SVT COBRA MUSTANG CLUB TM

By: Channing Mcleod

No special tools are required, but I recommend the use of air tools for ease of installation. You will also need:

• center punch
• drill
• 1/8" drill bit (for hardened steel)
• 3/8" drill bit (for hardened steel)

Tokico part #: 578-BB3140 (Steeda part number) Illumina 5-way adjustable. This is the same strut for ’96-’98 Cobras. If your Cobra has been lowered, make sure you inform Steeda (or your vendor of choice) that your Cobra is lower than stock.

Maximum Motorsports part #: CC9994 This is the caster / camber plate for ’94 and newer Mustangs and Cobras.

General Notes:

DO NOT GRAB THE SHAFT OF THE NEW TOKICO STRUTS WITH ANY TOOL. DAMAGE TO THE SHAFT WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY, AND RUIN THE STRUT.

1. Open the hood.
2. Prior to any disassembly, place a straight edge across the engine from fender to fender above the struts. Measure the distance from the top of the existing strut to the bottom of the straight edge. You will want your new shocks to be close to this measurement to prevent interference between the strut and the hood. The hood on my ’99 Cobra has an indention on the underside that allows plenty of room for Caster/Camber plates and struts.
3. Raise the car and place on jack stands. Do not work under an unsupported vehicle. Remove the front wheels.

 

 

NOTE: STEPS 4 – 13 SHOULD BE COMPLETED FOR BOTH THE DRIVER’S SIDE AND THE PASSENGER’S SIDE AT THE SAME TIME. YOU WILL USE THE BOTTOM PLATES OF THE CASTER / CAMBER PLATE ASSEMBLIES AS TEMPLETS FOR THE FOURTH HOLES ON THE STRUT TOWERS. THE DRIVER’S SIDE BOTTOM PLATE IS THE TEMPLATE FOR THE PASSENGER’S SIDE FOURTH HOLE, AND THE PASSENGER’S SIDE BOTTOM PLATE IS THE TEMPLATE FOR THE DRIVER’S SIDE FOURTH HOLE.

4. Remove the ABS Sensor Assembly:
1. Remove the screw holding the ABS sensor onto the brake disk shield. This screw was a male torx on my Cobra. I used a ¼" socket to remove it without damage.
2. Remove the ABS sensor.
3. Remove the large nut that holds the ABS Sensor bracket in place.
4. Remove the ABS Sensor bracket.
5. Loop ABS Sensor and bracket out of the way.
5. Remove the Brake Caliper Assembly:
1. Remove the ‘E’ clip off the caliper-retaining pin.
2. Remove the washer and caliper-retaining pin.
3. Lift / swing the caliper up and off the brake rotor.
4. Hang the caliper with a cord out of the way. DO NOT LET THE CALIPER HANG BY THE BRAKE LINE.
6. Place a floor jack under the front lower control arm. Raise slightly to compress the spring.
7. Remove the two large nuts and bolts connecting the strut to the spindle.
8. Carefully lower the floor jack. Make sure the springs stay in their correct positions.
9. Remove the strut mount nut (on top) that holds the strut / bushings / mounting bracket assembly together. The strut will now come out.
10. Remove the nuts and bolt on top of the strut mount.
11. Remove the strut bushings, and mounting bracket.
12. Remove the stock bump-stop and dust cover assemblies from the strut.
13. Remove the dust cover from the bumpstop. You will need to cut the metal clamp that holds the dust cover on the bumpstop. (You will re-use the dust cover and attach it to the new urethane bumpstop from Maximum Motorsports later.)
14. Identify the driver’s side and passenger’s side Caster / Camber plates. See the photos in the Maximum Motorsports instructions.
15. Drill the fourth hole for the CC plates – Drivers side strut tower:
1. Locate the passenger’s side bottom plate from Maximum Motorsports box.
2. Place the passenger’s side bottom plate UPSIDE DOWN into the slots on the DRIVER’S SIDE strut tower.
3. Slide the plate as far in towards the engine as the slots will allow.
4. With a marker, mark the bolt hole location.
5. Slide the plate as far out away from the engine as the slots will allow.
6. With a marker, mark the bolt hole location.
7. Remove the plate.
8. Mark the point that is EXACTLY ½ WAY between the two marks you just made. This is the center of the hole you will drill.
9. Center punch this mark.
10. Drill a 1/8" pilot hole.
11. Drill a 3/8" hole through the strut tower.
16. Drill the fourth hole for the CC plates – Passenger’s side strut tower:
1. Locate the driver’s side bottom plate from Maximum Motorsports box.
2. Place the driver’s side bottom plate UPSIDE DOWN into the slots on the PASSENGER’S SIDE strut tower.
3. Slide the plate as far in towards the engine as the slots will allow.
4. With a marker, mark the bolt hole location.
5. Slide the plate as far out away from the engine as the slots will allow.
6. With a marker, mark the bolt hole location.
7. Remove the plate.
8. Mark the point that is EXACTLY ½ WAY between the two marks you just made. This is the center of the hole you will drill.
9. Center-punch this mark.
10. Drill a 1/8" pilot hole.
11. Drill a 3/8" hole through the strut tower.

