sinniebunnie

I'm sorry if this is the wrong section please move thread to proper place.


I want to lower the front end of my 02 v6 mustang. It rides a bit high and i want to rake the car. What goes into doing so? Costs involved? Where would i have it done at as in what type of shop?

TIA.

sransari

Howw ya doin. Why just the front end? It'll look and ride weird if you lower just the front end. Basically you'll need:

Springs (eddlebock, steeda, any good name brand) that can lower the vehicle about 2 inches) - $250 for a good set

Camber/caster kit to correct the camber and caster settings after you lower your ride..you'll get better handling with more negative camber also. - $200

Steeda X2 Balljoints to restore the steering geometry of your ride - $125

Steeda Bumpsteer Kit - Eliminates bumpsteer due to the new steering geometry and caster settings of the lowered vehicle - $150

Alignment job and bumpsteer correction- $150 from a good speed shop.

Find a speed shop in your area to do all the work. It really shouldn't take more than 5 hours for everything. It's not very difficult to do for them, if they say it takes much more than 5 hours, they're lying. 5 hours labor = $500, so total parts and labor should be: $1375

Speed isn't cheap, but go ahead and splurge, it's FUN.

03GTVert

OR

You could just get a pair of ford C springs with a 1/2 coil cut and put them on the front end for about 1.5" drop and forget the rest of that stuff.

Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred or so, springs and labor included.

sransari

you COULD polish your car with mayonnaise too. dropping the car 1.5" would at least need some offset rack bushings to restore the steering geometry. just do as i say. don't go cheap. i've learned that the hardway.

20GT02

I have noticed that on Mustangs with stock suspension, the front appears to be sitting higher than the rear due to the front having more fender gap. If you are mechanically inclinded, do a google search on how install lowering springs on a mustang. You can find a step by step process on how to remove factory springs and reinstall aftermarket springs. In your case, all you would need to do is take out the front springs, remove the isolators (rubber sound dampening boots on the top and botton of the springs), and reinstall. This can be accomplished in about 30-45 minutes depending on your skill level, its free, and it should lower your can about 1/2" - 3/4" in the front which would reduce the amount of fender gap in the front and making the car appear to be more level.

945LSTANG

i dont have either of those and everything is fine. no issues.

an alignment is actually more around $70.

save money and install everything yourself.

EDIT: you talk about doing stuff right, yet there is no mention of aftermarket shocks and struts. [&:]

sransari

You're right, I forgot to mention shox/struts, good call. Also how much did you lower the car? If you only did it 1", you don't need anything else, just the springs. If you lower it more than that, you DO need to correct the steering geometry either with offset rack bushings (if the drop is 1.5") or with longer ball joint (if the drop is 2" or more), or it'll feel like crap. Think about it physically, the steering linkage measurements will be way off unless you raise the spindle back up to spec with longer ball joints. Also a good alignment from a speed shop is more than just toe-in and toe-out, which is what a $70 job would do. You will need to adjust camber, caster, and bump steer as well. Honestly, if you don't have the capacity to get everything done right the first time, just leave it all stock. I've gone cheap before, sometimes it worked out OK, sometimes it was a disaster.

945LSTANG

im dropped 2" on sportlines.

ive been considering adding the balljoints and bumpsteer kitbut im just saying that that stuff is nice to have but isnt necessarily required.

as for the alignment you are talking about, it is overkill on a street driven stang.

sransari

Nothings required...but if you want to have handling that is at least decent, you gotta have the steering geometry up to spec at least. when you lower the car, it throws everything off. You don't HAVE to do anything about it though. It just won't feel as good as it could/should. I would rather just leave the car stock than to do a half-*** job and have screwed up steering.

945LSTANG

i wouldnt call my drop half-***. its just not quite finished.

btw....did you install anything by yourself?