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How To Install A Performance Rear SuspensionThe Back Half Of The Maximum Motorsports' Road And Track Box Completes An Outstanding Suspension System For '79-'04 Mustangs From the November, 2008 issue of Mustang Monthly By Miles Cook Photography by Miles Cook
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With everything else in Maximum... With everything else in Maximum Motorsports' Road and Track Box, the Panhard bar is one of the major components that contribute to phenomenal cornering ability. The confidence the suspension provides is nothing short of amazing, and turns can be taken much faster. The rear suspension in the R&T Box also includes Bilstein shocks, H&R springs, a pinion snubber, and MM's lower control arms. The Panhard bar will be our primary focus. In our Jan. '08 issue, we showed the installation and component highlights of the front half of Maximum Motorports' Road and Track Box suspension package ("How To Install a High-Performance Suspension," p. 82). If you want to turn a '79-'04 Mustang into a car with truly world-class handling capabilities and only want to deal with one source, then Maximum Motorsports (MM) is ideal for a serious corner-carving Fox or SN-95 Mustang. MM's one and only focus is late-model Mustang chassis and suspension components. The company's sole ambition is to make '79-'08 Mustangs handle as well as possible. Its constant R&D work, along with updating existing part designs, is a major benefit to its customers. This is the complete Panhard... This is the complete Panhard bar package. The main items are the axle mount (left) and the chassis mount. Below is the aluminum Panhard rod itself, which is 37 1/2 inches long and equipped with large 3/4-inch Teflon-lined rod ends mounted in double shear at both ends. Also shown is the supplied hardware, including spacer plates that may or may not be required and frame inserts (next to the axle mount). The frame inserts prevent the framerails from being crushed when the chassis mount is bolted in place. Having known about MM, its products, and its philosophies for several years, we were interested in paying a visit and spending a few days going over its offerings. In addition to learning as much as possible about Mustang handling, we've highlighted the company's best-selling system here and in the previous article, showing the parts being installed on a car. Note that we previously concentrated on the front of the car. This is the follow-up article on the rear components of the Road and Track Box, which includes MM's exclusively designed Panhard bar and rear lower control arms. While the car used here is our '92 LX 5.0 subject car, Fox-body 5.0 installation procedures and parts configurations are similar in most areas for '94-'04 SN-95s. Furthermore, MM has systems specific to all the variations in Fox and SN-95 production, including '79-'89 and '90-'93 Fox cars, as well as '94-'95 5.0s, '96-'98 4.6s, and '99-'04 4.6s. Pieces specific to convertibles are also part of the mix.  MM's lower-rear control arms...  MM's lower-rear control arms are also part of the Road and Track Box. They're over three times stiffer than stock control arms to eliminate deflection and are available in standard nonadjustable or adjustable configurations, which allows ride height and corner-weight adjustments.  MM's thorough instructions...  MM's thorough instructions detail every step for installing the Panhard bar, including jacking up the car and supporting it in several locations: under the front K-member, the torque boxes, and the rear axle, to name a few. Disconnect the shocks from the axle and remove them. As shown here, take off the driver-side shock-mount bracket from the rear-axle housing. Access to a hoist will make the job easier.  The rear sway bar, which is...  The rear sway bar, which is held in place with four bolts, comes off next. Once it's out, the stock lower control arms can be disconnected from the axle. Then the arm is lowered to allow removal of the rear springs and the arm's chassis pivot bolt. To do this, support the control arm near the axle mount with a jack and remove the lower-control-arm pivot bolt from the axle end. Slowly lower the jack to release the spring tension. Be careful not to do it too quickly or the spring might become dislodged and fly out. Once the spring is completely uncompressed, take it from the car. Then remove the chassis pivot bolt from the car and detach the arm.  Install the bushings in the...  Install the bushings in the new arms. Using the supplied grease, apply a light coating to the outside of the urethane pieces. Install one of the four outer pieces into each arm. From the other side, install one of the two inner bushings (shown), seating it against the previously installed outer bushing. Install another outer bushing, seating it against the inner bushing. Next, apply grease to the inside of the bushings. Use a small screwdriver to work into the flutes. Then insert the steel crush tube through the center of the urethane bushings. Also apply a light coat of grease to the outside flanges, where the urethane bushings will contact the chassis.  If you have access to a vise,...  