Issues With Being Lowered

[Seclusioned]

I just bought my car saturday. 2002 mustang bullitt clone. There is some information I will post later with all the mods and what has been done to the car that I know of. But as of right now I have a major issue.

I do not know how much it is lowered but Im guessing 2-2.5 in rear and 2.5-3 in front. It has a nitto drag radials on the back. 315/35/17 they are new and was on the car when I bought it. Heres the problem. Im sure most of you already know what Im going to say but I will list the issue any ways...

Any time it flexes or I snatch it in to 2nd gear the right rear quarter panel is squating so much that it is cutting the tire. It hasnt done any serious damage yet (IE leaking tire) But it is cutting the tire up really bad. I will post pics of everything and everything I know about the car tomorrow.

Ive been told to put air shocks on it and keep them as stiff as possible, Its got a weak spring, Need to raise it up half inch, and even to notch the inside lip of the fender well and bend it up <not a good idea if I say so.

Id like some incite on the issue and opinions from the people here. Also of course put 310s or 305s on it. But like I said these are brand new... I was going to upload a side pic of it but it will not let me.

 

[Seclusioned]

Theres a side pic..

Also its not doing it on the driver side. Only the passenger side of the car. But I know that the motor spins clockwise and the power is sent in a way to make the car flex to the right.

 

[joshjwc9]

Theres a side pic..

Also its not doing it on the driver side. Only the passenger side of the car. But I know that the motor spins clockwise and the power is sent in a way to make the car flex to the right.

That sucker is definitely lowered quite a bit. Some pictures of the tire would help. Typically it is flashing that cuts tires on these cars. I was running a spacer and had the same issue. To solve it I trimmed in the inner liner and went down a size in the spacer to fix it. Also, I might suggest getting adjustable rear lower control arms or getting a good thick isolator in the rear to lift the spring just maybe a quarter inch to eliminate the rubbing.

 

[Seclusioned]

I will post a pic of the tire tonight after work. I was thinking of adding half inch spacers in the rear and trying to raise the front as well. I have not had this car on a lift yet but I will this weekend to see what all is done to the suspension. There is alot of money in this car. Going to do a welcome post with all the info on my car and will put a link in my sig. But yeah the inner lip of the fender is whats doing it. I have seen people talking about fender roll but thats not something I really want to do. But yeah Ill throw some pics up of the tire tonight.

 

[007]

Doesnt look like a Bullitt clone??

The front is especially slammed. I would not keep it like that. Id change the springs.

The rear is very low but not extreme. I would look for a part number on the springs. If they are just a crap choice then buy new springs. If the springs are fine and the shocks are done then buy shocks. I suspect ty choice of springs by the previous owner. Could even be some coil-cutting stupidity.

 

[mransr]

agree...doesn't look at all like a Bullitt, just a nice GT...good springs aren't expensive or especilly hard to install; just replace them

 

[Rejekt]

Yeah, not really a clone.

But get that thing up a little bit or you'll regret it. I agree with 007 on everything. I bet he cut the springs.

 

[Deleted member 38176]

Rear looks similar to mine but the front looks way too low. Can you see what color the front springs are?

 

[Seclusioned]

It has the bullitt emblem on rear and bullitt panels where the doors open up at. The springs are black on the rear and front. Possibly cut but I dont think so with the work that is done to this car, Just doesnt look like someone took shortcuts with it. I will see if I can tell if they are cut or if I can find some reason to believe they are aftermarket. As of right now Im thinking just going up half a inch with the whole car and getting new shocks all the way around. If the springs are cut I will just buy new springs.

 

[Jhussey1280]

I've been looking around for springs for my car for a couple of months now and I don't ever recall seeing any manufacturer make that low of a drop. He may not have cut corners, but it sure does look like the springs were cut. It's easy to tell, just count the spring coils. I believe the stock springs have 8 coils.

