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Front Spring and Strut Installation
While there is no reason you must start at front of the vehicle, we did so because it is the most time consuming between the front and rear spring installations. Plan on spending a 4-6 hours on the front end if you have never previously installed springs in a late-model Mustang. While no special tools are required, you will need jack stands, at least one floor jack, and a full set of metric deep well sockets. A pneumatic or electric impact wrench is also a huge time saver.


In stock form our '93 Cobra measured 26 3/4" from the ground to the fender. With over 3" of gap above the tire, this car may qualify as a 4x4 in some parts of the country!
 
The installation process begins with jacking the front of the car and supporting with jack stands under the k-member or frame rails.
     

With the wheels removed, the calipers to spindle bolts are removed.
 
The brake calipers are positioned out of the way as shown. This is a good time to peform a brake job, however we'll address that in an upcoming article.
     

We replaced the struts first. Stock struts have a slot to hold the rod stationary while nut is removed.
 
Place a jack under the a-arm and jack it slightly to load the arm. Then remove the two strut-to-spindle bolts.
     

The strut is now free to slide out from under the fender well. Do not remove the jack at this point, otherwise the spring may pop out.
 
Remove the dust cover and travel limiter bushing from the old strut.
     

Transfer the stock bushing and dust cover to the new strut. If either piece looks worn or cracked now is the time to obtain a replacement.
 
We found the nice yellow Koni paint to be a little thick, prohibiting the strut from fitting over the spindle flange. A quick pass with a file solved the problem.
     

Feed the new strut in place from under the fender. Locate the mounting flange on the spindle and torque the bolts to 120 ft.lbs.
 
Attach the upper strut bushing and retaining nut. The supplied Koni adjustment knob is used to tune the dampening rate. The knob is not left on the strut (store it in the glove box.)


(Front Spring and Strut Installation continued)
 
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