Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Mustang front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Mustang Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Mustang you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement.
The inner part of the tie rod uses an nut that will need to be removed, this nut may spin depending on how
rusty it is. I suggest using a pair of vice grips to hold the portion of the bolt to prevent it from
spinning. You may also use a wire brush to clean off the threads prior to removal and or use penatrating oil to
aid in the removal. Once removed you can now tap out the tie rod from the spindle and
start to remove it completely. If you want to replace just the outer portion of the tie rod you can use a wrench
to hold the inner tie rod and spin off the outer tie rod. I usually count how many turns
it takes to come off so that I can then use the same number when installing the new part. This helps to avoid
alignment costs and hassles, although you may still want to get your vehicle realigned.
Once the outer tie rod is off you can now screw on the new part and reinstall it the same way it had been
removed. Once you get the nut back in place you can torque it to 41 ft-lbs. Be sure to tighten
back up the nut on the middle of the tie rod to ensure it does not move your alignment. If you happen to be
installing the inner tie rod as well you will need a special tool to loosen and tighten
the inner part. The torque specs for the inner tie rod are 75 ft-lbs.
Mustang Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec : 41 ft-lbs
Mustang Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 60 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
To install the new wheel hub you must first remove the old hub from the vehicle. To do this you must first jack
up the vehicle and remove the lugnuts from the side of the vehicle that you want to replace
the part on. Once the tire is off you will need to remove the bolts from the brake bracket on the steering
knuckle. These bolts will be rather tight so you may want to use an impact or find some
leverage. Once removed you can move the brake assembly out of the way and remove the brake rotor from the vehicle.
Now you will have to remove the center hub nut from the vehicle, much the same as the brake bracket bolts this nut will be
very tight and will require either an impact or a larger breaker bar and pipe. Once you finally get the nut off you can pull the
wheel hub off the vehicle. You may need to use some penetrating oil to assist in the removal as
occasionally corrosion builds up and causes it to become stuck. Once the hub has been removed you can install
the new hub in reverse order from which it had been removed. Start by placing the hub into the
knuckle and then fastening the wheel hub nut to 258 ft-lbs. The next step is to reinstall the brake rotor and bracket. The bracket bolts torque
to 76 ft-lbs. Now with everything back in place you can install your tire and torque your lugnuts to 95 ft-lbs.
Mustang Front Wheel Hub Torque Spec : 258 ft-lbs
Mustang Front Brake Bracket Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs
Mustang Lugnuts Torque Spec : 95 ft-lbs
Front Ball Joint Installation
The Mustang has only one front end ball joint which is located on the lower control arms connection to the steering
knuckle. This ball joint is apart of the lower control arm but can be pressed out by using a ball joint pressing tool kit.
To start with the ball joint removal we will need to remove the tire, brake assembly, and steering knuckle from the vehicle.
This includes removing the outer tie rod from the knuckle and the ball joint nut from the knuckle. Once you have enough room to access the
joint with the pressing tool you can press out the old ball joint and then press in the new ball joint. During reassembly you will need to start by
tightening the lower ball joint back up to the knuckle while torqueing it to 129 ft-lbs. You can then retighten the tie rod to 41 ft-lbs, the brake bracket to
76 ft-lbs, and finally the lugnuts to 95 ft-lbs.
Mustang Front Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 129 ft-lbs
Front Control arms Installation
Lower Control Arm
The ford mustang front suspension only uses one control arm along with the use of a strut assembly to connect the steering knuckle to the
vehicle. The lower control arm is connected to the car in 3 main areas. These are the lower ball joint, and then 2 fastening points to the frame.
In order to remove the old control arm you will have to remove the arm from the steering knuckle and then remove it from the frame. This involves
taking off the nut on the ball joint and loosening up the 2 bolts to the frame. The new control arm can then be installed starting with the frame bolts.
These bolts will need to be torqued down to 148 ft-lbs. The next step is to connect the ball joint to the steering knuckle. This will need to be torqued to
129 ft-lbs.
Mustang Lower Arm to Frame Torque Spec : 148 ft-lbs
Mustang Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 129 ft-lbs
Front Strut installation
The Ford Mustang front strut plays an important role in the suspension system. It not only handles bumps and road imperfections, but also
holds the steering knuckle to the vehicle which is important as it keeps the wheel on the car. The strut has 2 main connecting points to the
vehicle which will need to be removed in order to install a new strut assembly. One being 2 bolts located on the steering knuckle and the other
being a nut which holds the strut to the upper strut tower. To remove the old one you can simply remove the wheel from the vehicle and support the
lower control arm with a jack and then remove the 2 fastening points and take the part out of the vehicle. To install the new strut you reverse the steps
and torque down the fastening points. The lower bolts will need to be torqued down to 148 ft-lbs and the upper nut will need to be torqued to 74 ft-lbs.
Once both fasteners have been tightened you can reinstall the wheel and the job is done.
Mustang Front Strut Upper Nut Torque Spec : 74 ft-lbs
Mustang Front Strut Lower Bolts Torque Spec : 148 ft-lbs
Mustang Front Strut Upper mount to frame Torque Spec : 30 ft-lbs
Front Stabilizer Installation
The front stabilizer on the Mustang consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the stabilizer you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new stabilizer you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 14 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 52 ft-lbs as well.
Mustang Front Stabilizer Bracket Torque Spec : 52 ft-lbs
Mustang Front Stabilizer Endlinks Torque Spec : 14 ft-lbs
Steering Gear Installation
The steering gear box on the Mustang is fastened by a series of nuts that screw into studs located on the
crossmember of the vehicle. To remove the gear you will need to remove these nuts first.
Once the old part has been removed the new part can be installed in its place. The studs that go into the
crossmember should be torqued to 13 ft-lbs and the nuts that hold the part into place should be torqued to
52 ft-lbs.