 

[007]

It has the bullitt emblem on rear and bullitt panels where the doors open up at. The springs are black on the rear and front. Possibly cut but I dont think so with the work that is done to this car, Just doesnt look like someone took shortcuts with it..

Well the fact the previous owner put a Bullitt badge on that car shows they weren't exactly Einstein, and maybe not very knowledgeable in the Mustang scene...

You want to get that emblem off there right away. Anyone who knows anything about Mustangs is going think that's retarded.

 

[007]

Guys, am I right in thinking that 315s nittos on 17s fit just fine with any normal suspension setup??? I dont think you need to roll fenders etc. Its not the wheels, but the springs that are the problem here.

 

[Deleted member 38176]

Guys, am I right in thinking that 315s nittos on 17s fit just fine with any normal suspension setup???

Yes, 315's fit with no modifications or problems.

 

[03_TrueBlue_GT]

Yep Im running them and have no issues with rubbing at all. The tires are really close to the exhaust pipes but not bad.

 

[Seclusioned]

Well I appreciate all the input guys. I will look into some new springs this weekend. I do have a question though. Is there any width difference in the V6 and the GT? This car is a swap car. Hence the reason I dont think anyone cut corners. You can read more about it on my post in the welcome section. If there is a width difference then that may be the issue. And I will look into taking the emblems off. Im not a noob but Im new to mustangs and even cloning. I dont understand why someone would clone anything lol. But more pics and all the info I know about the car is in my welcome post. Ill post pics of the springs, shocks, and all bushings on the suspension when I get it on the lift this weekend and ask the opinions of you guys.

 

[joshjwc9]

Looks like someone just threw the badge on it. I saw your other thread and it seems like someone did put some money into it. I'd make sure what rear end/trans and gears you have in there too when you can get it up in the air.

Take pictures of the springs, rear end cover, find the drain plug on the trans, and prepare yourself to replace a couple things that the owner got wrong whenever he had particular parts installed. I.E. the clutch cable.

 

[Rejekt]

The v6's came with the 7.5" rear end right? I wonder if he swapped everything from a donor car.

Now is a good time to upgrade your suspension. Get some good springs, shocks, struts, and a caster camber kit if none of it is done.

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[Deleted member 38176]

Ok I just read through the other thread (congrats BTW) and noticed that it was originally a V6 car. It could quite possibly be that the car still has either the stock V6 springs or aftermarket V6 springs (obviously rated for a V6) and the added weight of the V8 is causing the front end to sag

BTW, if I were you I take the BULLITT emblem off the back. Most people know that Bullitts were never made in that color and makes you look kinda stupid IMO.

 

[Seclusioned]

Ok I just read through the other thread (congrats BTW) and noticed that it was originally a V6 car. It could quite possibly be that the car still has either the stock V6 springs or aftermarket V6 springs (obviously rated for a V6) and the added weight of the V8 is causing the front end to sag

BTW, if I were you I take the BULLITT emblem off the back. Most people know that Bullitts were never made in that color and makes you look kinda stupid IMO.

Yeah I will be taking the bullitt stuff off. But arnt the rims bullitt rims too? Or bullitt style at least. I dont want to lose the rims. I like them to much lol. But I got under as much as I could today and counted 9 coils on the rear springs. Saturday morning its going on the lift just to see what all is going on. Ill take pics of everything and post back. To me it looks as though someone heated the springs to lower them. The coils are almost touching each other and some are kinda wider then the rest like they are bent out of place.

Any suggestions on a good set of springs, shocks, and struts. Not the best, but not the worst! It has caster camber plates already. I would like to do a good bit to the suspension as well. A full package would be nice but Ive seen them for 800+ and Im not spending that money just yet unless I have to. And I want to keep it lower in the front then the rear. I always liked the stance of lower in the front.

 

[007]

Loads of stock GTs had those style rims. Just take off anything that actually says "BULLITT".

For springs, H&R Supersports are a good choice. About 2" drop. If you want less drop then Ford C springs. I like KYB AGX shocks. Bilsteins are popular too.