View Full Version : Help With Some MISC Parts and Where to Purchase
As I'm going through this car, I'm finding little things here and there that I would like to tidy up and fix. Being that I didn't build this car, I have a lack of certain knowledge and information and I want to make sure I purchase the right parts the first time, rather than going down wild goose hunts and spending extra money on shipping returns and restocking fees.
1. The cv dust boots that are for the front suspension wheel component, both driver and passenger boots are slightly torn.
- Do these urgently need to be replaced? I want to replace them regardless, but wondering if I should minimize any driving right now until this is addressed.
- What/where to purchase these replacements?
2. The headlamp "bucket" that the headlamp is secured to. The plastic screw piece that secures the headlamp to the bucket (not the two adjustment screws) was unfortunately brittle and broke. I'm going to try and use some expoxy resin like JB Weld plastic bonder and see if that will hold (I don't care if it doesn't look pretty as that sits behind the headlamp). If it doesn't though, where can I purchase this piece?
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I still have to figure out some electrical gremlins that are happening with the headlamps and left turn signal after this, along with addressing why the brakes feel so squishy/unresponsive, but I'm happy I'm making progress. I hope the electrical issues can be identified quickly and corrected. This winter I think I'll replace a lot of the weather stripping and see if I can tackle down the door and window gaps, unless that just is what it is once it is originally set and installed?
Jeff Kleiner
10-19-2025, 04:23 PM
1. The cv dust boots that are for the front suspension wheel component, both driver and passenger boots are slightly torn.
- Do these urgently need to be replaced? I want to replace them regardless, but wondering if I should minimize any driving right now until this is addressed.
- What/where to purchase these replacements?
Well, since there are no CV joints in the front suspension I'm going to assume that what you're really talking about are ball joint boots. If that's the case the uppers are Energy Suspension #5.13102G and the lowers are #9.13130G. Without seeing what you have I can't speak to how urgent replacing them is.
Jeff
Appreciate the correction on what I was referencing. I’ll try and snap some pictures tomorrow for additional clarity. Wrapped up for the evening now after trying to unsuccessfully troubleshoot the headlamps today. Found that the high beam switch was completely broke, replaced it, and still no go. So the hunt will continue.
Indy Shu
10-19-2025, 07:47 PM
If the fix for the headlight bucket doesn’t work, I have one on the shelf you could have for the cost of shipping.
@Jeff, I only seem to have one boot on each side and it's in the lower front wheel/suspension area. See pic. Are we still talking about the same thing?
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Jeff Kleiner
10-21-2025, 03:33 PM
Uhhhh… that’s the steering rack, not a ball joint or a CV joint.
Jeff
Indy Shu
10-21-2025, 04:05 PM
@Jeff, I only seem to have one boot on each side and it's in the lower front wheel/suspension area. See pic. Are we still talking about the same thing?
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Those are just dust boots for the inner tie rods so nothing to get too excited about. You would have to disassemble the tie-rod ends to replace the boots. And then adjust toe-in
after install. You could get them various places. Search for 87-93 "Mustang steering rack boots". Here is 1 example https://www.americanmuscle.com/rack-pinion-boot-7902.html
If you have rack extenders you may need the longer boots (I don't think the Gen 3 has them)
Ok, so nothing important to need to worry about replacing right now where it's not going to damage anything? Trying to prioritize what is actually urgent vs. just minor things.
I need to raise the car up as it is way to low (2.75" rear and 3.25" front ground clearance) so I figured I would need an alignment when I adjust the height, so disassembling the tire rod ends to replace the boots doesn't seem unreasonable to do at that time, but if these boots really are a minor thing, I wouldn't mind bumping this down on my list of "to do's" and putting the funds towards more critical things to solve for right now.
Jeff Kleiner
10-21-2025, 05:16 PM
They’re inexpensive but are intended to protect the inner tie rod joint as John said. I see a couple of things that make me go “hmmm…?” but don’t want to go too far without more info. How about when you have a chance pull a front wheel off and post up a few pics then we can advise from there.
Jeff
@Jeff, please see the below photos. These are for the front passenger side. I hope there isn't anything wrong, but better to know now and get corrected, than later from getting into an accident... I confirmed on the driver side that everything is oriented the same as the passenger side. Happy to take pictures of that side too tho just in case.