If you have access to a vise, you can press everything together for a good fit. This pushes the crush tubes and all three bushings together in each arm before they are installed. For a more secure fit and to avoid damaging parts with the vise, we also used two small pieces of wood for protection.  The new arms are now installed...  The new arms are now installed in the car. Torque the chassis pivot bolts to 85 lb-ft.  With the arms installed, the...  With the arms installed, the Panhard-bar axle and chassis mounts are next. With the new arms in place, but before installing the springs, position the axle mount around the lower-control-arm mount. Install the supplied 1/2x11/4-inch bolt in place of the original shock mounting-bracket stud with a supplied washer and Nylock nut on the backside. Don't put a washer under the bolt head because interference with the shock will occur. Rotate the axle mount around the 1/2-inch bolt to equalize the vertical alignment of the control-arm bolt holes on the inboard and outboard sides of the axle mount. Torque the 1/2-inch bolt to 120 lb-ft. Next, check the vertical alignment between the control-arm bolt holes of the axle mount and the axle's lower-control-arm mount. If the holes are vertically misaligned by less than 1/8 inch, they're OK. If they're off by more than that, then the shock-mount area on the axlehousing is bent. It can be straightened by removing the Panhard-bar axle mount and bending the area back with a large pair of locking pliers or a pipe wrench. Use wood to protect the metal of the shock-mount area. Our car didn't require this procedure.  Next, check the fore-aft alignment...  Next, check the fore-aft alignment between the control arm bolt holes in the Panhard-bar axle mount and the holes in the axle's lower-control-arm mount. Due to Ford's wide production tolerances, it may be necessary to elongate the Panhard-bar axle mount fore/aft with a file to allow the pivot bolt to pass through. This requires removing the mount and filing, as shown here. Don't enlarge the hole in the rear lower-control-arm axle bracket. Instead, remove just enough material from the axle mount so the 12mm bolt passes through the holes with a snug fit. Be careful not to excessively enlarge the holes in the axle mount. Afterward, reinstall it and retorque the bolt to 120 lb-ft.  Now install the provided M12...  Now install the provided M12 x 120mm pivot bolt through the axle mount, the axle's lower-control-arm mount, and the control-arm-bushing crush sleeve. Insert the bolt from the inboard side of the mounting bracket. Snug by hand, but don't fully tighten it. If the control-arm-bushing crush sleeve shifts out of alignment with the holes in the axle's mount, use a punch or screwdriver on the outboard side to pry the crush sleeve back into place. From the inboard side, insert the pivot bolt and push it all the way through. At this point, this is how the driver-side lower arm and the Panhard-bar axle mount should look.  Next, measure the alignments...  Next, measure the alignments of the axle mount in relation to the passenger-side shock mount. This involves removing the passenger-side spring and raising the control arm back into position with the spring out. The rear axle needs to be raised until both control arms are parallel with the ground. Make sure both jackstands are placed at the same height and that the axle is parallel to the ground. As shown here, the easy way to make sure the axle is parallel is to measure the distance from the ground to each of the rear lower-control-arms pivot bolts. The four pivot bolts (front and rear of both arms) should be the same distance from the ground when the control arms are parallel to the ground.  As shown here, hang a plumb-bob...  As shown here, hang a plumb-bob (string with a weight) from the rearward edge of the axle tube on the driver-side lower-control-arm axle mount. Measure and record this distance from the string to the inner face of the forward rod-end mount. Be sure the string is resting on the axlehousing and not on a brake line. This measurement will be used later.  With the axle mount installed,...  With the axle mount installed, the Panhard bar's large chassis mount is next. Begin by holding the chassis mount against the rear subframe rails. The axle will need to be lowered to position the chassis mount. It's important that the chassis mount be pushed upward so the U-brackets are in full contact with the bottom of the framerails. If it's not, the mount won't be positioned correctly, which can cause clearance problems with the exhaust system.  It's good to check out the...  It's good to check out the chassis mount's preliminary fitment, but have another person hold it in place or use a pair of C-clamps to secure the U-brackets to the framerails. This is done so other measurements can be made, such as the distance from a string hung from the axle to the inner face of the forward rod-end mount of the chassis mount.  With the chassis mount held...  With the chassis mount held in place, mark the location of the four pre-drilled holes in the U-brackets onto the framerails. Then remove the chassis mount to center-punch and drill 1/8-inch pilot holes. At this point, only drill the pilot holes through the outside of the framerails.  Drill the outside of the framerails...  Drill the outside of the framerails to 5/8 inch. It's suggested to drill in stages, such as 3/8, 1/2, then 5/8 inch. Use sharp drill bits and keep them cool with spray lubricant while drilling.  