I was asked to post this here for the benefit of others.
Other members of the board helped me with some of the information so thanks to them for their suggestions.
Please use this information alongside the MM instructions.
1. Before jacking the car measure from the bottom lip of the wheel to the fender edge, record the distance.
If you've lowered the car you need to know by how much later in the job. See this thread for help http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161066 on stock car heights.
I used a 2x4 across the fenders sitting just behind the throttle cables (lay thin cloth on the fenders to protect them, carefully clean any grit off the fenders first though).
Use a level touching the top of the strut shaft, level it, and butt it up against the 2x4. Measure vertically how far the strut top is beneath the bottom of the 2x4. That distance PLUS how much you've lowered the car is how much more (higher) the strut shaft end needs to be sitting at when you've finished.
Sounds involved but it's not too difficult.
2. Jack the car and support safely with jack stands.
3. I didn't have to remove the front wheels (because my dealer had my wheel key) but removing the wheels would have made things a bit easier.
4. Start on passenger side. Place a short section of 2x4 on the jack crown and carefully raise it against the whole lower surface of the LCA. Try not to foul the wheel travel with the jack. Jack the wheel up until the car raises slightly off the jack stand. Drop the jack a little until the car rests back on the jack stands.
5. Protect the clean fender with a towel or fender cover.
6. Take off the strut shaft nut. I used an offset ratcheting wrench and a hex key in the strut shaft. To get better leverage I used the jack handle over the end of the hex key. A few grunts and the nut is free. Back it all the way off. Careful though, one slip and the fender or hood is dented or chipped. I used extra towels.
7. Follow the MM instructions and remove the free stock suspension parts from the strut top. Discard them (keep the nut of course).
8. SLOWLY lower the jack supporting the lower LCA but BE VERY CAREFUL as the spring is still loaded and could possibly unseat and come flying out. Easily enough energy there to kill you. Just take it very slow and easy. Sit or kneel facing the wheel well and with both hands grasp up under the fender and pull down on the strut shaft. It will slowly collapse. Mine took quite a bit of strength to collapse and hold down.
9. Let the strut slowly expand until it stops on the wheel well liner so you can see the steel band holding the strut boot. Use pliers and crank on that until it snaps off (or use metal snips). Let the boot fall down the strut and leave it there.
10. Compress the strut again and remove the other OEM suspension parts.
11. Lube (I used silicone lube) and fit the MM Urethane bumpstop (best have that prepared to go on quickly after the last step).
12. Let the strut SLOWLY expand while pushing it to a far corner of the strut tower. I used the outside, rear corner of the tower. Careful though, easy to get fingers trapped and cut (wear gloves). Also try not to scratch the under tower paint.
13. Measure the new bolt hole as described in the MM instructions. Measure twice, cut once. Drill the 1/8" hole and then the 13/32" hole. I packed some rags round the outside of the tower to stop cuttings from falling down into the engine compartment or inside the tower (could also use painters tape). Watch this though, too easy for the drill to catch the rag and cause an accident. After you break through, use a magnet or magnetic screwdriver to lift away the cuttings, debur the hole and degrease it. I painted mine with touch up paint to stop any downstream rusting.
14. Silicone the top surface of the MM shiny bottom plate, not too much, just enough for a 'seal ring'. Push the plate up into the strut tower and push it home. I had the MM main plate and nuts and washers sitting on the fender cover ready to fit immediately after fitting the bottom plate. Fit the 1/4" and other washers and nuts and the main plate.
15. I then fitted the bearing plate, washers and nuts but I realize now that's why I had so much trouble getting the struts in later. See step 18. below for what I think would have been a better way.
16. Now you have to decide how many spacers to use top and bottom on the strut shaft. Work that out from the measurements you took earlier and fit the spacers over the strut shaft.
I have front Eibach Pro's and two taller spacers over the strut shaft, underneath the bearing plate worked out nearly exactly according to the MM instructions.
Yours may be different.