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As I also need to put on new center caps and spinners, I want to make sure I toque the lug nuts appropriately. What is the recommended torque spec that I should do? Also, are people applying any anti-seize on the center hubs for the spinners? If so, what product do you recommend?
@Jeff, with looking at the manual photos, the "grease fittings" should be facing up on the arm piece that is parallel with the car. My car has the grease fittings pointed down on both sides for the front.
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I took a picture of the driver side upper control arm, and while the grease fittings are pointed down, the rest of the arm looks to be correct when comparing it to page 79 of the manual.
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So I guess this now comes with a few questions:
- For the driver side (left), do I need to flip only the arm that is parallel with the frame since it appears the ball mount is oriented the correct way (referencing page 79 of the manual where the clevis of the ball joint is oriented at the rear?)
- For the passenger side, same as above where I just need to flip the arm parallel with the frame so the grease fittings are facing up, or is the entire piece need to be flipped because the ball joint is also upside down where the clevis of the ball joint is pointing towards the front of the car, when it should be at the rear?
- Based on the above, are there rear suspension components that could also easily be installed incorrectly that I should immediately check?
I can see how this could be a little confusing because the picture on the bottom of page 81 says "This picture shows the right side" and references the clevis of the ball joint being the "front side", which would make how my passenger side (right side) is correct except for the control arm with the grease fittings...
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Jeff Kleiner
10-22-2025, 04:09 PM
I marked up one of your photos:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220545&d=1761159918
As I mentioned in a PM the cross shaft links (red circle) are upside down. Look closely and you'll see that this will change the UCA geometry by having them pivot below rather than above the shaft. This is one of the things that I was referring to since oriented like this the UCA and LCA are no parallel which affects bump steer and the camber curve. You can simply unbolt them from the UCA, remove the nuts from the end of the shaft and flip the links over. The arms are not side specific and the same on both the left and right sides therefore the welded link will always be at the front on the driver's side and at the rear on the passenger side. Also as I mentioned in our PM the tab for the brake hard to flex line is incorrect (it is for an OEM rubber hose) and does not properly secure the fitting. Speaks more to being built with a lack of attention to details rather than a functional issue. I suggest that you check to be sure that the braided flex line does not interfere with the chassis or tire or get pinched when the wheels are turned lock to lock.
I lube the wheel spinners with either CRC Dry Graphite spray or WD40 30059 Dry spray with PTFE. Anti seize works but I've found that it will tend to collect and hold dust which can then make the spinner difficult to remove (kinda' defeats it's purpose!). LH thread spinners go on the passenger side, RH threads go on the driver's side. I snug them up by hand and then give them a soft tap with a plastic mallet. I don't use the setscrews because even with their plastic tip they can deform the threads on the aluminum center hub. Lug nuts torque to 90-100 ft/lb.
Jeff
Thank you or the detailed response Jeff. Unfortunately the photo didn't upload.
Regarding the brakes, is there a particular part I should purchase to have that corrected? If there is any part of even a little bit function vs attention to detail, I'll want to correct it, especially with something as critical as brakes. I'll now have to check the rear brakes too and see if it is the same issue between the hard line and braided. I'll check the braided line with the wheels turned lock to lock and see how it looks too.
Anything with the rear suspension that I should be watching out for where something could get flipped?
Man, really feel like as I solve one issue, two more pop up right now. I'm a bit surprised with things that I'm finding unfortunately, but happy to have everyone's help in diagnosing and pointing me in the right direction.
Indy Shu
10-23-2025, 06:06 AM
NBA,
For the brake line brackets, I think what you need are these: https://breezeautomotive.com/shop/brake-hose-to-frame-bracket-kit-with-5-8-hole/
If you look around on that site you can see the 2 types of brackets and probably several other items of interest. Mark is a great resource and able to help out with all kinds of parts.
What Jeff was describing was to just flip over the part of the UCA that has the grease fitting. Remove the pivot bolts and end nuts, flip the part, and re-assemble.
Don't get discouraged. You have a great car that just needs a little attention to detail and you're learning a lot about the car which is always helpful.
