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Mustang II Suspension Project

The most painful part of installing a Mustang II suspension on this car is that the paint is only a year old.  Removing all the sheet-metal, grille, engine, bumper, etc. to say the least will make you grind your teeth.

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Mvc-009f.jpg (89789 bytes)Mvc-010f.jpg (93081 bytes)After removing all the sheet-metal and engine, we removed all the suspension, wiring harness, steering, and master cylinder.
Mvc-011f.jpg (90184 bytes)Mvc-006f.jpg (91502 bytes)Next, we removed the shock towers.  You can use a plasma cutter, saw, or cutting torch.  If you use a torch, I suggest using a rag saturated with water.  Cut a small portion and cool it down with water to insure no warping.  Note in the picture we left a portion of the shock tower on the front and rear aprons.  This allows plenty of material to weld the filler panels to.  In addition, this provides additional support. 
Mvc-012f.jpg (86991 bytes)You will need to cut the lip of the frame rail off to allow installation of the suspension components.  After you cut this off, you will need to come back and weld where the gap is and grind smooth.
Mvc-013f.jpg (84714 bytes)Mvc-014f1.jpg (76624 bytes)Lay your new cross member on and be sure to center per the instructions included in the kit.  Tack weld in place and measure everything again.  Weld secure.
Mvc-015f.jpg (81316 bytes)Mvc-016f.jpg (90252 bytes)We used a dummy engine and transmission.  Bolted the transmission to the cross member, centered the engine into place.  We then measured and cut the provided motor mount, bolts provided, and welded in place.  Engines will require a different oil pan.  This engine received a 79 and up 302 oil pan with double sumps.  Note, you will also need a new pick-up screen.  Because our car already had a 5.0, we utilized the stock 5.0 dipstick through the block.  If you are doing this with a standard 302 or 289 they have recommended components in the instructions.
Mvc-007f.jpg (79711 bytes)Mvc-008f.jpg (86436 bytes)After the suspension and motor mounts are in place, it’s time to fill in those missing shock towers.  We took the filler plates they provided with the kit and measured the height first.  We cut off a section from the bottom and laid the panel in the hole.  Hold the panel against the hole, take a magic marker and mark the back of the panel from the outside of the car.  Take the panel back out and cut it outside of the line by about 1/8 to 3/16.  When you lay it back in to weld it will not overlap the aprons.  You will actually be welding it to the piece of shock tower that was left.  This makes a very clean fit.  Grind your welds and fill for a smooth finish.
After we finished our filler panels we glazed, sanded and primed where necessary finishing with a coat of semi gloss black.  After drying we completed our steering connections and prepared for the engine installation.

After installing the engine we were amazed at all the room we had in a once crowded engine compartment.  Now doing any routine maintenance is going to be a breeze. 

CLOSING COMMENTS :  When you purchase one of these kits there are a few items that you will have to deal with over and above what is included in the kit.  Steering, Oil Pan, Master Cylinder and Headers.
Steering -  The instructions in the kit encourage you to use a collapsible steering column this is a concern to 64, 65, 66 and 67`s.  The reason for this is the original Mustang steering box is located right in front of the fire wall.  On the Mustang II  the rack is in front of the cross member.  In the event of a head on collision the odds of the steering wheel being pushed up towards the driver are greatly increased.  This is not a reason to rethink buying the kit as most newer vehicles have the exact same setup.  So adding the collapsible column is a great safety upgrade.  Steering column selections are covered in the instructions but the necessary parts are an added expense to the Mustang II upgrade.
Oil Pan -  Depending on the engine you use you will also have to purchase a oil pan.  If you are using the older 260, 289, 302, or 351 a pan is required.  If you are converting to the 5.0 you can use the stock 5.0 oil pan.  The 5.0 blocks have the dip stick in the block and they come with the double hump pan.  When using the older engines you will have to plug up the original dip stick hole and use a double hump pan with the dip stick in the pan.
Master Cylinder -  Now that you have the Mustang II suspension you now have disc brakes on the front. It is time to throw away that one reservoir master cylinder,  (which is an accident waiting to happen) and update to a dual reservoir with booster.  We prefer to use the 87 to 93 booster and master cylinder with proportioning valve.  Pedal assembly and brake line modifications are required in this application. The instructions also give you some other more std options which are easier. 
Headers - Your car may already have headers on it. There is no guarantee that they will work with your new set up.  You would think that eliminating the shock towers would give you enough room to install what ever you want.  The shock towers are not the concern it is the steering linkage.   The headers we had on the car to start with would not clear the linkage.  We ended up using Mac's equal length shortie headers that fit like it was made for it.  This also allowed us to use Mac's off road H-pipe. Both H-pipe and headers were designed for 79 to 93 Mustangs.  This will also allow you to use the intermediate pipes.  Allowing you to have the ball and socket fit bolt on method eliminating those aggravating gaskets between the headers and lead off pipes. In addition by having the intermediates on the muffler allows you to easily unbolt your H-pipe from the headers and mufflers.  Making transmission removal a snap.  
We feel it is worth every penny and time invested installing this suspension.  The car handles and drives so much better than stock.  I believe we are at a turning point with the old Mustangs.  I probably wouldn't do this to a Shelby or Boss due to their value being judged by how close to original they are.  As far as the rest why not.  People are bringing these cars back to like new condition and more and more are wanting to drive them everyday and take them on long trips.  Why not throw away that out dated technology and move up to what's better.  Our project 65 belongs to a retired air force man who drives it everyday. He takes it on long trips and enjoys 24 miles per gallon and has more horsepower than he will ever use.  He loves the way it handles, starts instantly thanks to fuel injection,  has been basically trouble free for almost two years.  The five speed offers him an engine that sounds like it's idling at 60 miles an hour.   Now that he has his Mustang II suspension, and power rack and pinion he calls it the one finger driver it is effortless, no more sawing at the wheel. 
 If you have any questions about this upgrade please e-mail us or call us we will be happy to answer any questions.      
 CLICK HERE for...Classic Conversion of this 1965 Fastback Supercharged 5.0 5 speed Mustang
 

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Byron, Georgia 31008

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Phone 478-956-3871.
Fax 478-956-5078.