How to install a Steeda Aluminum Rear Lower Control Arms on your 1999-2004 Mustang

Installation

1. Follow all safety rules and use caution whenever working on any vehicle. It is best to consult a shop manual for your vehicle before beginning this project. Failure to do the job correctly could result in serious injury. Read all of the instructions before you start. Have the job done by an experienced technician if you are not sure you can complete it correctly.
2. Raise the vehicle and support it on jack stands so that the rear suspension is unloaded (wheels hanging). Remove the rear tires and rear swaybar.
3. Place a jack under the back end of the drivers side rear lower control arm and raise the arm slightly, just enough to take the weight off the shock. Remove the rear control arm bolt.
4. Slowly and carefully lower the jack until you can pull the spring out. Be careful when working with springs not to let them fly out of the perch suddenly. Next, remove the front bolt and remove the control arm from the car. You may have to disconnect the muffler from the catalytic converter H-Pipe in order to access the front control arm bolt.
5. Inspect the new aluminum control arms. The bushings and center sleeve should be in place with a little grease showing between the bushing and the sleeve. If anything looks out of place please call your Steeda distributor before proceeding.
6. Grease the outside edges of the bushings with a sticky grease such as synthetic wheel bearing grease or marine grease. Do not skip this step or the bushings may squeak! Install the front end of the new arm in the car and install the front bolt. Do not tighten the nut yet.
7. Transfer the rubber isolator from the original control arms onto the spring perch of the new arms This will give the same ride height as new Ford control arms. Leaving this isolator off will lower the vehicle 1/4 inch but will not harm the control arm.
8. Install the spring in the car and on the spring perch of the new control arm.. Install the spring so the bottom "pig tail" is at the rear, pointing sideways. Use the passenger side spring as a guide to help you orientthe spring.
9. Place a piece of wood under the new control arm and raise the rear of the arm with a jack until you can install the rear bolt. Jack under the main body of the arm so as not to deform the round end. It may be may be necessary to jack under the front of the differential to get the holes to line up.
10. Tighten the front and rear control arm bolts and torque to factory specs. (80-100 ft/lbs.
11. Repeat steps 2 through 9 on the passenger side control arm.
12. Reverse the clips on the end of rear sway bar and bolt it to the mounting brackets on the new control arms. Bolt the swaybar to the outside of the mounting brackets. Tighten bolts 40 ft/lbs.

NOTE: On 1994 and later Mustangs the emergency brake cable is bolted to the swaybar tab of the new control arms. Grind off the tab on the brake cable bracket. Take the rear retaining clips off the swaybar and place them on the swaybar tabs. Don’t reverse them like you did with the front bolts. Bolt the emergency brake cable to the control arms using the rear bolts.

13. Re-check all bolts and make sure everything is secure and the spring seat is seated properly. Install the wheels and lower the car. Take a short test drive and re-inspect the installation.

Aluminum control arms are intended for racing use. They should be inspected regularly for safety.

Continue Shopping

• Shop all Steeda Mustang Performance Products
• Shop all 99-04 Mustang Control Arms
• Shop all 99-04 Mustang Suspension