2003 Mach 1 Suspension Modifications

Shopping List

Here's all the parts that were removed. After the new wheels are put on, we estimate a reduction of about 200 pounds of unsprung weight.

The front Coilovers are from Granatelli Motor Sports. The springs are chrome-molly springs and have a spring rate of 250 lbs. The Front Struts are dial adjustable Struts from QA1.

The Bump Steer Tie Rod Ends are from Competition Engineering. And the tubular Control Arms are from QA1. These have a nylon bearing with a thin rubber sleeve.

From under the car, a straight up shot shows the tubular Control Arms and the Bump Steer Tie Rod Ends. You can also see the Front Sway Bar from Addco.

The Addco Front Sway Bar is tubular. It is 35 mm (1.38") diameter. The stock sway bar was 26.5 mm (1.04") diameter and it was solid. The difference doesn't sound like a lot. But, when you see them beside each other, it looks like a lot.

In the engine compartment you can see the Caster-Camber Plates from Maximum Motorsports. The adjustable dial on the Front Struts can be seen in the middle of the CC Plates. The dial makes 11 total rotations; going from very soft to very firm is quick and easy.

The custom Full-Length Subframe Connectors are welded in several places. The tubing used is significantly better than the stock, bolt-on subframe connectors.

The torque boxes are reinforced with some angle iron and some welds. This is welded to the Subframe Connectors.

Tubing was extended from the Subframe Connector to the transmission mounts. The transmission no longer has to rely on the strength of the floor pans.

Here's the new Rear Upper Control Arms from Granatelli. These have spherical bearings (or a Hiem's joint) where they mount to the chassis. The stock rubber bushings were used to mount to the differential.

The rear Coilovers are from QA1. The springs are alloy springs and have a spring rate of 130 lbs. The rear Shocks are self adjusting shocks from QA1. They are a new product. They have special valving to automatically adjust to the road conditions. You can also see the Upper Control Arms in these pictures. And the stock quad shocks are still mounted.

From under the car, a straight up shot shows the Custom Lower Control Arms. These are fully adjustable without having to unbolt the control arm. They also have a spherical bearings (or a Hiem's joint) where they mount to the chassis. The bushings used to mount to the differential are nylon with a thin rubber sleeve. You can also see the Rear Sway Bar from Addco. The sway bar is tubular. It is 26 mm (1.02") diameter. The stock sway bar was 23 mm (0.90") diameter and it was solid.

Here's another pic straight up from under the car. This shows everything in the rear; Coliovers, Lower Control Arms, Upper Control Arms, and the Rear Sway Bar. You can also see how the Rear Sway Bar is mounted differently. The stock sway bar mounts to the Lower Control Arms. And most after market sway bars do, too. The Addco Sway Bar bolts to the differential and the chassis.

Jeff did it again. He fabricated a custom 3-point Strut Tower Brace. Adding this to the car made a noticeable difference.

The Brace mounts to the front of the shock towers. And unlike a lot of readily available strut tower braces, it ties to the firewall. For a little extra rigidity, Jeff added a couple extra bars to the triangular structure. And he did this without blocking access to anything.

Need to get a couple pics of the Borla Stinger Cat Back system, MRT catted H-Pipe, and the custom pan hard bar. I also need new pics of the custom front control arms, and the nitrous system.

Updated: July 26, 2007

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