Jeff Kleiner
10-23-2025, 11:32 AM
Thank you or the detailed response Jeff. Unfortunately the photo didn't upload.
Regarding the brakes, is there a particular part I should purchase to have that corrected? If there is any part of even a little bit function vs attention to detail, I'll want to correct it, especially with something as critical as brakes. I'll now have to check the rear brakes too and see if it is the same issue between the hard line and braided. I'll check the braided line with the wheels turned lock to lock and see how it looks too.
Anything with the rear suspension that I should be watching out for where something could get flipped?
Man, really feel like as I solve one issue, two more pop up right now. I'm a bit surprised with things that I'm finding unfortunately, but happy to have everyone's help in diagnosing and pointing me in the right direction.
Funny, it's there for me but anyway I'll attach it again here even though it sounds like you understand without it:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220593&d=1761239724
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Regarding the rear...give us some pics and we'll let you know if anything looks unusual.
Jeff
Pic worked this time, Jeff!
I'll pop off the rear tires later today and snap some pics. I'm going to cross my fingers everything is fine and the most I need is the stainless steel brake brackets for the rear too.
@Jeff, please take a look at the pictures of the passenger rear suspension. Let me know if you spot any issues. The brake bracket between the hard line and braided does secure them, unlike the front. While I did not take pictures of the driver side (I know, I should have), I did see/feel for the brake line and it was also secured just like the passenger side.
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Jeff Kleiner
10-24-2025, 08:54 AM
What I see:
The top of the coilovers are mounted in the upper set of holes. These are to be used with the optional dual adjustable Koni shocks. You have the standard single adjustable 30 Series Konis which are supposed to be mounted using the lower holes. If you change this you should check the rebound adjustment while they are off. With the factory springs they should be set to the full soft position.
The car has a rear sway bar. The rod end links are supposed to be cut down however yours have not been. Won't change functionality but will raise the end of it for ground clearance. In the earlier photos I see that it does not have a front sway bar which is rather unusual. This plus the fact that the rear bar is adjusted to a stiff setting will result in the car being loose and tail happy when pushed. Many Coupe owners who autocross &/or track their cars with both a front and rear bar report running the rear one soft or disconnecting it altogether and using only a front bar. Your stiff rear and no front combination is opposite of that.
Jeff
Jeff
Indy Shu
10-24-2025, 09:52 AM
Nate,
Also, when you put the rear shocks in the lower holes it will raise your ride height close to where it should be, assuming you haven't yet adjusted. 4" +/-
Jesus...This was put together by two experienced FF members. 1 of them (the seller), it was his 2nd FF car, and the other, this was his like 4th build and supposedly did the majority of the work. Both engineers. The list of issues and improperly installed components is seriously concerning, and compounding.
Ok, breath...
- So for the rear shocks, is this what you are referencing for the lower holes?
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- For adjusting the stiffness of the shock, where is that? Are you saying they should always be on the softest setting? Should I also be checking the rebound of the front shocks too? Can this adjustment be made without dismantling the suspension?
- Regarding the front sway bar, I went through the receipts and this came with both front and rear sway bars...wild to not install it, where and what one should I order and what level of stiffness should I put that one at?
- In the pic below for the rear sway bar, which would be the hole to use for the suggested stiffness?
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Jeff Kleiner
10-24-2025, 11:20 AM
Jesus...This was put together by two experienced FF members. 1 of them (the seller), it was his 2nd FF car, and the other, this was his like 4th build and supposedly did the majority of the work. Both engineers. The list of issues and improperly installed components is seriously concerning, and compounding.
Ok, breath...
- So for the rear shocks, is this what you are referencing for the lower holes?
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- For adjusting the stiffness of the shock, where is that? Are you saying they should always be on the softest setting? Should I also be checking the rebound of the front shocks too? Can this adjustment be made without dismantling the suspension?
- Regarding the front sway bar, I went through the receipts and this came with both front and rear sway bars...wild to not install it, where and what one should I order and what level of stiffness should I put that one at?
- In the pic below for the rear sway bar, which would be the hole to use for the suggested stiffness?
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Yes, that's what I'm referencing for the upper and lower holes.
