jRaskell

As a rule, if I know I'm putting together a long post for a forum (any forum at all), I write the bulk of the post in a text editor and copy/paste that into the forum editor for submitting. That way it both avoids being timed out as well as provides a backup for any submission issues that may lose the contents in the forum editor.

Robertatl123

Well I finally completed the write-up. Just note that these are helpful hints and nowhere near complete instructions.

Also, I wanted to give a big thanks to Sam Strano for spending a whole lot of time with me on giving advice for both the parts and the installation.

I hope these help.

Regards,

Robert

General Stuff

Get Blue Threadlocker (Loctite) – You will be using this throughout the project. I found this gel type that worked real well in tight places since it is thicker that the traditional type.

Consider getting access to Helmsinc.com – I am one who prefers too much information over just enough, and the Helms Manual is considered the manual to have by many. I found the access to be both affordable and very helpful with a one month subscription going for $20.00, and $10.00 for 3-days. The manual is easy to navigate and allows you to print the pages you need. Getting to the manual is a different story which is why I provided the below instructions.

Navigation – Go to Helmsinc.com, select Ford under online service subscribers. You will then be sent to the Motorcraft website. Under My Subscriptions, select Pubs by Year/Model or Vin (OASIS). You will finally be sent to the Ford Tech Services website. Enter your VIN and click on the Workshop tab to access the manual.
Fays2 Watts Link

Get the box ends for the large wrench size – You are going to want to get box end wrenches for all of the bolts/nuts. The only exception is the propeller bolt since there will be enough clearance to use a socket instead.
Keep the panhard bar bracket bolts as you will need to reuse them for the Watt’s Link Bracket

Make sure the propeller bolt goes through the back, or the nut is on the differential side. If you install the bolt the other way you will not have enough clearance to get it out if you want to make adjustments.

Measure the Watts arms before attaching – This is probably the biggest headache in the whole installation process. I eventually had to break down and call Jim Fay to figure out how to install the arms to be (1) equal length and (2) level at zero degrees. Jim told me to lay both arms together against a wall and measure out the thread count as described in the instructions. After I ignored the axle vent instructions (see below) and got the arms to the instructed equal length the arms also leveled out.

Collar side is irrelevant on 2014 Mustangs – This was the other factor that caused the dilemma with the arms not being equal/level. The short version is that later models have the axle vent close to the differential. If you follow the instructions and use the long arm collar (the one with a notch) to fit over the axle vent you will not be able to get the arms to equal/level length. Needless to say, this was causing a major setback. Jim had told me that the earlier models have the axle vent further away from the differential which required the long arm collar to be used for that side. Basically, ignore the collar side instructions if your axle vent is only a few inches away from the differential.

Nyloc Nut Debate – The instructions are very engineer oriented where they require you to test fit everything with normal nuts and then lock everything down with three nyloc nuts around the propeller once you are satisfied with the fitment/setup. I on the other hand had a very strict time limit so I went ahead and did the assembly in one fell swoop. My disclaimer is that this is my first time installing one of these so don’t take my advice as the gospel! In any case, consider using blue Loctite on all of the bolts, nyloc or not, once everything is final. The watts link is in a great environment for things to come loose.

Maximum Motorsports Camber/Caster Plate

Beware of the ball bearings – So Sam Strano warned me about this part when he was me some installation advice. Unfortunately it was one of those things that I was aware of, but wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The next thing I know I’m spending the next 30+ minutes looking for bearings the size of BB’s in my friend’s driveway. My best advice is to pry the upper strut mount off slowly from the strut assembly with a screw driver or else you will probably see some ball bearings go flying all over the place. Contrary to what the instructions imply; the upper mount will most likely come apart. You will then need to pry the top half of the bearing case and reinstall it back onto the lower half before attaching the camber plate. You will also want to make sure that all of the ball bearings are accounted for and on the track before mating the two halves together.

Installing the upper mount can be painful – The upper mount bolt brackets are loose on the camber plates. This is to allow for adjustments, but this also means they are a pain to install back into the car. I found the bracket closer to the engine to slip down more. This is a part where having an extra pair of hands to be helpful.

Koni Yellows Struts and Shocks

Consider getting 4 additional 19mm nuts – First off, the instructions from Koni are just useless. This is where you would want to go with the Helms manual instead. Unfortunately, both the Koni instructions and the Helms manual shows the two nut method for installing the struts/shocks. This is a problem since Ford, and Koni replicated, using only one nut. My guess is in an effort to save costs and the assembly line probably had torque sensing impact wrenches that needing two nuts was pointless. The problem is that for most of us we will need a second nut for all of the dampeners if we want to torque everything down. However, if you do not have a second nut, use blue Loctite and wrench the center nut down until the shaft starts to spin. I would still get the second set of nuts in any case.

Steeda Ultra-Lite Springs

Rear Spring Instructions are not the clearest – The instructions state that the tighter coil side goes on top….and nothing else. They state that this is so the progressive rate springs work properly, but if you look at the picture in the instructions and the springs on the struts (which cannot be installed backwards) you will see that the tighter coils are facing the bottom. I’m not sure if they meant to say that the tighter coil side goes on top of the perch or what, but I followed the convention from what I saw.
Make sure the Rear Springs are seated properly – This is something that I’m learning the hard way as I rushed a little too quickly while installing the rear springs, and now have a squeaky spring. I’m going to check/reseat the springs when I do the sway bar install. My plan is to lower the springs until they are loose enough to move around and then make sure I seat them properly before raising the axle.

Get an alignment!!! – I know this is a “No Duh!” for many of you, but there are some who believe that if the car is driving straight; then it must be in alignment. I will put it this way, my car drove straight and seemed to handle fine after the install, but the alignment was all over the place once I got it on the rack. A good alignment shop will also straighten your rear axle. Mine adjusted the watts arms to do this, and I have not noticed any binding if anyone was curious. A good shop will also double check your work for anything that may have come loose or you could have missed.

jRaskell

Just to reinforce this, when I did my suspension and took it in for alignment, the toe was seriously out, .24" out on the driver side and .23" out on the passenger side, so almost half an inch toe out total. Car drove just fine to the shop, but that much toe out would have tore up those tires in no time.