FRONTS
1. Again, jack up the car as high as it will go, and place the jack
stands under the frame (subframes), and remove wheel.
2. There are 4 bolts on the
backside of the brake caliper�.2 long ones towards the sides (do NOT
remove these), and 2 small ones directly in back of the caliper (see
illustration). Those 2 small ones hold the caliper onto the rotor
assembly. Unbolt those (15mm) and remove the caliper. You might need to
decompress the caliper a bit by squeezing it up top. Pull it off, and
you will see a tiny hole on the caliper, bend the coat hanger so it
pulls through, and hang the caliper by a nut in the wheel well. You�ll
see it when you look. And make sure it doesn�t interfere with the
lowering of the strut and spring. (you might have to get creative with
zip ties for this.)
3. Remove the bolt that
holds the brake hose bracket in place. (see picture) If you don�t,
when you lower the suspension, it will pull/stretch/screw up your
lines�.and that would be bad. 10mm socket for this one. Once you
unbolt it, you can just let it hang down.
4. Pre-load the suspension under the A-arm about 5 inches with the floor
jack.
5. Sway bar (see picture). Unbolt the sway bar (15mm deep socket or open
faced wrench). Remove the bolt and upper rubber bushing (remember which
way the bushing was sitting).
6. Tie rod end (see
picture). Remove the cotter pin from the nut using a flathead
screwdriver and mallet to straighten it out. Use the pliers to get a
good grip on it. Then remove the nut (19mm) and set aside. If it is a
newer stang, you should be able to hammer the tie rod loose by hammering
on the bolt. If the rotor guard is in the way, just bend it. But trust
me�.it seems like it won�t come loose�.keep hammering. It will.
Once you pop it loose, swing it out of the way.
7. Strut. Remove the 3 bolts on the strut tower to remove strut. (see
picture) (15mm) Once you have removed the bolts, GENTLY lower the jack,
guiding the strut down, making sure it doesn�t hit the inside of the
wheel well. Now, there is a plastic/rubber lining in the wheel well. The
strut may get caught up on it�.just maneuver it around until it pops
loose. I ended up jiggling it and pushing up on the liner to get it
done. Keep lowering the jack until it won�t go down anymore, taking
care to have your buddy hold the strut as it�s coming down. (you will
hear a POP, that�s the sway bar coming off of the sway bar
end�don�t freak. Now, the spring won�t pop out YET. Once the A-arm
is all the way down, use a prybar to pop the spring out of the arm. Be
careful, use a series of quick tugs and it should come out no problem.
It's possible for the strut to get hung up on the threads at the top.
The first strut I did got bound somehow at the top. I giggled the strut,
and it popped out and drop pretty violently. If it looks like the strut
is not lowering as you lower the jack, giggle the strut before the jack
is all the way down.
(cont.)
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