Converting crossmember from 1 bolt to 2

More pics showing assembly.

Last one of crossmember.

Well it does look nice all washed up. Looks like it's ready for a first date ride.

Once the crossmember was back in I took about 15 minutes to install the Thermal Exhaust. It could not have been easier. Laid the parts out on the floor and put them in. Super easy to get everything aligned especially the tips.

It was only midnight at this point so I thought........hey, let's keep going.

So out with the struts and in with the Steeda springs. This was pretty simple compared to the last couple days.

And now with the bad. If anybody is looking to do this, DO NOT make the same mistakes I did.

First mistake. I had drained the diff to make it a little lighter and figured I would fill it later. Well later came and I figured out you cannot drain and fill the rear diff without lowering the back about 5-7 inches because you cannot fit a 3/8 ratchet on it due to the frame right behind it. So I got to waste another 30-60 minutes taking care of that instead of 1 minute to fill.

Second mistake. Torque all the rear suspension bolts BEFORE you install the crossmember. Once it is installed it becomes about 1000x more difficult to tighten everything. I figured i would keep them loose until it was installed then tighten up. About an hour mistake right there.

Third mistake. When I took the spring off the first strut, the bearing cage of the top mount came apart and shed about 15 of 40 ball bearings. Had to search for them, clean them up, then carefully put them back together. The top bearing is basically two plastic halves with the ball bearings sandwiched between them. It simply snaps together....and apparently unsnaps quite easily.

Now everything I planned is done except for the downpipes. Just ran out of time. According to the shop manual they don't look too bad but I will need to lower the front subframe a bit. After removing the rear I am not anticipating any big issues.

As for time. Total project was replace crossmember, replace 4 springs, install exhaust. Took about 18 hours total. That included about 5 hours in running to store a few times, building special tools, and most of all forgetting where I put that tool two seconds ago. I figured I wasted over an hour just wandering around trying to find tools I put down somewhere.

Was is a big project....hell yeah. Was it worth is finance-wise, probably if I paid for everything I did except the losing tools part. Was it worth it hassle-wise....on the fence with that one but I have a long history of biting off too big of a project so this was right in my wheelhouse

Yeah I was trying to figure out a better way. In the end, I decided to follow the procedure from the shop manual so as to avoid painting myself in a corner so to speak.

Thanks for the detailed write up and pictures of the process. If anything, it has convinced me that I lack the tools, mechanical expertise and most of all the patience to accomplish this. Congratulations on your getting it done and if all Ford wants is $1300 labor to do the job minus the parts, it’s money well spent in my case.

For anybody thinking about doing this, make sure you have enough mechanical skills. Not to offend anybody but I have been taking stuff apart since I was about 3 years old. I have been working on my cars for over 40 years including a full restoration on a 66 Mustang convertible. I am by no means trying to blow my own horn, just warning this is not an entry level mechanical job. On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is changing your oil and 10 is rebuilding your engine and trans in the desert with no tools. This was a solid 7 or 8. Not overly difficult but lots and lots of parts and time to forget what you did.

Now ask me to create a complicated Excel spreadsheet or do my taxes.....well that would be a whole other story.

I've also been taking stuff apart since I was a kid. Started with a toy robot that walked and the chest opened up and machine guns came out!

Problem is, I never did get it back together ...

That's why when I started racing Fox body Stangs I knew to stick to shocks, brakes, shifters, intake manifolds, removing/replacing the junk T-5 trans, etc.

No way in heck I would ever tackle what you just did.

You 'da man Cruising!

Definitely beyond my pay and skill grade.

Don't get me wrong, I have had plenty of times I ended up with a box full of parts and let somebody else figure it out. I'm just an eternal optimist. I look at something and say to myself "I can fix that" or "I can improve that". Sometimes it works out....sometimes not so much. I was confident going into this project otherwise I would not have undertaken it. Safety is one of those things I don't mess around with. Then again, have you seen some of the mechanics working on your car? Had an oil change guy forget to put the drain plug in about 35 years ago. That was the impetus to doing as much of my own work as I could.

My sister started a journal about me when I started restoring the Mustang. It was titled "It started with a Toaster"

I appreciate the comments!

Yeah but what else can you do that I haven't a clue? We all have our strengths and weaknesses. As Clint Eastwood once said " A Man has to know his limitations"

I can't tell you how many times my "confidence" has gotten me into trouble. haha

And my limitations were reached after watching my blood pressure rise from watching your crossmember change thread!

well you just opened my eyes!
I dont have half the tools and def dont have the patience you have.
I did enjoy reading the steps you took thanks.

@Cruising68 Yes, thanks for the photos for sure!

I can also say for sure that the Ford “tech” won’t follow the entire procedure. They will cut time by only removing the back half of exhaust, pop the drive shaft out of the diff with a pry bar, drop the entire assy onto the floor, take the control arms off at the subframe leaving the half-shafts and knuckles connected, and lift the rear of the subframe and slide it forward a bit and lift it right off. It saves them a LOT of time in the procedure, so they make 8 hrs’ money in less time. Less new bolts actually used, but charged to the customer anyway so the shop makes some extra bucks too. Flat rate is a racket in oems and repair shops.

Great job! You did remember to put that 2nd bolt in??

Second bolt in

Took it for a shakedown cruise and found nothing weird happening. Alignment must be close too since it tracks pretty good. Might wait a few days to let the springs settle a little before my alignment. Definitely handles better with the upgraded rear sway bar. Oh and I LOVE the sound of the Thermal.

Wow incredible job. Seriously, the knowledge and skill to do such a job is astounding. Great work and thanks for sharing.

^^Thanks. There was a small mistake. When I put the wheels back on and started tightening lug nuts something was moving. Turns out I missed tightening the same bolt on both sides of the rear suspension. Going to pay Ford to go over all the bolts too when they do the alignment just to have another set of eyes verify. Wouldn't want something to fall off at speed