Here's how the finished holes...  Here's how the finished holes on the outside of the framerails should look.  The supplied frame insert...  The supplied frame insert tubes must be cut to the proper length. Determine the length by inserting a screwdriver through the first set of holes until it bottoms against the inner side of the framerail. Some cars will have extra pieces of sheetmetal inside the rail. If any of the insert tubes contact one of these pieces, be sure to measure the more shallow depth for proper fitment of the frame inserts. Record the depth by marking the screwdriver as shown (making sure to use the outside edge of the framerail), then transfer the measurement to the appropriate tube.  Cut each tube 1/16- to 1/10-inch...  Cut each tube 1/16- to 1/10-inch shorter than the mark. This gives a slight crush to the framerail when the bolts are tightened and ensures the mount will be tight when installed. Label each insert for the right and left side of the car and indicate which end is toward the front or rear. Don't be surprised if all four tubes are cut to a different length; this is what makes the chassis mount a custom installation.  Install the inserts into the...  Install the inserts into the framerail as shown. Be sure to install them as they were initially marked: right and left, fore and aft. This one is marked "DS" for "driver side." The arrow refers to the side of the insert that needs to be on top. Next, clamp it in place with C-clamps.  Pass a 3/8-inch drill bit...  Pass a 3/8-inch drill bit through the framerail insert tubes and drill a hole through the inner side of the frame. After drilling the first hole on the inside of the rail, place a bolt all the way through the insert and the inner side of the rail to ensure the insert stays in alignment while the second hole is drilled. Do this for both sides of the chassis mount.  Remove the bolts and deburr...  Remove the bolts and deburr the holes. Reinstall the chassis mount with the frame inserts in place, again using C-clamps. Insert a bolt through each of the predrilled holes in the U-bracket, through the frame inserts and the holes that were drilled through the inner side of the framerails. The bolts will bottom out against the undrilled inner flange of the U-brackets. As shown here, remove one of the four bolts and pass the 3/8-inch drill bit through the holes in the outer flange of the U-bracket and through the frame insert tube; then drill through the inner flange chassis mount's U-bracket. Deburr the hole and blow out all the shavings from between the U-bracket and framerail. Reinstall the bolt with washers and a Nylock nut, and lightly tighten. Proceed with drilling the other three holes by removing one bolt at a time, drilling the holes in the U-bracket, then reinstalling the bolt. Drilling the holes this way will keep the chassis mount in proper alignment.  Due to Ford production tolerances,...  Due to Ford production tolerances, the width of the framerails in each car can vary. If your car's rails are considerably narrower than the chassis-mount U-brackets, use the provided spacer plates between the framerails and the flange of the U-brackets. This reduces how far they have to pinch inward when the bolts are tightened. These plates may or may not need to be used on the inboard sides of the framerails. Our car needed a plate on each of the outside flanges of the U-brackets, but not the inside. After all the holes are drilled and necessary spacer plates are in place, torque the 3/8-inch bolts to 47 lb-ft. The frame inserts allow these bolts to be firmly tightened without collapsing the framerails.  With the axle and chassis...  With the axle and chassis mounts installed, reinstall the springs, shocks, and wheels. Drive the car around the block to settle the suspension before installing the Panhard rod. During the installation of the Panhard rod, the rear suspension must be loaded with the weight of the car. Attach one rod end to the axle mount using the shorter 5/8-inch bolt and three 5/8-inch washers. One washer is placed on each side of the rod end and the third washer goes underneath the head of the bolt. Adjust the length of the rod by holding the unattached rod end so it doesn't turn, then twist the rod. When the assembly is the correct length, the longer 5/8-inch bolt will easily pass through the chassis mount's two elongated slots and the rod end, as shown here. Install the chassis mount's 5/8-inch bolt and use four washers: one on each side of the rod end (inside the mounting bracket) and two outside the bracket, one on each side. Adjust the height of the rod end in the slot so the rod is parallel to the ground. Note that the ride height of the car and how level the rod is will change with the addition of the driver and fuel load. Adjust the height of the rod with the driver in the car and with at least half a tank fuel. After the length and height of the rod are adjusted, torque the two 5/8-inch rod bolts to 115 lb-ft.  Complete the installation...  Complete the installation by tightening the jam nuts on the rod ends while holding the rod by the machined flats. Be sure the rod ends are in line with each other. If they're not, the rod will have its ability to move restricted, which would lead to binding as the suspension moves.
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