Tech Articles and Write Ups, Look Here First!!!

[RyansQuick6]

I did this write-up on another site and figured i'd share

OK, here you go, a comprehensive how-to on installing front and rear springs and I even threw in some info on cutting springs!

Tools required:
wrenches or sockets
14mm for sway bar, and front brake caliper removal
15mm rear shock removal
18mm rear shock removal
21mm (2) for front strut removal (possibly a 23mm depending on your car)
Floor jack
Jack stands
Gloves
Hacksaw
Prybar
Strong wide flatblade screwdriver (for removint the upper strut nut without an impact

Tools preferred:
Impact gun
Cutoff wheel or sawzall (for cutting springs)

Front spring replacement

Step 1:
Jack up front end
Place jack stands on frame
remove wheels


Step 2:
Remove brake caliper and hang on hook so as to not put stress in the brake hose:


Step 3:
Place jack under spring seat and raise up until suspension lightly compresses:


Step 4:
Remove top nut and bushing for sway bar:


Step 5:
Remove strut/spindle bolts: (they should slide out easily if you have the jack with the proper tension on it)


Step 6:
Slowly relieve jack tension to allow sindle to drop slightly in order to remove strut:


Step 7:
Remove upper nut on strut and remove strut: (If an impact is not availaable, use the large flathead in the groove on the strut to hole it still while turning the nut)


Step 8:
Slowly relieve jack pressure until suspension is completely extended:


Step 9:
Remove spring by using your foot to apply pressure to the lower control arm. A prybar may be necessary if there is still slight tension on spring: (it is not under enough pressure to shoot out and hurt you, but were decent footwear, no flipflops, it's still a heavy spring if it lands on your foot)



Step 10:
Place spring insulators on new/newly cut springs and reinstall ensuring that the end of the spring seats in the perch on the lower control arm:


Step 11:
Use jack to raise suspension back up ensuring that the sway bar endlink goes through the eyelet:


Step12:
Reinstall strut in upper mount, then rebolt to spindle. Reinstall brake rotor and caliper. Reinstall wheel, jack car up, remove jack stands. When lowering the car down on the jack, go slowly so ensure that the jack will clear the newly lowered body. If there are issues raise car back up and use blocks so that the jack can be safely removed.

Rear Spring replacement:

Step 1:
Jack up rear end
Place stand in front of rear lower control arms
Remove rear wheels


Step 2:
Loosen lower rear shock bolt, do not remove!:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...install/a3.jpg

Step 3:
Place jack under differential and lightly compress suspension, remove lower shock bolt: (it should slide out easily if the jack has the right amount of pressure on it, don't force it)


Step 4:
Slowly relieve tension from jack:


Step 5:
With all tension off of rear suspension, remove spring and replace with new/newly cut spring and spring isolators (it should pretty much fall out)

Step 6:
Use jack on axle to compress suspension, replace lower shock bolt.

Step 7:
Reinstall wheels, jack car up, remove stands and lower car using the same care as with the front, as the fuel tank may end up resting on jack.

Step 8:
Go get an alignment ad enjoy your new stance!

IF YOU WANT TO CUT YOUR SPRINGS, CONTINUE READING:
Cutting your springs is a perfectly legitimate way of improving the looks and handling of a Mustang. It's a proven fact that a properly modified factory spring is better than 90% of the best/most common aftermarket springs on the market. For auto-x use they set the in-lb rate almost perfect without going to a coil-over/k-member/tubular control arm setup. Don't do it unless you change your shocks/struts, or you'll bounce all over in short time.

To get the proper height, start at 3/4 of a coil all the way around, and let it settle for a few weeks. It will most likely drop up to 1/4" during settling alone, aside from what you removed. DO NOT USE HEAT TO CUT THEM!!!!! Try to use a hacksaw(the slow way) or a cutoff wheel(the smart way) jsut try not to let it get too hot. If you want to go lower, do it 1/4 coil at a time, at the most, and let settle again for a few weeks again. It sucks to cut too much, because there's no way to put it back. My sig pic is with 18's and 1 1/4 coils removed.