The coilovers have to be removed to adjust rebound. With the factory provided springs the softest setting is recommended. It would be prudent to check/adjust all 4. This is the procedure:
https://www.griggsracing.com/installation-instructions/pdf-installation-instructions-gr40-koni-30-series/
Can't speak as to why the front bar wasn't installed. It's available from FFR. Hole nearest the end is softest. Adjustment for both front and rear depends on the driver's handling preferences.
Jeff
The rod end links that you mentioned that should be cut down... are you referencing this part? And if so, how would those get cut down as it looks Like I would need to adjust them further out where it will reach that last sway bar end link? Or are you talking about a different part?
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I'll go and get a spring compressor so I can pull all 4 shocks and make these adjustments... Could be worse.
Regarding driving preferences, I don't really have a baseline, so I'm open to input on putting it at what most people would. This will mainly be driven on the street and if/when I go to a track, it's going to be more spirited driving, not full on racing. With that being said, and for my own mental health of working through all of these other things right now (enjoying this before winter is now completely out of the question), what should I set the shocks and front sway bar to?
Rear sway bar: last link, softest
Rear shock rebound setting?
Front sway bar: which link?
Front shock rebound setting?
For the recommendations above, I do have an iron 351w block, so I understand that probably adds about 80lbs compared to the engines most people are using.
When I become more experienced in this car, and open to more aggressive driving and tracking it, I would be happy to fine tune the suspension then.
Indy Shu
10-24-2025, 01:17 PM
Here are instructions for the swaybar install that show what Jeff is talking about.
https://www.factoryfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SWAYBAR-2015-IRS.pdf
Jeff Kleiner
10-24-2025, 01:37 PM
You don't need a spring compressor. Jack it up so that the wheels are hanging and you can turn the collars by hand once the set screws are loose (if they truly were well versed builders they would already know that the set screws are unnecessary and would have put them in the trash!). Sway bar setting has nothing to do with engine weight. Take a look at the supplemental instructions that John linked. As I said earlier the shocks should all be set to the softest rebound when using the standard FFR spring rates.
Jeff
Is there a link for the front sway bar too?
Also, does that link lead to a larger table of contents that I can access for various other items that may not be in the regular manual?
@Jeff Ok, that is good to know on the spring compressor and the set screws. Nothing is going to surprise me at this point...
Sounds good on the rebound setting as softest for all 4.
I'll do some research regarding the front sway bar setting, but still open to your opinion being that right now I have zero opinion.
Regarding a previous response on the brake lines and making sure they don't rub/pinch. On the passenger side, no issues. On the driver side, if the wheel is fully turned counterclockwise, the braided brake line does ever so slightly rub on the inner wheel. What is a suggested solution? New brake lines that are a little shorter? I'm going to have to remove the braided brake line anyway (making an assumption) to change out that brake bracket.
Indy Shu
10-24-2025, 04:22 PM
Is there a link for the front sway bar too?
Also, does that link lead to a larger table of contents that I can access for various other items that may not be in the regular manual?
On the Factory Five website, go to the parts section and across the top you can see "instructions". That will take you to the list of supplementals arranged by car type. Some items are interchangeable between the Roadster and Coupe. https://www.factoryfiveparts.com/instructions/
Thank you John!
I'm about to order the replacement bellows now and I went down the rabbit hole of reading more on the tie rods (disassembly so I can remove the bellow and install the new ones) and I'm seeing information about needing to trim the tie rod 1.75" in some instances... With how many things are showing up as improperly installed, is this something I need to check/measure, or would it be very apparent? I have the FF power steering rack where the tie rod extensions were already built in...
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Jeff Kleiner
10-24-2025, 10:25 PM
No cutting on the FFR rack. That's for an OEM Mustang unit.
Jeff
@Jeff, I'll take that as a win at this point.
Alright, so recap of everything I need to do that was discovered on this thread (this list is more so me trying to organize everything across various other areas of issues I'm also addressing):
- New headlight bucket (Thank you John!)
