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Installing Heidt's Four-Link Rear Suspension - Four-Link FinesseOur '68 Mustang's Rear Suspension, Axle, And Brakes Are Mocked Up From the February, 2010 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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Tech | Rearend Install
After a few parts delays and a hectic summer event travel season, we've finally gotten our act in gear and have plenty of work getting accomplished on our "halo" project, our '68 Mustang dubbed Generation Gap. We've gotten some great feedback from our readers, both in person at events this past summer and through email as well. Several of you have told us the build, at least as far as the drivetrain and modular engine swap, are something you are planning for your own classic Mustang or Ford project. Others were simply blown away by the conversion from coupe to fastback (the first three articles in our build series) and felt this was a great alternative to purchasing a completely new shell for the build of one's dream Mustang. Whatever it may be, the comments and feedback have put a smile on our faces and have really pushed us to get the project moving. Before our fastback can move (literally) to the paint and body phase we need to have the full suspension hung and some shop wheels installed, as well as the engine and drivetrain in place (which will include some final welding of the engine mounts, and so forth in the engine compartment and under the car). With the completion of our Strange built 9-inch in last month's issue we can install our Heidt's four-link rear suspension setup, add our Stainless Steel Brakes (SSBC) rear-disc kit to said 9-inch, and get the rear fit to the chassis. So check out this installment on our Generation Gap project and stay tuned for the front suspension and brake install, as well as the engine and trans fitment, then it'll be off to the body shop for many hours of sanding, fiberglass work, and panel fitment. Wow, I guess that means we better finalize our colors soon too! The Heidt's four-link rear suspension kit is available for '65-'70 Mustang, '60-'65 Falcon, and '66-'67 Fairlane at this time. With prices starting at just $1,095 it's a great upgrade for anyone tackling a V-8 conversion, upgrading to better handling, or wanting adjustable ride height and suspension options. Our kit is the RM-101 Mustang four-link with optional ($100) CB-105 billet adjustable coilover shocks. We also checked off the option boxes for Heidt's RM-102 subframe connectors ($179) and RM-023 chassis stiffener kit ($249).  Completely mocked up, our...  Completely mocked up, our four-link looks ready to rock 'n' roll over some twisty roads. Of course we'll be yanking it all back out to paint and powdercoat the brackets and control arms after our bodywork is complete.  The Heidt's four-link installation...  The Heidt's four-link installation begins with the partial assembly of the shock absorber crossmember and end brackets, which is then fit to the framerails of the Mustang. The instructions provide text and drawings to help with the assembly, as well as measurements as to where the brackets should be positioned. Some persuasion with a hammer might be necessary to fully seat the brackets. You may also have to trim the end of the brackets to clear the factory suspension snubbers.  Once you've checked and verified...  Once you've checked and verified the fit, clean the metal of any primer, dirt, rust, and so on. You have the option of drilling and bolting the brackets in, or welding them in. You can install the complete kit (minus the axle brackets) with handtools and a drill, but for high-horsepower applications even the guys at Heidt's recommend welding the brackets, which we did for our installation.  Here's our finished welding...  Here's our finished welding work. The ends of the brackets were welded completely around the framerail and the original bolt holes were plug welded to the framerail sides as well. Once both brackets are welded/bolted you can finish tightening the shock crossmember retaining bolts.  The installation of the front...  The installation of the front link brackets is the same as the crossmember brackets. Fit them to the car's framerails as needed and then drill and bolt or weld them into place.  The optional subframe connectors...  The optional subframe connectors are also designed as a bolt-in upgrade and to tie into the front link brackets, but since we already had the Miller out and fired up we went ahead and completely welded in the subframe connectors as well.  The chassis stiffener kit...  The chassis stiffener kit is a nice bolt-in option if you have the Heidt's subframe connectors. The front attaching point is a through bolt and the rear attaching point is a threaded insert in the subframe connector, allowing quick removal of the stiffener for any driveline work. A driveshaft safety loop mount and loop is provided as well.  Our Strange 9-inch, built...  Our Strange 9-inch, built in our Jan. '10 issue, has been patiently waiting in the corner of our shop for its Stainless Steel Brakes disc kit and to be fit up into our '68 Mustang project. We practically had to chain it to the lift since several of our sister magazines kept eyeing it for one of their projects!  For rear brakes we opted for...  For rear brakes we opted for SSBC's A110-11 9-inch big-bearing kit, which we've used on several other project cars with great success. The kit features SSBC's impressive Force 10 Sport R1 billet aluminum caliper with a single 54mm stainless steel piston and built-in parking brake mated to its 11.25-inch vented, slotted, and drilled rotor with zinc coating. We opted for its blackpowder coating as well on our calipers. The A110-11 kit starts at $1,137.95, including all hardware, braided lines, and more. The main axle adapter bracket is attached here, between the axle flange end and the axle retainer bracket, using new hardware from the brake kit.  Once the two-piece axle adapter...  Once the two-piece axle adapter bracket is secured, the main caliper bracket can be installed with the included fasteners and spacers. The adapter bracket is designed to allow the caliper bracket to mount facing forward or rearward, which is a good thing we'll soon realize.  The zinc-washed 11.25-inch...  The zinc-washed 11.25-inch rotor from SSBC slips right over the Strange S/S Street axle flange with the addition of the provided SSBC axle centering ring. Some axles will not need this centering ring, but the Strange axles did in this case. We secured the rotor with a single lug nut for now.  The caliper itself is mounted...  The caliper itself is mounted with the included slide pin attaching fasteners. Apply some hi-temp caliper grease to the pins to allow the caliper to properly float and slide as the pads wear.  The brake kit includes braided...  The brake kit includes braided brake hoses for both calipers. These will require new hard lines to be made for your axle housing, or at the least your original hard lines cut and reflared. In a pinch you can carefully bend the original lines to route to the braided lines for a no cut/no flare solution. Be sure to use a copper sealing washer on each side of the banjo bolt to prevent leaks.  Because the R1 caliper is...  Because the R1 caliper is not machined as a side-specific unit, it has dual bleeder screws and dual brake line fittings. For the unused brake line port SSBC supplies a button-head plug and sealing washer for this location.  Another great feature of the...  Another great feature of the R1 caliper is the built-in parking brake configuration, just like OE late-model Ford calipers, only better. Better because the parking brake linkage on the R1 is "clockable," allowing you to reposition the brake lever where it works best with the routing of the parking brake cables and cable attaching bracket.  Our finished disc-brake assembly...  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...  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...  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...  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...  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...  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...  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,...  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...  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.
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