About the Video
1999-2004 Mustang GT Project Green Bean (Stage 3)
Check out our YouTube channel for even more tech tips, installation videos, how-tos, and more. The best place to go for anything Mustang related!
Published on 2016-04-22
We kicked off stage 3 by removing the factory cat back since the mid pipe was removed in Stage 1 to allow for installation of our Flowmaster headers. Once we had our cat back out of the way, we could address the upper and lower control arms as well as prep for the Team Z anti roll bar.
Moving along, we through Team Z’s rear drag race springs in place of the factory stockers. With the rear end still supported, out came the factory stamped upper control arms. Those were followed by removal of the stock upper axle bushings. Now for the Team Z anti-roll bar. This one by far requires the most work because of the welding that’s needed.
Now that the suspension is finished off, we can address our Bassani mid-pipe and Flowmaster American thunder cat back. Stay tuned because we are still not done with this build, so check us out at LMR.com!
Mustang Fitment:1979 (79) - 1980 (80) - 1981 (81) - 1982 (82) - 1983 (83) - 1984 (84) - 1985 (85) - 1986 (86) - 1987 (87) - 1988 (88) - 1989 (89) - 1990 (90) - 1991 (91) - 1992 (92) - 1993 (93) - 1994 (94) - 1995 (95) - 1996 (96) - 1997 (97) - 1998 (98) - 1999 (99) - 2000 (00) - 2001 (01) - 2002 (02) - 2003 (03) - 2004 (04)
Transcript
How’s it going guys? Landan with LMR.com! Project Green Bean has reached stage 3 of the build. Which covers the rear suspension components and finishes off the exhaust. This one took up some time, but for the most part everything went together extremely well. On that note, let’s check it out.
First and foremost, if you guys haven’t seen the intro, stage 1, or stage 2, be sure to get those videos under your built which can be viewed by clicking the links in the video description.
We kicked off stage 3 by removing the factory cat back since the mid pipe was removed in Stage 1 to allow for installation of our Flowmaster headers. The factory cat back can be removed in whatever fashion you so choose. You can use a Sawzall and cut the piping just in front of the axle or unbolt it all and route it down and around the axle. I can promise you the easiest way is cutting the old junk free with a Sawzall.
Once we had our cat back out of the way, we could address the upper and lower control arms as well as prep for the Team Z anti roll bar. Removal of the upper and lower control arms is very straightforward. Support the rear end underneath the center section or by the axle tubes; either way is fine. We removed the lower shock bolt first, to make it easier to remove our stock spring. Then we removed the sway bar allowing us to ditch the factory stamped lower control arms.
In their place went Team Z’s tubular lower control arms that are even double adjustable to cater to multiple suspension setups. We opted for the control arms without sway bar mounts because we’re going with the anti-roll bar. If a sway bar is something you want to still utilize Team Z makes the same exact tubular control arm with sway bar mounts.
Moving along, we through Team Z’s rear drag race springs in place of the factory stockers. Lowering springs are very straightforward and the only thing to be mindful of is the lower pig tail. Make sure it’s centered and towards the rear of the lower control arm.
With the rear end still supported, out came the factory stamped upper control arms. Those were followed by removal of the stock upper axle bushings. The Maximum Motorsport rear upper axle bushing tool was an absolute life saver! Since the factory rubber bushings are press fit, this tool allows the bushing to be pressed out while the rear end is still in the car. There are other methods to this, like heating it up with a torch and using an air chisel. Instead of going about it the messy way, we made life simple and used the Maximum Motorsports tool.
Up next we prepped for the Team Z upper control arms. There isn’t really a science behind this one guys. The solid axle bushings are slip fit, so they slide right into the axle housing with little effort. When doing that, make sure you align the upper control bridge together and that the two pieces slide into each other. Now, position the body portion of the upper arm into place and tighten it down. We left the length alone for now since we were going to address pinion angle once everything was installed.
Now for the Team Z anti-roll bar. This one by far requires the most work because of the welding that’s needed. Make sure the flat pieces are centered on the rear frame rails and then clean the area. Before tacking them into place, grind down the area to prep for the welds. Hold the anti-roll bar in place and then make a few marks. Now you can tack weld into place. If everything is squared up and centered go ahead and weld the every edge that can be accessed with a welder. Once finished, prep the axle tubes for the tabs. Weld them into place and then tighten the hardware. You can adjust this once everything is buttoned up. Lastly, don’t forget to shoot a couple of coats of rust prohibitive paint to prevent rust and corrosion. One key fitment note I would like to point out is that this roll bar will clear tail pipes that are up to three inches in diameter. A beefier version is available, but will require a side exit or dumped exhaust. Also make note of the end links. We adjusted them to six and three eights inches center to center. That measurement will differ depending on your setup.
Finishing off the rear suspension is Strange Engineering’s 10-way adjustable rear shocks. These match the fronts and will provide plenty of adjustability to get Green Bean dialed in at the track. Once all of your suspension is tidied up, go over everything one more time just to double check yourself.
Now that the suspension is finished off, we can address our Bassani mid-pipe and Flowmaster American thunder cat back. The Bassani mid-pipe went on without any issues what so ever. Thanks to the five piece design, adjustability and installation was effortless. That was then followed up with Flowmaster’s iconic American thunder cat back. Which like any Flowmaster part installed very, very easily. This cat back does feature the crowd favorite Super-40 series mufflers so this setup paired with the headers and Bassani off-road mid-pipe should really make Green Bean sound really well.
Whew! That’ll wrap up stage 3 fellas! To stay up-to-date with this project be sure and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Everything we mentioned in this stage can be purchased over at LMR.com. Until the next installment on Green Bean guys, keep it right here with the real Mustang enthusiasts, LMR.com!