NOTE: The instructions are the same for both the driver’s and passenger’s sides from this point.

17. Install the bottom plate (from the CC plate assembly) beneath the strut tower with the 3/8" bolts protruding upwards through the factory mounting slots. Hold temporarily in place with one of the 3/8 nuts. The fourth hole should line up with the nut on the bottom plate.
18. Install the new Tokico Illumina Struts:
1. Place the factory dust cover on the new struts.
2. Lubricate the new urethane bumpstop (from the CC plate assembly) and slide it over the strut shaft. Do not connect the dust cover and bumpstop yet.
3. Install the tall 16mm (I.D.) spacer and one of the short 16mm (I.D.) spacers onto the strut shaft. See #27 below.
4. Place the strut into position.
5. Replace the two nuts and bolts connecting the strut to the spindle. Torque to 148 Ft. Lbs.
19. Replace the Brake Caliper assembly:
1. Lower / rotate the caliper onto the brake rotor.
2. Re-install the caliper retaining pin and washer.
3. Re-install the ‘E’ clip.
20. Replace the ABS Sensor assembly:
1. Replace the ABS Sensor bracket over the two bolts.
2. Replace the large nut that holds the ABS Sensor bracket in place. Torque to 21 Ft. Lbs.
3. Replace the ABS sensor.
4. Replace the screw holding the ABS sensor onto the brake disk shield. Torque to 53 In. Lbs.
21. Install the ¼" thick washers (from the CC plate assembly) over the bottom plate bolts. These thick washers will rest directly on top of the strut tower.
22. Place the appropriate (driver’s or passenger’s side) main plate (from the CC plate assembly) over the bottom plate’s bolts and the ¼" washers.
23. Install the 3/8" washers and nuts onto the bolts. The nylon locking washers go on the two long bolts. The standard nut goes onto the short bolt.
24. With the three nuts still loose, slip a ¼" thick washer between the strut tower and the main plate (at the fourth hole) and insert the 3/8"x1-1/4" down through a flat washer, the main plate, the ¼" thick washer, the strut tower, and thread it into the nut on the bottom plate.
25. Place 3/8" washers over the bolts of the main plate.
26. Install the appropriate bearing plate on top of the washers, followed by three more washers and the nylon locking nuts. Refer to the instructions from Maximum Motorsports for proper bearing plate orientation for your application.
27. The strut shaft is installed through the spherical bearing with three of the 16 mm (I.D.) spacers (from the CC plate assembly). Strut manufacturers have their own unique length for the top threaded portion of the strut shaft. You must determine the proper combination of spacers for your struts. The proper combination for Tokico Illumina’s is one tall spacer and one short spacer below the bearing plate, and one short spacer above the bearing plate. THE TWO SPACERS BELOW THE BEARING PLATE SHOULD BE INSTALLED AT STEP #18c ABOVE.
28. Install the remaining short 16mm (I.D.) spacer onto the strut shaft.
29. Install the new strut shaft top mounting nut (from Tokico).
30. Temporarily tighten all nuts. I tried to center the settings on the CC plates to prevent excessive miss-alignment. DO NOT OVER TORQUE THE TOP MOUNTING NUT ON THE STRUT. DO NOT USE AN AIR WRENCH ON THE TOP MOUNTING NUT. THIS COULD DAMAGE THE STRUT AND VOID THE WARRANTY. SEE THE TOKICO INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE TOP MOUNTING NUTS.
31. Slide the new bumpstop up as far as it will go.
32. Slip the dust cover up and onto the new bumpstop. This was the hardest part of the installation for me. It was almost like putting 10 pounds into a 5 pound bag!
33. Pull the bumpstop / dust cover assembly back down the shaft and secure it with a tie wrap. Leave the bumpstop / dust cover assembly down slightly until after you have an alignment completed, then push it up until it contacts the bearing plate.
34. Reinstall wheels. Torque to 95 Ft Lbs.
35. Lower car and close hood. Verify hood and strut clearance prior to ‘slamming’ the hood.
36. Have your car professionally aligned.
37. After alignment, torque all caster / camber plate nuts to 25 Ft. Lbs.
38. Set the Tokico Illumina’s to the setting of your choice. 1-5 (1=soft – 5=hard). Keep the settings the same from side to side.