22215 Meekland Avenue Hayward, CA 94541 Phone: (510) 581-7600 Fax: (510) 581-2406 Installations Instructions for Maier Racing Front Coilover Kit MS-02-001 1964-1973 Ford Mustang Contents Front Coilover Item Check List... 2 Hardware Check List... 3 1964-1966 Models... 3 1967-1973 Models... 4 Tools needed... 4 Item Check List for Lower Control Arm... 4 Installing your Maier Racing Front Coilover Kit... 5 Installing Maier Racing Boxed Lower Control Arms... 13 Setting ride height... 16 1
Item Check List Front Coilover Kit QTY Description 2 Maier Racing Tubular Upper Control Arms 2 Integra Shocks 2 PAC Racing Coil Springs 2 1 Upper Coilover Mount Spacer (64-66 only) 2
2 Upper Coilover Mount Retaining Rings 6 Flanged Stainless Steel Shock Mounting Spacers 2 Straight Stainless Steel Shock Mounting Spacers Hardware Check List 1964-1966 Models QTY Description 6 3/8-24 Grade 8 Bolts 2.5 Thread Length 6 3/8-24 Grade 8 Nylock Nut 1964-1966 models 12 3/8 Grade 8 Washers 8 1/2-20 Grade 8 Bolts 2.5 Thread Length 4 1/2-20 Grade 8 Nylock Nut 4 1/2"-20 Grade 8 Thin Nylock Nut 12 1/2 Grade 8 Washers 3
1967-1973 Models QTY Description 6 3/8-24 Grade 8 Bolts 1.5 Thread Length 6 3/8-24 Grade 8 Nylock Nut 12 3/8 Grade 8 Washers 4 4 1/2"-20 Grade 8 Bolts 2.25 Thread Length 1/2-20 Grade 8 Bolts 2.5 Thread Length 1967-1973 models 4 1/2"-20 Grade 8 Nylock Nut 4 1/2-20 Grade 8 Thin Nylock Nut 12 1/2 Grade 8 Washers Tools needed Safety Glasses Gloves Floor Jack Jack Stands Wheel Chocks Lug Nut Wrench 3/8 or 1/2" Drive Ratchet 3/8 or 1/2" Drive Standard Socket Set Torque Wrench Standard Wrench Set Pliers Pickle Fork for ball joint removal Mallet Porting Tool Drill ½ Drill Bit Center Punch 1/8 Hex Key Item Check List for Lower Control Arm *If purchased with Maier Racing Stage 2 Coilover Kit 2 Maier Racing Boxed Lower Control Arms 4
2 Steel Spacers for Boxed Lower Control Arms 4 Aluminum Inserts for Boxed Lower Control Arms Installing your Maier Racing Front Coilover Kit 1) If you have the stock spring on your car, seek professional help for spring removal if you are uncomfortable removing them. 2) Make sure your vehicle is parked on a flat surface with the parking brake on. 3) Loosen the front lug nuts to allow easy removal of wheel when vehicle is lifted. *Note: Do not remove lug nuts during this step. 4) Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels and jack the front of your vehicle up. 5) Place jack stands under vehicle. *Note: Never use a floor jack to support your vehicle. 6) Remove the front lug nuts and wheels. 7) Remove the sway bar end link from the lower control arms. a. This will allow the lower control arm and upper control arm to drop lower for ease of spring and shock removal. 5
8) Jack up the lower control arm to allow access to the lower shock mount. 9) Remove the nuts from the lower shock mount. 10) Remove the upper shock mount from shock tower and shock. 11) Remove the original shock tower brace if equipped. Kit. a. The original shock tower brace will not fit with the Maier Racing Front Coilover 12) Lower the floor jack to allow suspension to droop. a. If your car has lowering springs, remove them at this time. 13) If you have a stock spring, use a spring compressor to remove the spring. a. Use extreme caution when removing spring. Seek professional help if needed. 14) Remove the castle nut from the upper control arm ball joint. 6
15) Flip the castle nut and screw into the upper control arm ball joint leaving about a ¼ gap from the spindle to the castle nut. a. Doing this will protect the threads of the ball joint when loosening the ball joint from the spindle. 16) Use a pickle fork to loosen the upper control arm ball joint from the spindle. a. If you don t have a pickle fork, then a mallet can be used. 17) Take a hammer and hit the spindle to loosen the upper control arm ball joint. a. Remember to keep the castle nut on the ball joint to protect the threads. Hit Here 18) Remove nuts of the upper control arms from inside the engine bay of the shock tower. a. Keep in mind to hold up the upper control arm as you re loosening the nuts. 7
Step 19 is only for 1964-1966 models 19) Use a porting tool to enlarge the bolt holes to accommodate for the supplied 3/8 bolts. Steps 20-22 are only for 1967-1973 models 20) You will now need to remove the factory spring seat from the shock tower. 21) Locate the center of the spot welds and use a center punch to mark it. a. There will be 3 spot welds for each side. 8
