My aftermarket suspension upgrades

I wanted to provide everyone with an update as I'm in the midst of completing an overhaul of the front and rear suspension of my 1988 TC. I did a ton of research and after many discussions with tech support at Maximum Motorsports (guys are great), I went with front and rear coilovers on my bird. The parts I used are as follows:
Front:
SN95 non-offset Front Tubular lower control arms
SN95 Koni Struts
Matching Maximum Motorsports Front Coilover Kit (350# springs)
MM CC Plates (88 TC specific)

Rear:
CHE Upper and Lower Tubular Control Arms (88 TC Specific)
Chuck Rear Shock Adapters (found them here)
SN95 Rear Koni Struts
Matching MM Rear Coilover Kit (275# springs)

I also wanted to provide some insight for things to expect / look out for if you're thinking about installing similar parts. The SN95 tubular lower control arms are the same length as the stock control arms. The SN95 ball joints are a little shorter (threads for bolt) but I didn't run into any issues with bolting the stock 88TC spindles to the SN95 ball joints. The bracket for the ABS line has to be modified so it doesn't interfere with the coilover or wheel but this is easy. Overall, I didn't run into too many issues installing the front suspension components but everything needs a little persuasion to get into place (not the easiest task installing everything on jack stands in the driveway). I'm also running a manual steering rack for a 78-93 fox (flaming river) and a MM SN95 bumpsteer steer kit for the outer tie rods. I also modified the spindles (drilled out to 5/8") for a bolt thru set-up for the bumpsteer kit. This isn't necessary for the coilover components but I wanted some adjustability with my manual steering rack.

As for the rear, my first piece of advice is to make sure that you have a ratchet strap ready. The diff will shift a little and make reinstallation of the lower control arms very difficult; the ratchet strap takes care of that real quick. For those of you running a stock exhaust set-up; you may not be able to access one of the upper control arm bolts without removing that section of the exhaust and the hanger.

I haven't had a chance to set the ride height yet (need a spanner tool for the coilovers) and I'm investigating some interference issues in the rear. The shock tower for the rear struts is very narrow. The coilovers fit but I'm having some interference on the passenger side. Not sure where it is but I may have to massage that area a little with my mini sledge and open it up.

I will provide more updates when I get everything set with an alignment. I will post some pics too

I believe I have fixed the interference issue; seems that there is a pretty thick layer of sound deadening material inside the strut tower tunnel. I scrapped that away and took my mini sledge to the tunnel for some reinsurance haha Here's some pics of the hardware

Wow that's quite the ambitious upgrade. Do you do any racing or track time? I was cheap and rebuilt my suspension with stock configuration... all street / DD type driving for me

Wow that's quite the ambitious upgrade. Do you do any racing or track time? I was cheap and rebuilt my suspension with stock configuration... all street / DD type driving for me

No track time for right now but maybe eventually down the road. I’ve had coilovers on all my cars and love the adjustability and ride quality. This setup will also help with the power upgrades in the near future

With the CHE uppers and lowers in the back you can remove the quad shocks.

With the CHE uppers and lowers in the back you can remove the quad shocks.

I've heard of people doing this on their mustangs after the coilover install but they weren't interfering with anything so I left them on for now.

Haven't driven the car too much lately because of the weather and life but the few trips around town have been amazing. The ride is excellent and the handling is great. Unfortunately, the original equipment I took off was in bad shape so I can't really compare to the stock suspension system.

John B,

What is an MGW short throw shifter?

John B,

What is an MGW short throw shifter?

The MGW (Maryland Gun Works) is an aftermarket shifter that replaces the stock unit. Some benefits include decreases in throw length between shifts and self-centering in neutral. This upgrade is really personal preference. I wasn't a fan of the stock shifter and how it felt so I went with this unit. There are several other brands that make short throw shifters as well (hurst, pro 5.0, etc.)

Hey John, I had (and still have/will be transferring to my 5spd swap into my '88 TC) an MGW short-throw shifter on top of a 275,000-mile T5. I liked it, but it is not as short of a throw as some other short-throws. Positive-centering spring and over-shift protection stops are great (and WILL help save the life of the T5). One of the things that sold me on the MGW over any other shifter is the 360-degree placement ability of the upper handle. I could set it to my comfort and get rid of the dreaded 'Mustang Reach' of the stock shifter. :-)

Hey John, I had (and still have/will be transferring to my 5spd swap into my '88 TC) an MGW short-throw shifter on top of a 275,000-mile T5. I liked it, but it is not as short of a throw as some other short-throws. Positive-centering spring and over-shift protection stops are great (and WILL help save the life of the T5). One of the things that sold me on the MGW over any other shifter is the 360-degree placement ability of the upper handle. I could set it to my comfort and get rid of the dreaded 'Mustang Reach' of the stock shifter. :-)

I do agree that the MGW doesn't have as short of a throw as other shifters; however, they do make different handles that decrease the throw distance. I recently went to their "race" handle which is suppose to decease throw by 30% over stock and it is a noticeable distance. I might experiment with a straight handle and see how that feels but that would have to be something custom made.