17. Before you extend the strut into place compress it down again until it rests on the wheel well liner with the lower part of the MM bumpstop at an easy access point. Fit the dust boot over the MM Urethane bump stop. I had to slit it carefully down a little ways at the compass points to get it to fit. Cut a little and try it, then a little more until it fits over. Apply the plastic tie wrap tightly. I then filled the slits with silicone to seal it up a little better.
18. After fitting the bottom spacers I'd suggest, before fitting the bearing plates to the main plate, the strut be placed back in the standard position first (compress it again and let it extend carefully through the strut tower opening). Then fit the bearing plate, washers and nuts.
You'll probably have to jack the lower LCA up again to make it all fit well.
Be careful not to drop anything when doing all of this or it may get lost behind the wheel liner like mine did.
19. Fit the bearing plates over the strut shaft and fit all the washers and nuts. Measure to make sure your spacer fitment 'guess' was good and the strut shaft is at the right height as computed earlier.
20. Fit a top spacer on the shaft and fit the shaft nut. Tighten the nut with the wrench and hex key/jack handle lever.
21. Now carefully check the hood clearance by eyeballing and using window putty on top of the strut slowly dropping the hood to see if the putty is crushed down. The visible threaded portion on mine stuck out 1.5" higher than the nut top and they cleared the hood fine. Yours may be different so check carefully. Strut tops sticking through the hood won't look too good!
22. Locate the plates in the elongated slots as a 'best guess' and tighten the plate nuts to the MM specs. I chose the middle of all slots and the car drove fine 10miles to the alignment shop.
23. Repeat the whole thing on the driver side.
24. Wheels back on, lower the car, clean up the tools and around the MM plates for finger prints and smudges and get down to a trustworthy alignment shop soon afterward (mine cost $100 by a well respected Mustang racer).
25. Enjoy the handling and the proper tire wear.
I have a Steeda two point Strut tower brace and the MM plates fitted fine with that.
It's a straight forward job if you take it slow and read the MM instructions carefully. I read them three times over three days and I still messed up a little with the bearing plate sequence.
Hopefully my experience will help others do the job with less fuss.
Oh, make sure you check you have all the parts before starting, just in case MM has sent you a kit with too few spacers as they did with mine!
Hope that helps.
Other members of the board helped me with some of the information so thanks to them for their suggestions.
Please use this information alongside the MM instructions.
1. Before jacking the car measure from the bottom lip of the wheel to the fender edge, record the distance.
If you've lowered the car you need to know by how much later in the job. See this thread for help http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161066 on stock car heights.
I used a 2x4 across the fenders sitting just behind the throttle cables (lay thin cloth on the fenders to protect them, carefully clean any grit off the fenders first though).
Use a level touching the top of the strut shaft, level it, and butt it up against the 2x4. Measure vertically how far the strut top is beneath the bottom of the 2x4. That distance PLUS how much you've lowered the car is how much more (higher) the strut shaft end needs to be sitting at when you've finished.
Sounds involved but it's not too difficult.
2. Jack the car and support safely with jack stands.
3. I didn't have to remove the front wheels (because my dealer had my wheel key) but removing the wheels would have made things a bit easier.
4. Start on passenger side. Place a short section of 2x4 on the jack crown and carefully raise it against the whole lower surface of the LCA. Try not to foul the wheel travel with the jack. Jack the wheel up until the car raises slightly off the jack stand. Drop the jack a little until the car rests back on the jack stands.
5. Protect the clean fender with a towel or fender cover.
6. Take off the strut shaft nut. I used an offset ratcheting wrench and a hex key in the strut shaft. To get better leverage I used the jack handle over the end of the hex key. A few grunts and the nut is free. Back it all the way off. Careful though, one slip and the fender or hood is dented or chipped. I used extra towels.
7. Follow the MM instructions and remove the free stock suspension parts from the strut top. Discard them (keep the nut of course).
8. SLOWLY lower the jack supporting the lower LCA but BE VERY CAREFUL as the spring is still loaded and could possibly unseat and come flying out. Easily enough energy there to kill you. Just take it very slow and easy. Sit or kneel facing the wheel well and with both hands grasp up under the fender and pull down on the strut shaft. It will slowly collapse. Mine took quite a bit of strength to collapse and hold down.
