Spare Tire Bracket & Trunk Layout

I'd like to take a few road trips or go on Power Tour in the Mustang.  I'm not sure if I'll make Power Tour this year but I started thinking of what I would take.  This led to buying a few Dewalt plastic totes to go in the back of the car with supplies.  I also wanted a toolbox but space was really tight due to the spare tire bracket.

The spare tire bracket in my Mustang looks different than the others that I've seen.  It protrudes more into the area above the gas tank.  The parts which extend over the gas tank look like gussets but they don't attach at the bottom.  I decided to trim it back a little this morning so that I'd have some additional storage space.  

Before trimming it, I drew out the shape of the metal in the event I want to recreate it later.  It was fairly easy to cut off as it was pretty mild 13 gauge steel (.0895 on micrometer).  With it trimmed, I used a grinder and even a file to get it to look super smooth.  I then coated it with some Rustoleum satin black paint.  I tried to feather in the paint so it does not stand out much and it turned out good.

I gained over an inch which seems rather pointless at first.  However, that inch now allows me to put in a Craftsman tool box between the two Dewalt storage trays.  I could stack things on top of it all if I needed as well.  The layout looks good to me but I don't have everything together that I'd expect to take.

I've struggled with bringing a spare but have decided against it.  I think I'm far more likely to have another problem than a flat tire.  A spare would take huge amounts of space in the truck.  Additionally, it is really hard to find one which would work over the front brakes and be exactly the same size as the rear tires so the TrueTrac would not be harmed by using it.

Horn Relay Work & Inspection

Since switching to power steering, my horn has not worked.  The steering column was grounded as was the entire steering wheel.  My original setup used that ground to trigger a relay sending power to the horns.  However, when I switched to power steering, I switched to a rag joint and the steering shaft and steering wheel are no longer grounded.  

The original horn wiring was damaged by a short before I purchased the car.  There are two wires that run to the horn button.  Originally, one was powered and the other was to the horns themselves.  When the horn button was pressed, the two wires were connected.  I changed this up to send a ground through one wire which connected to the other when the horn is pressed.  I then use a relay to switch that to a positive feed to mark the horns work.

This was an easy change but just took a minute to readjust to the wire colors and how everything was setup.  After that was done, I was able to get the car inspected and am ready for another year!

Loose Ends

I started addressing a few loose ends on the Mustang after work yesterday.  

The first project was to ensure all the rear leaf spring related bolts were properly tightened.  I left them all a little loose and drove around a bit to let it settle.  With all the bolts now tight, I checked the ride height and found it to be 25 3/4" on the driver side and 25 7/8" with the 1" lowering blocks.  The ride quality is greatly improved with going back to a 4.5 leaf spring.  

I then bled the brakes again.  All the fluid came out with no bubbles but I kept bleeding to run more new clean fluid through the system.  The old and new is no doubt rather mixed but it has a good clean appearance.  I then topped off the master cylinder with more of the Summit brand DOT4 fluid.

I removed the front tires to bleed the front brakes a little easier.  With both front tires off, I cycled the power steering through quite a few lock-to-lock turns to ensure the system is full of fluid.  I then checked and it is still full so I should be good.  It sometimes makes a little whine when turning but didn't at the end of my cycling it side to side so many times.

I used a ratchet strap to pull the ending as far to the passenger side as possible.  This was to create a little bit more clearance around the clutch linkage.  I then torqued all the bolts which mount the engine and transmission in position.  

I finished up by cleaning the exterior of the Mustang and vacuuming out the interior.  Once I was done, Ashley and I drove it around for a while and everything seems to be working well.  

There are a few remaining things to address:

1) Finish the parking brake setup under the vehicle.

2) The horn wiring needs some work as it no longer works.

3) The front windshield needs the seal replaced as it leaks.

4) I have an A/C solenoid to install that will increase engine RPM.

5) I need to swap the passenger side exhaust manifold gasket

Adjusting Rear Height

This is a quick recap of the rear suspension heights in the configurations that I've attempted.  The last entry is the current height.  I'd love to find a 3/4" lowering block which fits properly but the best I've found don't match the dimensions of the spring perch.  I think I'll just install the 1" ones that I have and then see if that is enough to keep it from draging on the fender.

4.5 mid eye w/standard shackles             25" 
4.5 mid eye w/extended shackles            25 5/8
5 standard eye w/standard shackles        27"
5 standard eye w/1" lowering block          25.5" (25 D-5/16" and P-9/16")
4.5 standard eye w/standard shackle       26 7/8"

New Leaf Springs - Part 99

The Grab-A-Trak 5 leaf, standard height springs have done a good job of keeping the rear tires from making contact with the rear quarter panels but are quite stiff.  I've continued to use them, and received them in the first place, because the Grab-A-Trak 4.5 leaf springs in standard height have simply not been available.  They first became unavailable in February 2020 and I've not found them since.  I ordered them from Top Flight Automotive as part of a Father's Day sale many months ago and they were just able to fulfill the order.

At this point, I could have purchased a pretty serious rear suspension setup with the amount I've spent on three different sets of leaf springs. Unfortunately, I don't know that I really could have guessed the challenges that I would have.  I'm not sure which of them I will keep but they might come in handy if I continue making changes to the car.

While all of the leaf springs were out of the car, I set them side by side and took the following picture.  The first two sets of GAB leaf springs look identical in terms of leaf edges and plastic bushings.  However, the new set of leaf springs (in middle) look rather different except for the clamps.  They also lack the Grab-A-Track paint on the back and any labelling to confirm they are that particular brand.  

The new leaf springs have APM 12 22 42-329 stamped into the eye.  The last part (43-329) can be found online as a 4 leaf truck spring but it is definitely a 4.5 leaf spring.  With the differences I see between these and the last sets, I suspect I was just provided with a generic set of springs rather than actual Grab-A-Trak.  I installed them anyway as it would be a pain in the ass to return them.

I measured the various springs to check the difference.  I don't expect this to be reliable for anything as the spring rates are different and the 4.5 leaf springs have not been used.  Regardless, the heights were:

5 leaf        8 7/8"
4.5 leaf     9 7/8" (unused)
4 leaf        7 3/4"

I'm not positive, but the research I've done indicates the following spring rates for GAB springs.  I can tell just by bouncing the rear of the car by hand that these are not near as stiff.  I actually think they might be less stiff than the original 4.5 leaf springs.

195 for 5 leaf
175 for 4.5 leaf

I also took a few measurements before I started replacing or even moving around the car.  The heights were as follows:

Passenger Front     24 7/8"

Driver Front            24 13/16

Passenger Rear     25 9/16"

Driver Rear             25 5/16"

Update: I drove around with all the nuts finger tight to let the suspension settle.  I then torqued everything down and checked the height.  It is presently at 26 7/8".  It will likely settle a little more.  It would be great if it were a little lower but certainly not an inch.