clears it up, and if the issue is the sway bar itself then part 2 will be a full bar swap. If I get that cleared up, then I can go on dealing with all of the other suspension squeaks, door rattles, and interior rattles... In all it is a great car but it wasn't built to take a beating on PA and NJ roads.

caniggia

Hi, it's my firs post, so Hello

I just changed to P springs and also decided to change popping upper strut mounts, so I bought UPGRADED M-18183-C, so as You probably, they are signed as for GT500, and what the best is that PN on ones says 7R3V-18183-A and they are not QUIET. Ford mess with PN with this parts as hell.

I will try to modify them, or firs will try 8R3Z-18183-B or BR3V-18183-C or BR3V-18183-D due there is many PN's for this part.

Unbelivable!

caniggia

Yesterday I did research on my car and I'm 100% sure popping sound makes new "updated" GT500 strut mounts, so did some another research and looks ford should pack Br3z-18183-C to M-18183-C, that looks completly different than 7R3V-18183-A as described on another forum.

The C mount spring seat is also located at rubber to is not transfering noise to chasis, it's listed also as Motorcraft AD1090 for 2010-2012 Gt-500 from factory and probably is designed to work with old pre 2011 struts, but this I'm not sure, because 2011 models (I don't know if gt500 too) has shorter strut. I don't know if this GT500 has shorter one, maybe yes, because they with TrackPack opition mount old style upper mount and probably old longer struts.

But even it is so, it's easy fix for this, on the top of strut we will need to make spacer as described on another forum.

So looks they can be used on any 05-12 models, but with longer old style (05-10) struts they will need spacer under nut, but maybe not.

if I get them in 2 weeks, I'll let You know.

caniggia

Yet another think, looks M-18183-C (old style) are mounted in SVT 2011 trackpack too and there are also popping, so for 99% the Br3z-18183-C are designed for 2011 style shocks, for v6 and GT, also svt not trackpack, there are no posts about popping for this models.

rooneyeb

In my case it was the passenger front sway link. $32 total and an hour later the samba band is gone from under the car. The new link the dealer sold me had a smaller thread pattern than the old one (they sold me two bolts as well)- maybe to allow a tighter fit.

I am glad it was just this- not the struts or other more expensive part. If you are not sure where your noise is coming from, for the price, it might be worth it to start with the sway links.

But, now I can hear all of the other rattles more (in the doors, seats, dash, rear end...). Now to tackle those. I already fixed the back plates behind the door handles, but the window tracks are loose among other things. Great car, but noisy!

Good luck everyone.

jpplaw

Also be aware, no matter what strut mounts you use, if you use the screw-on style billet strut covers it will transfer the suspension noise into the body. The clunking will be back. I only screw them on for shows.

caniggia

Finally I got them, and they are not for new shorter struts, they are for 05-10 style struts and looks this same.
It's are AD-1090 form motorcraft and on box is this number and BR3Z-18183-C and that numner stays in ford catalogue for 2010-2012 Gt-500. On metal parts are all numbers from beginning 5R33-181-A, 7R3V-18183-A=GREEN STUD (this I got as M-18183-C), 8R33-18183-B=BLACK STOOD (this is TSB part). There's also sticker with BR3V-18183-D.

What is the most important, that many people gets this part as M-18183-C and that peple says, they are no popping free, so looks, that ford is packing old stocks to M-18183-C and they are still available, to be sure, people should buy AD-1090 original motorcraft!

Tommorow I'll install and let You know.