How To Install Lower Torque Box Reinforcements.***PICS***

94GTCoupe

10 Year Member
May 7, 2006
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today i installed the lower torque box reinforcement plates.
i got these off of ebay,they are the Wild Rides Battle Boxes.

there are two different models,one that requires cutting the hole for the lower box plate,and the other does not require cutting made for SN95 Mustang's.

i'm using the one that requires cutting,as the other one cost more.

the upper plates i'll be installing later when i have time to install the 3.73 rear axle.

lets get to it.

***TOOLS NEEDED***
1-paint scraper(to remove sound deadener)
1-scissor or knife(to cut ABS grommet)
1-drill
1-3/8 drill bit
1-9/64 drill bit
1-set stepped drill bits(must go to 3/4)
1-wire brush attachment for drill
2-jack stands
2-car ramps (or 4)
1-jack
1-small file
2-3/8 or 1/2 drive ratchets
1-18mm 3/8 or 1/2 drive deep socket
1-19mm 3/8 or 1/2 drive deep socket
2-3/8 or 1/2 drive extensions
1-9/16 3/8 or 1/2 drive deep socket
1-9/16 3/8 or 1/2 drive standard socket
1-3in cut off wheel(to open hole,already done)


INSTALL FOR DRIVER SIDE.
-all pics of driver side,unless otherwise noted.

prior to install,i painted the plates to prevent rust.
as you can see,there is a driver and passanger side,dont mix them up
driver side shown.
DSCN2736.jpg

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note how it is angled towards the front.
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1.place front of car on ramps(or jack stands),and rear on jack stands.
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2.with 3in cut off wheel,open holes under car to fit lower plate.(already done)
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3.inside car,remove rear seat bottom and move insulation.(my seat was already out)
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4.disconnect ABS sensor and push grommet through.
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5.under car,move it out of the way.my exhaust was stone cold,so i just threw it over.
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6.with the paint scraper,remove the sound deadener.use the top plate as a guide.push the scrappings out the ABS hole.
DSCN2747.jpg

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7.with your drill and wire brush,remove the paint around the top plate for welding later.
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8.with your 19mm and 18mm sockets,remove lower control arm nut,and back out control arm bolt just enough to slip the plate over it.
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9.tighten the nut to properly position the lower plate.
with the 3/8 drill bit,drill the 4 holes,using the lower plate as a guide.
*remember to deburr all hole drilled*
DSCN2753.jpg


10.inside car,center punch the plate and drill a small pilot hole.
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11.with your stepped drill bits,open to 3/4 inch.
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12.position top plate,insert bolts through.
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13.from under car,scratch ABS hole position on to the bottom of the top plate.
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14.center punch hole,drill pilot hole and open to 3/4 inch.
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15.on ABS connector,file down the tabs just enough to fit through hole.
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16.with knife or scissor,cut grommet.(pass side shown)
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17.insert through bottom.
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18.insert through top plate,and sandwhich between the two.
insert the bolts with washers through the holes.
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19.with a helper,tighten 9/16 nut and lock washers from under car.
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20.reconnect your ABS sensor.

21.repeat steps for passanger side.

heres a pic after i finished.(sorry for the dark pic)
i did not weld the top plates yet,did'nt have my welder at this garage.
DSCN2776.jpg


and a pic of the SLP's,just because:D
DSCN2777.jpg


while your under there,its a good idea to look things over.
i tightened the h pipe at the headers,looked for leaks or anything else out of the ordinary.
 
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thanks Ryan.
the main reason i did this was,in all the Battle Box installs i've seen,how and where to put the ABS sensor is never covered.
so,there it is.
:SNSign:
 
Great write up. Thanks for sharing.

On a side note, I have yet to see a 94-95 car with the TQ boxes ripped out.

I've done two. Upper left and lower right. 98 Cobra and 94GT. Slicks+heavy+stick+hooks and it'll happen. In the interest of honesty, the 94 wasn't completely torn, I just managed to oval the hole to about twice the diameter of what it was supposed to be.

Not to nitpick the thread, but the following comments:
1. Gene's products are awesome and he's a great guy (local). Stop in and he always makes time to give you tips, spares, scrap, etc. For extremely heavy use, look into the lower S boxes. I would suggest swapping to a PHB and TA to completely delete the uppers if you're making that kind of power.
2. Regarding the install, just use a bimetal hole saw for the ABS sensor and call it a day. Plugs in with no modifications to grommet or connector.
3. "Opening the torque box" with the angle grinder is not necessary. If you are patient and play with them, they will go in on an angle without needing to open the hole. I'm not a fan of cutting up this area of the car in any capacity.

Very nice writeup and pics. Starting to like this forum, adam95GT sent me over here.
 
I believe so.
It sounds like 95pgttech repaired his damaged/torn torque boxes with these.

My boxes were fine, just installed as a preventative measure.

Also, good tip on the hole saw for the abs sensor, I'll try that the next time.
 
Kind of a weird right up. I'm not sure why you cut parts of the torque box off on the bottom. Also, there is no advantage to welding these in. It's just going to lead to corrosion later down the road.

Kurt
 
Kind of a weird right up. I'm not sure why you cut parts of the torque box off on the bottom. Also, there is no advantage to welding these in. It's just going to lead to corrosion later down the road.

Kurt
If I understand correctly they are a version that doesn't fit up through the stock hole so you have to cut to get them to slide up in.....

General Comment: Be careful welding any seams, frame or floor in your mustang lots of galvanized metal there and you can get very sick.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
 
Damn, I have never heard of one that requires cutting. I've installed about a dozen sets of those Wild Rides battle boxes. Thankfully I never had to do it on a car that was already too torn up.

Kurt
 
Weird, they should have gone up in there. They go in at a funny angle and then you have to turn them. Anytime you scrape down to bear metal like that for welding, I strongly recommend putting down a layer of weldable primer. Moisture will get up between the plate and the body there and start rusting.

Kurt