- Install new tie rod bellows and brake brackets for the front (parts ordered)
- Flip the segment of the front UCA where the grease fittings will face up. Don't need to touch anything else on driver or passenger side UCA
- Uninstall and reinstall shocks and adjust them to softest setting + put rear shocks in bottom mount position (ditch the set screws)
- Raise car to minimum 3.5" front and rear
- Install front sway bar (coincides with uninstalling and reinstalling front shocks); still need to do research on which hole to use for front sway bar stiffness (In contact with FF, parts should be ordered on Monday)
- Cut rod end links for rear sway bar (seems I need to do this for the front too), reinstall, set rear to softest setting (hole nearest the end)
- Obviously torque everything to appropriate spec, and then I'm going to recheck anything that I didn't unscrew/unbolt on the suspension too
- Get an alignment ASAP
It doesn't appear I need any special tools for removing the springs from the shocks (and putting the springs back on) nor do I need a Koni spanner wrench from everything else I've read in adjusting the ride height. I will need the appropriate tool for cutting the rod end links. Anything else to consider in non basic tools? Alignment will be done professionally.
If I've missed anything, please let me know!
And to wrap this post up, @Jeff and @Indy, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help in looking over my photos and helping point out and diagnose problem areas. And thank you for putting up with my obvious frustrations that I'm currently going through. I know at the end, all of this is going to make me more comfortable and knowledgeable with the car. Better to find these issues now than after an accident because of the suspension issues.
So I've got one of the rear shocks off now and adjusting the shock counterclockwise. I feel the clicks, however the little ball at the top is not popping back up and a little bit of blue fluid has come out. I did not force anything while turning the shock either.
1. Did I just somehow ruin this shock?
2. How can I get that adjustment button to pop back up?
Jeff Kleiner
10-27-2025, 04:58 PM
Release the button and twist the shaft back and forth a few degrees and it should pop back up.
Jeff
Looks like that did the trick! The button is nearly flush now with the top and the shaft spins freely where it isn't "catching" where it would click when the button is depressed.
I'm assuming that the little bit of fluid that came out is ok as otherwise you would have said something...
I'm now putting back together the rear suspension. For my vehicle, I noticed that on both driver and passenger sides the nut is on the rear where the bolt needs to come through the front. I'll flip it around so that it follows the instructions (1.09" spacer at the rear, shock, then 7/16" spacer at the front), but is there any negative impact that the lower bolt is also flipped around compared to the instructions, where the nut is on the rear?
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I'm trying to be extra cautions and do everything properly right now in reassembling the rear suspension, but also not do unnecessary things too.
I noticed that I'm also missing the Delrin washer on both rear shocks...is this something I need to get or am I ok? If this is something I must have, where is the best place to order these?
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Regarding the Delrin washer: I found this thread (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?33694-Delrin-washers-added-to-shock-assembly) and it seems I'm ok without them. If anyone knows where to purchase these though, I'm all ears.
Three remaining questions:
1. Can someone confirm if it is/isn't an issue that a little fluid seeped out of the pinhole from the "button" when it was depressed while I was turning the shaft? It did happen when I was at the softest setting and I was carefully trying to rotate the shaft to get the button to pop back up. After the button came back up per @Jeff's advice, I cleaned everything up and there was no additional seepage. I'm probably just being overly paranoid, but this is new to me.
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2. In the manual, it wants you to rotate the spring seat up the sleeve so the spring pushes against the hat tight, before installing the coilover.
- Upon installation, this created an undesirable height. 3.75" ground clearance is desired, utilizing the jack points that sit in front of the rear tire as my point of reference.
- I jacked the car back up and spun the seat by hand so it would rotate towards the ground. This left a large gap between the spring and the hat.
- I carefully lowered the car, and the spring seated against the hat.
The question is, and maybe I'm just 2nd guessing myself, did I do this correctly in adjusting the height as the spring wasn't tight against the hat prior to putting load on the suspension as the manual states it should be? Or is this expected behavior?
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3. It looks like I'm missing dust caps for the rear hubs (fonts both have them). By chance does anyone know the part number for the front and backs and where to find them?
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Maybe my OCD is getting the best of me... I'm trying my best to hunt down YouTube videos and other threads to help answer my questions/concerns and be less annoying.
If the concerns for #1 and 2 are unwarranted, then I'm all wrapped up for the rear suspension and I can move to disassembling portions of the front to make the needed corrections there.