[fullboogie]

I finally decided to get dirty and install my Steeda Ultralites, BMR LCA's and relo brackets. What else is there to do on New Year's Eve?

Just thought I'd share a few points of wisdom I learned during the install. In no particular order:

Total install, including screwing off and drinking beer - 4 hours. I did have air tools and a lift, so life is golden.

I would not even think of trying the rear install without a lift. I know it can be done, but it would be hell.

The instructions for all the parts were horrific and absolutely useless. I'm glad I read up on other peoples' installs for a few weeks before attempting this.

The passenger relo bracket will not go on unless you cut off a small tab on the rear of the rearend housing bracket. Period.

The Ultralites are wonderful, and exactly what I was looking for. Not slammed, but a mild/moderate drop of about 1-1.25 inches front and rear. The ride is absolutely stock with no harshness.

I did not use an adjustable panhard bar, figuring the drop was mild enough to skip this step. I realize the rearend must have moved somewhat due to the drop, but it is undetectable by the naked eye. I'm sure if I put a straightedge on the rims and did a measurement I'd find a small discrepancy, but I can't see it.

I did the front left strut first. When I took it down and compressed the spring, I grabbed the top strut plate (for lack of the proper term) and pulled up - this caused the dreaded ball bearing explosion. After reassembling the whole thing and installing it, I took a different approach on the passenger side. I grabbed the strut plate underneath, not from the top, and it stayed together without any errant ball bearings rolling across the floor.

I was somewhat concerned about doing the front end, because I'd never done a McPherson strut R/R. There is nothing to worry about - it was dead simple. If I had to do the entire job over again, I could do the front and rear in perhaps 2 1/2 hours instead of 4.

I set the rear of the LCA's on the upper hole in the BMR brackets for now. Even on street tires with a semi-aggressive launch, I can feel the rear body coming up, meaning it's planting the tires to the pavement. Not overly aggressive, but very nice.

All in all, this was a great round of mods. I wanted a hunkered-down look without being slammed, I wanted a nice rake, and didn't want to go bouncing down the road. Been there and done that on my two Fox Mustangs, and it ain't fun. I would strongly recommend the Steeda Ultralites to anyone looking to drop their Stang and keep a nice ride.

Once again, big thanks to RadMustangs and Rich for the great prices and fast shipping. You'll be hearing from me again.

Pictures to follow tomorrow once I get a chance to clean it and take pics in the sunlight.

[navyman8903]

is there a noticible cornering difference or is it about stock with a little lower ride? or is it alittle tighter and more well behaved.

[scramblr]

Very nice...same mods here, except I also did the D-Specs and Panhard bar. I love the Ultralites...nice ride.

[07stanggt]

congrats.

The rear isnt bad on jack stands really. I just droped the whole rear outta the car on jack stands.

And on my brackets i never needed any modification. the brackets themselves go right on and off no issue. So it just shows you different cars different issues.

[ivan48humble]

Is it bad to have the rear end of the lca 1" lower than the front end of the lca?

[scramblr]

No. That's the point of the relocation brackets. Once you lower the car, the LCAs become close to parallel to the ground. Probably not that big of a deal if not racing, i.e., not too concerned about getting the power to the ground upon launch.

[stanglifemike]

Nice!! I just did LCA's, Relo brackets, BMR springs, and adj. panhard. Wasnt bad at all. My relo brackets needed no modding at all, they fit perfect. There is a specific one for each side.