Step 1:
With spring removed, mark where you want to cut. It's best to cut less and go back to cut a little more than to cut too much

Step 2:
Wearing gloves and safety glasses (full face shield is preferred), use cutoff wheel or hacksaw to remove coil, DO NOT USE A TORCH!:



Step 3:
Reinstall newly cut spring.

That's it for now.

Ryan

[v6stang07]

Aftermarket/Stock headlight moisture emoval
Many aftermarket lights and some stock headlights have a problem with moisture build up due to heavy hummidity and direct water exposure.
If u have bought a new set of headlights and did not seal them before installing them on ur car I would suggest doint this, i u are planning on buying new lights, plz seal them before even thinking about installing them, u wont regret it.

If u are trying to repair some lights that already have moisture in them, remove all bulbs completely and set in a dry airy place, in the sun or over a fan then proceed to cleaning. make sure to replace the bulbs after they have dried out to avoid trash getting into the housing.
If ur lights arent new clean them well with a mild soap and water and finish up with rubbing alchohol.
After they are cleaned well, mask off the housing leaving about a 1/2" gap of visible contact directly over the seam where the two pieces of the housing are held together.
Use some outdoor silicone II in the tube to seal them.
Squeeze onto/into the seam and smooth with ur finger, u could use a tool but i just assume to use gods
If u get silicone on the lens on anywhere u dont want it wipe it off immediatly with the rubbing alchohol. use multiple clean rags to avoid leaving an unsightly residue
Seal the top, remove tape before it dries so u dont peal the silicone, after it is cured to touch, about 30-45 min depending on temp and humidity, repeat on the bottom of the housing.
Now a weird and strange tip for u, silicone dries in a humid climate. To minimize drying time, still will take about 12 hours, set the lights above a pan of water in a warm and humid area. I chose to set mine about 3" above a tuperware container filled with water and placed that on top of the hot water heater.
Another precaution to take is checking the blinker o-ring for a proper seal. Lots of times they will be loose on aftermarket lights, find some rubber stock, u can find this at most hobby shops and some home improvement stores and make a new ring to add to the existing one. stack them together to make a tight and secure seal.




Hazy Build-up on Outside of Lens
What you need:
"Wet or Dry" sandpaper; 300, 650, 1200, and 2000 grits. (most packs come with 4-6 sheets of sandpaper, which should be more than enough for both headlights.)
Cost - about $4 per pack.

Rubber sanding block. I picked up one from Home Depot (I'm sure any hardware store will have them) that has flaps with nails you use to clamp the sandpaper to the block with. Do not get a hard block, you need to be able to contour to the shape of the lense.
Cost - about $4

A sharp blade to cut the sandpaper into strips.

Mequires PlastX plastic cleaner and polisher.
If you don't already have one, a hand held buffer will cut down on polishing time heavily (you don't NEED one, but be ready to buff an inch and a half spot for at least 15 minutes). I'd recomend at least 6", and at maximum 10". You'll need polishing bonnets to go with the polisher; get the ones that look like a thin towel, not the thick wool looking ones. It's better to buy more bonnets than you think you'll need than to run out. It helps that they're relatively inexpensive.
Cost - Polisher, $20-$40 depending on where you go. I used a powerball and it worked very well, still nothing is really better than good ole elbow grease and a nice microfiber rag

Polishing cloth.

Water. Probibly your shop sink or garden hose will suffice, having acess to a constant stream of water makes a big difference in the end. I also recommend soaking the sandpaper while you're attaching it to the rubber block.


Now that you have everything you need you want to do something like this:

1. Detach the headlight housing from the car, turn signal, and headlight bulb. This is very easy to do:
Pop your hood.

Find the two pins that hold each headlight to the car, they're located behind the headlamp, pull straight up to remove them. You'll need these when you're done.

Pull the headlight straight forward (not to the side or another angle) away from the engine and it will jerk out, so don't be afraid to use a little force.

Behind the turn signal you'll see a wire that clips on both the top and bottom of the clip. Be very carefull with the ammount of force you put on the clips because they do break easily.

The headlight bulb has a sleeve that rotates to loosen and slides back. then pull the bulb away from the headlight housing with a little bit of force and it should pop out. Be careful not to break the bulb removing it, it's a pain getting all the shards of glass out of the housing.

