Installing Heidt's Four-Link Rear Suspension - Four-Link Finesse

Our finished disc-brake assembly looks great and we know from past experience this kit will stop our project extremely well.

With our Strange axle housing fitted with our SSBC brakes it is time to mock the axle housing between our fastback's rear framerails and see how everything goes together. Notice our paper third brake light? We've got some LED brake light plans for the trunk lid.

Remember when we said the caliper mounting bracket could be mounted facing fore or aft? Well, when we put the camera down and tackled the driver side brake assembly we ran into a little clearance issue with the parking brake lever and the Panhard bar bracket welded to the axle tube. What this means is we'll have to swap the brakes so that the caliper is toward the front of the axle (like a GM, yuk!) for it to all work. We'll do that when we have everything painted and we're performing final assembly.

Before installing the four housing links and the Panhard bar, set the adjustable endlinks to the center of the threaded rod end's length. This will allow you plenty of threads to adjust the links in either direction, as well as ensure you have enough thread engagement of the endlink as well.

You can start by installing the four main links to the axle housing first or the chassis first, but we found it easier to attach the arms to the housing first and then carefully bring the housing up into place with a jack until we could get the attaching bolts through the endlinks and the chassis. The adjustable links should be facing rearward and be attached to the axle housing.

Tighten the links down but don't get crazy yet, as you'll need to remove the adjustable end for fine tuning of the pinion angle and axle position. The housing brackets provide two different mounting points depending upon power level and how you want the car to handle.

The optional billet coilover shocks come with chrome-plated springs for a great look. The shocks are also adjustable for rebound/extension besides the typical ride height adjustment and optional spring rates are available if you wish to tune the suspension further. Once the shocks are secured, the final step is to install the Panhard rod between the axle and frame.

Our completed rear axle, brakes, and suspension mock up looks great and we can't wait to remove it (as strange as that sounds) to powdercoat the links, paint the housing, switch the brake caliper mounts around, and get it all back in place for the last time after the bodywork and paint are complete. The guys at Heidt's told us right at press time that some improvements are coming to the four-link down the road, such as double-adjustable links (no need to disconnect), revised shock mounting points, and more detailed instructions.

Back on the ground we fit some late-model Mustang base GT wheels, 16x7 in size, just so we could roll the chassis around. Without full interior, glass, and so forth the ride height doesn't look too bad, but we're hoping to stuff a nice 17x9 back there once we roll the fender lips and get the ride height set. Next up, front suspension and brakes.