AudioNutz

Good Evening,
I bought my 1992 LX 5.0 Convertible about a year ago, and I've enjoyed it as a weekend car. I notice that the rear of the car is slightly lower than the front of the car, and I would certainly prefer it to sit level.

Since I am not the original owner of the vehicle, and the previous owner was a tinkerer, I have no idea if the rear springs are OEM rate/height.

So... I have several questions:
1. For you 1990-1993 guys that are absolutely SURE that you have the original suspension springs on all 4 corners, is the rear lower than the front on your car? Would you mind measuring from the rocker to the ground (ride height) in front of the rear tire, and in back of the front tire.
2. For those of you who have changed the suspensions on your 1990-1993 Mustangs, what components did you replace in the rear? Was it just the springs, or were the arms part of the suspension package as well?
3. What is the difficulty level of changing the rear springs in these cars?
4. What is a good source for good OEM springs for these cars?

Riceinator

3. Rear springs are very easy, Just need a jack, some jackstands and a basic socket/wrench set. Took me maybe 45 mins to do rear springs for the first time.
4.Oem springs, you probably couldnt go wrong with buying them from the dealership. Might be a little on the pricey side though

AudioNutz

Hey, thanks for the response.

When you replaced yours, you just had to drop the lower control arms from the bottom of the axel, right?

I finally had a few minutes to jack the thing up today, and take a look. It appears that there was a tag on the springs, labeling them "D9BC" and "5560-JA". I'm not really sure what that means, but I looked around for references to a part number in some of the spring vendors out there... Nothing jumped out at me.



While I was there, I notice that there were some brackets on each side that looked relatively important, but weren't connected to anything:


I found a picture of a 1994 mustang where the suspension looks very similar, and these brackets are being used for something. (Mine's a 1992, but the suspension still looks similar)

Riceinator

The brackets you noticed that are not connected to anything are for the quad shocks. The quad shocks are not needed, but to help things like wheel hop. If you havent had any problems with them off, I wouldn't worry too much, some guys take them off the run wider tires.

When I replaced my shocks, I did not undo the LCA.
1.First I supported the rear of the car so the rearend was unsprung.
2.I then jacked up the rear under the differential just to relieve the shocks.
3.I then unbolted the left shock and left quad shock then SLOWLY lower the jack, relieving the spring. That didnt give me quite enough room to remove the spring so I would jack up the right side of the rearend which lowered the left.
4.Then I pryed the spring out.
5.Then Put the new spring in, ensuring to properly align the spring with the pigtail facing the drivers side.
6.Then jack the rear end up enough to bolt the shock and quadshock back up.
7. Then repeat for the other side.
8. Torqued everything up and took her for a rip.

Just be careful working with the spring, when it is under tension, they are potentially dangerous. The rear springs are not nearly as scary as the front, but still a potential hazard.
GL.

AudioNutz

Thanks again!

That explains it. I've got tires on there that are significantly larger than the original size. This must be why the previous owner removed them. (I don't care about racing, it's just a fun car to me)

Your step-by step is quite helpful, but I do have one more question. What holds the spring in place? (Elfin magic???) I notice that you never say: "Un-Bolt the spring", and now that I'm looking at it, I don't see any bolts. It's just magically held there by friction...


I've been shopping, and I see some standard springs (Moog MOG-CC827) at Summit Racing for $78. I may just go that route, and put the thing at stock height.

mjr46

the shocks hold the rear end from dropping lower, once shocks are un bolted and rear end is let hang... a swift pry with a pry bar pops the springs out off the control arm holder for them

Riceinator

The spings are held in there by their perches and the shock per say. The shock limits the amount that the rear end can drop, and it doesn't move enough to allow the spring to come out. Also, when you set it in, there are "perches" on the lower control arm as well as where the top of the spring contacts, which more or less retain the spring from moving laterally.
The "perches" fit inside the top and bottom coil. I tried to find a picture from when I took mine apart, but I didnt take too many pictures. In this pic you can barely see the bottom perch.


I would also recommend replacing the spring isolators when replacing the springs.

302army187

thank's for the info riceinator, that's going to help me ALOT with my suspension upgrade im planing!!