Jeffk

Got it jacked up last night and started looking things over. Turns out the upper adjustable control arms were loose in almost every possible way. The jam nuts were just flopping around and the bolts connecting them to the body were very loose but atleast a little tighter than finger tight so I tightened all of that up and check all the other suspension related nuts and bolts. Everything is tight. Drove it to work today smiling because the annoying clunk, rattle and bang is gone!

Thank you everyone for your helpful input.

Nice video too Petrock. Very informative.

uberstang1

if those jam nuts were backed off I gurantee your pinion angle is well beyond "jacked up beyond recognition" def get those arms adjusted properly, hell the two uppers can even be different lengths now, btw were they heim joints?

UPRSharad

Excellent! Nice work!

And uber is right, need to check the pinion angle and preload now.

Jeffk

What is the optimum pinion angle for these cars?

I also discovered the left front too strut nut was loose. This car is starting to really worry me. Lol

petrock

I’m not sure, but if you know the manufacturer of the control arms their web sit may have the info you need.


I’d find the previous owner and smack him/her upside the head with a tire iron. Just sayin... With that many loose suspension components, I would give everything a good once over to make sure nothing else is lose.

uberstang1

The pinion angle differs depending what kind of bushings are in the control arm on both ends, need to k ow which ones are rubber, poly, and or spherical heims

Jeffk

Considering the guy I bought it off of is a NC State Trooper... I think I'll keep the tire iron in the trunk. LOL.

I'm going to go over the front suspension next week and check everything.

Everything is Poly at this point except the Differential bushings which are rubber. I have poly diff bushings coming.

UPRSharad

I'd start with -3° to -4° pinion angle.

Jeffk

So, while changing out my catback I discovered that the differential bushings are already poly. I also took the upper control arms out, cleaned them and regreased them. Then I took a tape to them, one was 1/4" longer than the other. I haven't checked the pinion angle yet because I discovered something else that I'm going to have to change which might affect the angle..





Instead of spending money to buy lowering springs one of the previous owners just took a torch to the stock ones and heated them until one coil collapsed!!!

I haven't checked the front springs yet. I'm just going to order a whole set of springs.

UPRSharad

Yikes. I haven't seen heated springs in a while.

These UPR/Eibach springs work well:

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-e...prings-v8.html