Factory Five Roadster Build Part 3: Suspension Install

The FFR frame also uses the stock steering rack from a late-model Mustang, but again, you can purchase anything from a parts-store replacement (power or manual) to an aftermarket unit, powdercoated or chrome plated. We opted for a power rack from Flaming River. It uses a cast gear housing with a chrome-plated steel rack tube. This allows Flaming River to make racks of different widths but also gives the rack a bit of a custom look.

The rack comes with mounting bushings, and the steel sleeves being installed here come from FFR to simulate the steel tubes found on a late-model Mustang crossmember.

The rack easily slides into place on the frame and is secured by bolts, washers, and lock nuts supplied by FFR.

With the front suspension complete, minus the spindles, which will be installed when we do the front brakes, it was time to break out the trusty torque wrench and go over all of the suspension mounting bolts following the torque chart in the FFR manual.

We also loosely installed the tie-rod ends for now, mostly to prevent misplacing them in the garage, and greased the upper and lower arm bushings with a manual grease gun.

The rear shock mounting point is drilled for both the stock-style Mustang shock (which is a vertical stud mount) and for the optional Bilstein coilover shock (which is a horizontal mount). Note our coilover is installed with Seals-It washers in the rear, too.

Since our axlehousing hasn't arrived yet, we'll simply bolt the rear suspension parts to the frame itself. When the axlehousing shows up, all we have to do is slide it under the rear and bolt up the control arms, shocks, and the Panhard bar. The rear suspension is based on the late-model Mustang design, and again you can use donor parts from one of these Mustangs. But since we opted for the 3-Link Deluxe rear suspension package, which is a step above the stock Mustang four-link, we got these sweet tubular control arms to install. They slide right into place in the frame and attach with their included hardware. If you're buying donor parts, be sure to get the mounting bolts as well.

The 3-Link setup uses a short parallel arm from the axlehousing to the frame for the upper link and a long Panhard bar for lateral axle location. AFCO, a huge name in suspension components, supplies both the upper arm and Panhard bar. These parts feature beefy 5/8-inch rod ends and are fully adjustable for axle location and pinion angle.

The upper arm attaches to the frame on the right side of the axlehousing (if it were installed!), and the Panhard bar mounts between the frame on the left and the axlehousing on the right. Here we have everything installed and tie-wrapped out of the way. We can't wait for the rear axlehousing to show up because then we can install our brakes, wheels, and tires, and have a roller! Stay tuned for more next month.