b. The center punch is used for a starting point for your drill bit. 22) Use a ½ drill bit and drill to remove factory spring seat. a. You do not need to drill all the way through the shock tower. Just enough to shave off the spot welds. 23) Install your Maier Racing Shock Tower Brace. 24) Install 3/8 bolts through holes and install nuts and washers. 9
1964-1966 models 1967-1973 models 25) Line up holes of the retaining ring and billet upper coilover mount. a. 1964-1966 models need to install 1 spacer. 26) Insert supplied steel shock spacers into billet upper coilover mount. 10
27) Install Maier Racing tubular upper control arms with supplied ½ bolts, nuts, and washers and torque to 90 lb-ft. a. Make sure to orient the inner shaft kit washers towards the rear of the vehicle. Washers toward rear 28) Reinstall the spindle onto the Maier Racing upper control arm ball joint and torque to 60-90 lbft. 29) Install the Integra coilover shock and PAC spring combination with the supplied ½ bolts, nuts, and washers into your Maier Racing upper control arm and billet upper coilover mount and torque to 90 lb-ft. a. Install the shock body to the billet upper coilover mount, and the shaft side to the upper control arm. 11
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Installing Maier Racing Boxed Lower Control Arms 1) Remove front sway bar end link from lower control arm. 2) Remove strut rod nuts from lower control arm. 13
3) Remove castle nut from lower control arm ball joint. 4) Flip castle nut and screw into lower control arm ball joint leaving about a ¼ gap from the spindle to the castle nut. a. Doing this will protect the threads of the ball joint when loosening the ball joint from the spindle. 5) Use a pickle fork to loosen the lower control arm ball joint from the spindle. a. If you don t have a pickle fork, then a mallet can be used. 6) Take a hammer and hit the spindle to loosen the lower control arm ball joint. a. Remember to keep the castle nut on the ball joint to protect the threads. HIT HERE 14
7) Remove the bolt from lower control arms. 8) Insert the supplied aluminum inserts on each side of the spherical bearing. 9) Install the Maier Racing Boxed Lower Control Arm. a. You may need to use a rubber mallet to install the lower control arm. 15
10) Re-install inner lower control bolt and torque to 35-50 lb-ft. 11) Re-install lower control arm ball joint to spindle. 12) Insert supplied aluminum spacer onto ball joint stud. 13) Re-install the castle nut onto ball joint stud and torque to 60-90 lb-ft. 14) Insert supplied cotter pin to prevent castle nut from loosening up. 15) Inspect and/or replace strut rod and torque to 55-70 lb-ft. 16) Re-install the sway bar end link and torque to 17-25 lb-ft. 17) Re-install wheels and lug nuts and torque to 55-85 lb-ft for 6 cylinder spindles and 75-110 lb-ft for 8 cylinder spindles. 18) Remove jack stands and lower vehicle. Setting ride height 1) Roll the car forward and backward to allow the tires and chassis to settle. 16
2) On a flat surface, measure all four pinch weld seams that run on each side of the car and record it. a. You will need these measurements to determine if your vehicle is laterally straight. Should be same height in front 17
REAR FRONT 3) Listed on the next page are some example ride heights and changes that need to be made to correct ride height. 18
a. For the scenario shown above, you will need to lower the height in the right front. b. For the scenario shown above, you will need to lower the height in the left front. 19
4) The rear height will be your reference point; generally, the rear of the car cannot be adjusted. 5) The front height should be lower than the rear and will vary depending on driving conditions, but the listed measurements are a good starting point: a. Street Driving: Front will be ½ lower than rear height b. Street/Track: Front will be ¾ to 1 lower than rear height ½ to 1 Lower Note: Lines and Measurements are not to scale 6) Raise the car with a floor jack and place jack stands underneath. 7) Locate and loosen set screw on spring perch. 8) Turn the spring perch to adjust height. 20
a. One full turn of spring perch is about 1/16. b. Turning spring perch to the right will lower the car, turning the spring perch to the left will raise the car. LOWER HEIGHT RAISE HEIGHT 9) Snug the set screw on spring perch. a. You do not need to tighten very much, just have the set screw touch the shock body. 10) Lower the car and roll forward and backward to settle the tires and chassis. 11) Re-measure ride height and re-adjust height if needed. 12) Perform a wheel alignment on your vehicle. a. The wheel alignment was altered from changing the height of the car. 13) You are now ready to enjoy your Maier Racing Front Coilover Kit. 21