2. Clean the headlamps with some mild soap and warm water.

3. Cut the sandpaper to fit the sanding block. It's easiest to lay the sandpaper down like you're reading a letter, place the block at the top sideways, and cut. Completely submerge the block with the sandpaper attached in some warm water for about a minute and start sanding.

4. Sand the entire lamp where it is effected, you could do the entire lamp, which is what i suggest for even distribution. While sanding, be liberal with the water. Sand the entire lamp untill you get a cloudy liquid over the affected area, then rense and repeat two or three times then change in a fresh strip of paper with the same grit. For the best results, do at least two passes with each grit using a new piece of sandpaper after every pass, working your way up gradually to the finer grits. Ex: 300, 300, 650, 650, 1200, 1200, 2000, 2000 If your headlight looks worse that it was when you started, don't worry. It's going to look cloudy, but evenly cloudy if you did your job right. It will look horrible at this point literally but the plastx will take care of all ur worries.

5. Now comes the fun part, buffing. This is where it all comes together. I started by hand with a microfiber buffing sponge and it reall worked quite well. I used the plastX liberal and used it just like i was waxing my car. small tight circles and dont give up untill all the polish is rubbed in then buffing it off. work in about a 3" square at a time. working throughout the entire lamp. to finish it off go over the entire lamp with the plastx. Now u should have ur finished product, if there are any spots still that leave ?s just quickly resand that area lightly under a water hose with the 2000 grit paper and re-buff this area. if they look even the first time then ur buffing should come out fine.
6. After you finish buffing, take a clean polishing cloth and wipe off any excess scratch remover.

7. Reverse the order of step one. Make sure, when reattaching the headlight bulb to the housing, that you line up the notches before you push the bulb in.

[v6stang07]

Fog light installation for 99-00

Parts List:
2 Fog lights and brackets w/ bulbs
1 Wiring Harness
1 Fuse
1 Black Relay
6 U-nuts/clips
6 Screws
1 Pink 3M scotch-lok wire tap


Fog light installation in bumper:

1. Removing the bumper is not necessary; driving the car onto ramps or raising it up will ease installation. If you aren't able to install them, you can remove the whee! well splash guards.

2. Use a knife and cut the bars out from the fog light holes; you may have to file down the edges,

3. Three clips and three screws are used to hold each fog light. Place the clips on the two tabs above the fog light opening. The third clip goes on the bottom of the fog light. First place the fog light in the hole and screw in the bottom of the fog light. Then install the top screws, a magnetic screwdriver will help

Two of the six supplied clips One clip and screw holds bottom of Finished fog light is secure.
clipped to the bumper. fog light to the bumper.


Wiring engine bay:

1. Connect the orange wire with fuse holder to +12v battery or side of the fuse box. Do not install the fuse in the fuse holder until the installation is complete.

2. Connect short black wire to ground, the negative terminal of the battery or the bolt behind the headlight can be used as a ground.

3. Run the short red driver side wire through the hole behind the headlight and down to the fog light.

4. Run the long red passenger side wire over the radiator through the hole behind the passenger side head light and down to the fog light

5. Plug in each red wire to fog light bulb socket.

6. Ground both black right and left wires (these wires are attached to the fog light connectors) to nearby ground bolts. The black wires will reach the hood latch support bracket and the power steering cooler support for grounds.

7. Plug in the supplied biack relay to the wiring harness; zip tie it to the side of the fuse box(there is a small hole between the battery and the fuse box)in an upright dry position.

Wire wire to + battery side You can also wire wire to
Wire ground wire to -12v

8. See Wiring passenqer compartment to wire the long wire. On the side of the fuse box, ground on the battery.


Wiring in the passenger compartment:

1. Run the blue wire attached to the relay socket through the fire wall into the passenger compartment. In automatics the hole in the fire wall is about a foot above where the steering column passes through the fire wall. On Sspds you will have to run the blue wire through an existing rubber grommet on the drivers side near the top of the firewall.

