Afehler

Morning Gentleman, This one is a doozy. I'm asking for alot of info so I really REALLY appreciate any words of advice.

I'm looking to do a complete rebuild on my suspension and I wanted to come here for your input to make sure I cover everything, and I mean everything!

Just some info upfront this is my daily driver. I'm not doing any crazy cornering or racing or anything, I do like to hammer on it every now and then, but for the most part I'm just cruising. I'm okay with a somewhat OE rebuild. Not trying too go crazy, but also dont mind any upgrades that come along (twist my arm =P).

The car squeaks like crazy. And I mean SQUEAKS.. you can definitely hear me coming. I think my car is screaming for help. It squeaks when I turn the wheel side to side and when I go over every little crack/pebble in the road. I took the car to get the engine some love and the mechanic pointed out the following: Sway arm bushings bad, Coil Bushings rotted, End Links bad.

Currently at this time I'm in the process of collecting all the parts. So far I already purchased KYB Shocks & Struts and a new Rack & Pinion (Old one is toast) it came with the inner tie rods.

I'm eyeballing the Eibach Pro Kit with the 1.1-1.5 inch drop. Not sure if I need anything to supplement the drop but please advise me if so. I would also need the rear upper control arms right? What about the lower rear control arms? Is that an addon, or does the 98 come with those stock? Also I would need the bushings for the front control arm right? Should I buy a master bushings kit, or will the new parts include most of them? If you can think of anything else please feel free.

The sad part is the car is a beauty. Fresh red factory paint job, interior is flawless and engine is strong. The suspension is simply a travesty. In due time, with your great minds, and my brothers awesome tool set and skills I'll get my baby back on the road with a suspension that will compliment the sexyness of the vehicle body.

I appreciate any info in a way that cannot be expressed here. I want to try and show some of that appreciation by taking many many pics of the destruction and rebuild in hopes that it will help someone here that may come accross a similair situation. Make a guide out of it so to speak.

Gentleman, I thank you.

Afehler

Oh man, I thought this would be pouring with info. 130 views, no responses =\. Ouch.

jtb727

Dont worry brotha man! it just takes a few sets of the right eyes to see your post, and you will get pretty much any question you can think of answered on this board.


Back to your questions.

How many miles are on the car? this will help us figure out which bushings etc are bad. Your car comes with factory Upper and Lower REAR control arms, however they aren't the strongest. and they seem to have a lot of flex.

In your case, sense you have the shocks and struts already, I would lower the car. The eibach kit you mentioned is popular. I personally went with H&R SS springs. But that is the lowest drop you can get without cutting coils, or going with coilover setups. The eibach set up is a nice setup, especially sense your shock and struts are quality replacements, but arent made for EXTREME lowering. So the kit you pointed out will definately add an aggressive stance, and you will feel the car become "tighter" and just handle much better with less flex and body roll. With this drop, you will want to get some Caster Camber plates(often called CC plates). The maximum Motorsports ones are very common and are quality pieces, however the UPR and J&M ones are common as well. They have 3 and 4 bolt designs, the 4 bolt design is the one you want, and any name brand is nice.

One thing that may be causing ALOT of your squeaking is your spring isolators, these go between the springs and their mounting location to keep things from squeaking. Some people take them out when lowering their car, as it gives a little more drop. however this can create squeaking etc. I personally took mine out, and took a piece of conveyor belt I had that I used for oil drips, and cut circles out and put them between my springs, and their mounting locations. Just as low as someone with no ISO's, yet I have no squeaks . If you want, you can buy new ones for pretty cheap. I believe they are like 30 bucks.

For the rear lower and upper control arms, alot of people dont like aftermarket uppers because they create bind, and most stay with OEM uppers. For lowers your have quite a few choices. Search for Jazzer, he has a write up on which designs are the best ones for our cars, as some are strictly for track use, and are hard on the torque boxes in which they connect too.


I think new shocks and struts, eibach sport kit, and some CC plates to get your alignment perfect again. You'll be enjoying your ride much more. It'll handle much better, and look great too! You may notice a little less traction with the dump of the clutch because the springs will be a bit stiffer than the stock ones, however the overall handling is much greater, and you will thank yourself many times over.

If you still wish for more, without going crazy. Full Length subframe connectors help alot! They sitffen the car by adding to the unidbody lengthwise, where it will flex the most. These also just help tighten the car up, and prevent body roll. For these, you definately want the weld on kind, as they are much stronger.

Hope this helps, and gets you pointed where you want it. search around and see what other set ups people are running so you can get your rides stance just as you like. I have some pics of my car in older posts of mine. just check them out if your interested.

96GT226410

I wouldn't think isolaters causing a squeek, most likely outer tie rod ends. And if you're going to lower your car, get the cc plates like stated above, but also look into new ball joints (X2's are nice). Once you have all of what you are already buying and a few other things mentioned I think you'll be much happier with your ride.

jtb727

If there a no isolators in there for some reason, they may squeak..

UPRSharad

A lot of times, the squeak is in the ball joints. If you're going to replace the ball joints, might as well replace the a-arms. If you're going to replace the a-arms, might as well get tubular a-arms. If you get tubular a-arms, might as well get a tubular k-member kit which comes with the a-arms. (you see how it works)

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-p...er-kit-96.html

Anyway, these rear upper control arms offer improved traction and they eliminate the slop inherent to the factory arms:

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-c...nsion-kit.html

The UCA bushings in the axle housing will also be worn out, so you should replace them. We offer them in polyurethane or spherical bearings.

http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-b...-bushings.html

Afehler

Wow thanks guys! These responses are exactly what I was hoping for. The car is closing in on 150k miles and is long overdue for some suspension love. The Engine is running strong and I probably have 50k miles on the Tranny.

Thank again guys, so mcuh. Much appreciated. Time to start shopping! Can't wait to get this build on the road.

UPRSharad

No prob. Just take your time with it. One thing I've learned over the years is to not bite off more than you can chew. Upgrade one part at a time, and enjoy it in between mods. There's no need to try to upgrade everything immediately. All work and no play is NO FUN!