9. Let the strut slowly expand until it stops on the wheel well liner so you can see the steel band holding the strut boot. Use pliers and crank on that until it snaps off (or use metal snips). Let the boot fall down the strut and leave it there.
10. Compress the strut again and remove the other OEM suspension parts.
11. Lube (I used silicone lube) and fit the MM Urethane bumpstop (best have that prepared to go on quickly after the last step).
12. Let the strut SLOWLY expand while pushing it to a far corner of the strut tower. I used the outside, rear corner of the tower. Careful though, easy to get fingers trapped and cut (wear gloves). Also try not to scratch the under tower paint.
13. Measure the new bolt hole as described in the MM instructions. Measure twice, cut once. Drill the 1/8" hole and then the 13/32" hole. I packed some rags round the outside of the tower to stop cuttings from falling down into the engine compartment or inside the tower (could also use painters tape). Watch this though, too easy for the drill to catch the rag and cause an accident. After you break through, use a magnet or magnetic screwdriver to lift away the cuttings, debur the hole and degrease it. I painted mine with touch up paint to stop any downstream rusting.
14. Silicone the top surface of the MM shiny bottom plate, not too much, just enough for a 'seal ring'. Push the plate up into the strut tower and push it home. I had the MM main plate and nuts and washers sitting on the fender cover ready to fit immediately after fitting the bottom plate. Fit the 1/4" and other washers and nuts and the main plate.
15. I then fitted the bearing plate, washers and nuts but I realize now that's why I had so much trouble getting the struts in later. See step 18. below for what I think would have been a better way.
16. Now you have to decide how many spacers to use top and bottom on the strut shaft. Work that out from the measurements you took earlier and fit the spacers over the strut shaft.
I have front Eibach Pro's and two taller spacers over the strut shaft, underneath the bearing plate worked out nearly exactly according to the MM instructions.
Yours may be different.
17. Before you extend the strut into place compress it down again until it rests on the wheel well liner with the lower part of the MM bumpstop at an easy access point. Fit the dust boot over the MM Urethane bump stop. I had to slit it carefully down a little ways at the compass points to get it to fit. Cut a little and try it, then a little more until it fits over. Apply the plastic tie wrap tightly. I then filled the slits with silicone to seal it up a little better.
18. After fitting the bottom spacers I'd suggest, before fitting the bearing plates to the main plate, the strut be placed back in the standard position first (compress it again and let it extend carefully through the strut tower opening). Then fit the bearing plate, washers and nuts.
You'll probably have to jack the lower LCA up again to make it all fit well.
Be careful not to drop anything when doing all of this or it may get lost behind the wheel liner like mine did.
19. Fit the bearing plates over the strut shaft and fit all the washers and nuts. Measure to make sure your spacer fitment 'guess' was good and the strut shaft is at the right height as computed earlier.
20. Fit a top spacer on the shaft and fit the shaft nut. Tighten the nut with the wrench and hex key/jack handle lever.
21. Now carefully check the hood clearance by eyeballing and using window putty on top of the strut slowly dropping the hood to see if the putty is crushed down. The visible threaded portion on mine stuck out 1.5" higher than the nut top and they cleared the hood fine. Yours may be different so check carefully. Strut tops sticking through the hood won't look too good!
22. Locate the plates in the elongated slots as a 'best guess' and tighten the plate nuts to the MM specs. I chose the middle of all slots and the car drove fine 10miles to the alignment shop.
23. Repeat the whole thing on the driver side.
24. Wheels back on, lower the car, clean up the tools and around the MM plates for finger prints and smudges and get down to a trustworthy alignment shop soon afterward (mine cost $100 by a well respected Mustang racer).
25. Enjoy the handling and the proper tire wear.
I have a Steeda two point Strut tower brace and the MM plates fitted fine with that.
It's a straight forward job if you take it slow and read the MM instructions carefully. I read them three times over three days and I still messed up a little with the bearing plate sequence.
Hopefully my experience will help others do the job with less fuss.
Oh, make sure you check you have all the parts before starting, just in case MM has sent you a kit with too few spacers as they did with mine!
Hope that helps.
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