2. Put a hole through the small rubber plug (for automatics) or gromrnet (for 5spds) very carefully.

3. Run the blue wire through the hole.

4. To remove the bucket under the arm rest, pull up on the two front rubber tabs.

5. Underneath the tabs, there will be two screws you must remove.

6. Pull the bucket out; It's in tight, pull hard.

7. Remove the ashtray or cup holders which are next to the parking brake. They will pop out easily.

8. Remove the black insert where the fog light switch goes by pushing up from underneath and prying with a screw driver (wrapped in a rag).

Rubber grommet where blue wire can pass through. Exit through firewall into passenger compartment.

Fog Sight switch pin out:

Remove rubber tabs, and then screws.

9. You will see two sockets far down in there, the gray socket is for the fog light switch, pull back the black plastic wrapped around the bundle of wires (connected to the gray socket). Note: The existing harness for the switch will be used.

FOG LAMP

PIN
CIRCUIT
CIRCUIT FUNCTION


1
2
3
4
5
NOT USED
1205 (8K) 19{LB/RD) 14(BN) 188 (WH/BK)
1 lamination Dimmer Switch To Fog Lamp Relay


Tapping into...wire:

1. Locate correct wire- pin 5, white with black stripe. (The yellow wire being tapped in picture is not correct for this year.

2. Use supplied pink wire tap, slide white and black striped wire through the pink wire tap.

3. Insert blue wire into other hole in pink wire tap, the hole has a dead end.

4. Clamp down on the metal piece in the pink wire tap with pliers to splice the wires.

5. Close the pink wire tap firmly, make sure the both the stock wire and blue wire are spliced,

6. Pull the switch socket through the fog light switch hole and plug in the switch.

7. Reinstall all components, 99-00 fog lights will work when parking lights are on.

Slide the designated wire into pink Insert blue wire into other hole; it Crimp down metal piece with pliers
wire tap.has a dead end. and close wire tap completely.
You may wire your fog lights independently so that you will only need the key in for fog light operation. You do not
need a convertible in order to do this.


Additional steps for wiring the fog lights independent of the headlights(additionai parts required):

1. Locate convertible wiring harness. It has three wires; the socket looks just like the fog light harnesses' socket. See below for a picture of the convertible wiring harness.

2. Slide the middle wire of the convertible harness through the wire tap.

3. Cut the wire of pin 4 on the fog light switch harness; it is brown.

4. Insert the wire from pin 4 into the other side of the wire tap; it has a dead end.

5. Push down the metal piece in the wire tap with pliers to splice the wires.

6. Close the wire tap cover firmly and completely.

7. Reinstall all components properly.

8. The foq liqhts will only work when the key is in RUN or ON position.
Slide correct wire into wire tap. Insert cut pin 4 wire from switch Use pliers and clamp down on met-
wiring into other hole(Blue wire shown) al piece; dose wire tap completely.


Removing bulbs:

1. Grasp bulb. Turn bulb very carefully counter clockwise.

2. Slowly pull bulb outward; be very careful not to break the bulb.

3. Do not touch the glass part of the bulb, it could damage the bulb.

[jthorn9]

M 81 mph
N 87 mph
P 93 mph
Q 99 mph
R 106 mph
S 112 mph
T 118 mph
U 124 mph
H 130 mph
V 149 mph
W 168 mph
Y 186 mph
Z isnt defined because tires ability to endure high speeds keeps increasing...so z pretty much means yes, it will go that fast

[jthorn9]

Hey fellow sixers, yes I have two stangs, 5.0 and 3.8, check out this site, lots of info about the internals on our engines.

REBUILDING THE FORD 3

[jthorn9]

Wondering all that's needed to put an M-90 from an old Thunderbird Super Coupe in your car but can't find a good write up, well look no more.

Well to be short, you'll need LOTS! Basically its easier and cheaper to buy the entire SC motor, but if you want to install it on your Mustang block here is what you need.

-Roots blower
-SC blower top
-SC lower intake
-SC rear blower intake with SC TB
-Rear intake (from IC to lower intake)
-SC thermostat housing
-SC jackshaft pulley bracket
-SC PS pump bracket
-SC crank pulley
-SC water pump and pulley
-PS pump pulley (you can us your mustang pump)
-SC tensioner pulleys (all 3)
-if using the SC block/crank then use the 94-95 neutral balanced dampener with exeter gear, some dampeners off the F150 will work as well.
-if using the mustang block/crank then use you stock mustang dampener
-if using the SC block/crank then use the SC flywheel/flexplate
-if using the mustang block/crank then use the mustang flywheel/flexplate
-Mustang or SC starter will be fine, they are the same
-Mustang headers
-SC heads are better but Mustang heads would probably be fine (SC heads are supposedly a little stronger)
-SC injectors or eqivilent plus matching MAF
-89-93 SC came with 30# injectors and 55mm MAF
-94-95 came with 36# injectors and 70mm MAF
-all cooling hoses
-SC thorttle cable
-SC throttle cable bracket
-MUSTANG EEC
-MUSTANG wiring harness
-wire to lengthen wiring harness connectors
-extra cooling hoses for custom work
-MUSTANG timing chain cover or 94-95 SC timing chain cover
-MUSTANG crank sensor
-MUSTANG or SC alt will work, MUSATNG better sicne it has the extra connect on it, but will work without it for the SC alt, need to change pulleys if using the Mustang Alt. I believe the Mustang alt is more powerful as well, not exactly sure.
-SC AC compressor
-custom AC lines
-custom air inlet needed
-SC intercooler should work, not sure how well the SC intercooler tubes will clear but they should
or use a custom IC setup like me [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
-Mustang motor mounts
-SC valve covers
-Mustang DIS module, don't need the SC one.
-SC oil cooler (not needed but good to have)
-Mustng rad will work, but if using the SC IC then might be easier to us ethe SC rad its a little smaller though but works for the SC guys fine.
-Major tuning
-SC coil pack bracket (mustang coil pack should work but I have the SC coil pack as well)

Now, how hard it is?

Well that all depends, if you have the complete motor it will be a lot easier, basically just drop the motor in and customise the wiring and hoses and a few other things. Finding all the needed parts is the hard part, where as a complete motor has everything you need.

A lot of custom work is needed to get everything hooked up, I had to make custon cooling hoses where the heater core is, I had to cut the throttel cable bracket to clear the hoses so I could not use the cruise control cable, so no cruise. The EGR needed to be deleted sicne there is very little room where it hooks up, the engien is very close to the firewall, I may try and get it to work with customising the EGR just for emissions, not sure yet. You will also need a very good tune to make this setup work, trust me, I have been there. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] You will need to make a custom air inlet from the airfilter to the TB, thats not too hard, also if using a custom IC setup, then thats all got to be made as well, piping, brackets IC etc. The SC motor has 2 extra sensors they are the knock sensor and oil level sensor, we can live without these, and besides our mustang harness will not plug into them so we can't sue them anyways, all other sensors will work, just need to lengthen wires to reach them. With my custom IC setup I had to moive my battery to the trunk as well, but if you use the stock SC IC then you'll be fine.

How will my mustang block hold up?

Well the SC came with a stronger crank, pistons and rods to handle the extra power. The SC block is also stronger. The mustang block has proven itself to be fairly strong as well, no one has broken one yet at least. No one really knows for sure how long the mustang pistons and rods and crank will hold up to the roots setup, I have been told that the rings would be the first to go, the mustang has a higher compression ratio, but something about the location of the ringlands or something is better ont he SC pistons, don't wuote me on that, its hearsay right now. Stock SC compression is 8.5:1, I am running 9:1 with forged pistons in my setup. I have heard about guys even running above 10:1 with the roots blower but I don't think they push their motors too hard either, more for show.

I have also heard of guys runing 4.2 SC motors, with no problems, except for one guy who keeps busting cranks, SC cranks at that, I think his problem lies elsewhere though.

FAQ

Q: is there a way to keep the cruise control AND the air conditioning?
A: SC's the throttle and cruise cables run behind the intakes where the mustangs run over the intakes. I had to cut the mounting bracket to clear the heater core hose inlet/outet from the firewall, its not the cable thats the problem its the bracket that holds the cable to the TB.