04_Sport_LS's Suspension thread

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Again... rear toe link assemblies. NOT actually tie rods. Tie rods ar on the FRONT of the LS... not the rear.
 
Yeah looks good man! So it actually sits a bit taller then stock. That's a bit of a shame, thought it would lower it a bit.

Say did you tighten the hardware on those LCA's while under load, as in did you lower the vehicle to ground and tighten them then? They do say it's supposed to be tighten to spec while at loaded height. Recall the metal sleeve that's surrounded by rubber which is within the arm? If you tighten it in place while the control arm is suspended as in relaxed, then when you place the vehicle on ground level and under load, it would flex that rubber and twist it on the metal sleeve potentially tearing it. Not sure if this is a big deal or really needed but I torqed them up when the vehicle was lowered to ground sitting loaded. I retorqed them a few weeks thereafter. Not sure what to make of it. My buddy mechanic said, they bolt them in on the hoists all the time and don't really give a crap about it being in place whilst not loaded.

<shrugs>
 
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see here:

SECTION 204-02: Rear Suspension
2006 Lincoln LS Workshop Manual


With the vehicle in a static, level ground position, remove the hub cap and measure the distance from the center of the hub to the lip of the fender (curb height)

CAUTION: Do not tighten the lower arm-to-subframe fasteners until the suspension is at curb height. Failure to do so can cause severe damage to the bushings resulting in poor ride quality and handling.

Position a jack stand under the lower arm and raise the suspension until the measurement between the center of the hub and the lip of the fender is equal to the measurement taken in Removal, Step 1 (curb height).
 
I wouln't say it raised the car,,, but restored it to original ride height. No,,, didn't lower the car to the ground to tighten the bolts... because I couldn't get under the car to tighten them then,,, let alone be able to swing a 2ft torque wrench. Also... I didn't have a valid curb height to begin with because the back end was sagging.

I get the point made,,, but if you think about it... any time you jack the car up the coilovers and weight of the wheel and suspension components are going to push the control arm in the opposite direction,,, twisting the bushing in the opposite direction. The wheels come off the ground every oil change to rotate the tires. I did at least fully bolt up the control arms before tightening the bolts,,, that way it wasn't hanging loose... but even then I had to jack the shock up into place.
 
I agree it will always extend out of ride height position when lifted on a jack, gotta wonder why Ford suggest it be tightened in place while loaded. Like I said, my buddy Mechanic was somewhat annoyed that I insisted I had to do it this way. Said everyone tightens them in place while on the hoist, wheels go on, on the ground and out the door.
 
Thinking about doing the upper rear arms now. Noticed the bushing seals were split and seeping grease. The ball joint end was loose also... but with no play. I think I figured out the replacement bushings,,, but that does no good considering the ball joint doesn't seem to be sourceable.

Not too many options for the upper rear arms. Factory seems to be the best option. Lemforders are a bit cheaper,,, but only one side seems available in the states. Beck Arnley is available,,, but they are pricier than factory.
 
Did a bunch of digging in some Jag forums over the last couple days. It's no wonder some of the LS suspension parts are in short supply. Jag guys from "across the pond" have been buying them up over the last few years. Seems even with shipping to over there,,, LS parts are still cheaper than the Jag stuff.

Except for maybe the rear knuckles. They are $200-$300 cheaper than the LS part.
 
RigsLS said:
see here:

SECTION 204-02: Rear Suspension
2006 Lincoln LS Workshop Manual


With the vehicle in a static, level ground position, remove the hub cap and measure the distance from the center of the hub to the lip of the fender (curb height)

CAUTION: Do not tighten the lower arm-to-subframe fasteners until the suspension is at curb height. Failure to do so can cause severe damage to the bushings resulting in poor ride quality and handling.

Position a jack stand under the lower arm and raise the suspension until the measurement between the center of the hub and the lip of the fender is equal to the measurement taken in Removal, Step 1 (curb height).
Click to expand...

I was careful to follow these instructions when I installed mine.
I first backed the car up on my ramps, set the parking brake and jacked up the front of the car so that it was level and placed a pair of jack stands under the front. Then I torqued the control arms bolts to spec.
 
Didn't have the option of ramps and jack stands,,, though after an hour of carpentry... I could have improvised ramps.

I recently parked next to a Gen 1... and noticed that it's backend was much lower than mine... while the frontend seemed similar to mine. So it didn't have lowered springs on any corner... but normal "butt sag" of the LS.

So far,,, I am happy with the "Jag" retrofit of the "stock" suspension on the rear of the LS, (keep in mind this includes rear non-passive toe links).

Hopefully I will be able to figure out the same for the front. If so... then most members will then have verifiable "numbers" for all 4 corners of the LS.

Edurado did this a few years ago,,, but it was on lowered springs!!! My intent,,, is to prove it can be done... reviving an LS to it's "stock" condition... or maybe better,,, (considering the shitty shock offerings the aftermarket has for the LS).

So far... the Jag springs and their factory Bilstein counterparts... seems to be the best restoration to the original LS suspension.
 
Good info going forth for sure.
 
HMMMMM....

Well, this was interesting. I was running the LS a bit hard today on dry roads after the rear rebuild... trying to get to know her again.

I hit a sharp curve... that is normally a "safe" 25 mph,,, that can be pushed close to 50. Today,,, I went into it at about 45 mph... and had the front end push/plow on me. Rear was rock solid!!!

So... I guess its time to start tabulating and sourcing parts for the front suspension. It will be interesting to see how the car "balances" with the Jag/Bilstein setup on the front.
 
Some of that may be the loss of passive steering in the back, though worn out stuff not being able to keep up with the fresh parts in back is likely too.

This is great information, the tough pill for me to swallow is the price. Buying the jag springs, then the shocks. I can install them myself no issue but I don't feel like messing with pressing my own control arm bushings. But its that, or pay for new control arms. If I didn't have rocker rot and so many miles, I might go for it. I'm sad that its a poor financial move for me.
 
02,

I thought about the loss of the passive rear steer,,, but in perusing some of the Jag forums over the last few years... I don't recall a Jag owner ever complaining about the non-passive rear steer on the Jag. Me thinks that Ford "Americanized" the Jag suspension to be more "user friendly" for the yuppies that originally bought the LS, (grocery getters for the rich). Thus Ford's version with the passive rear steer.

At this point... I think the "refresh" on the rear,,, is showing the weaknesses in the front. Only one way to tell. At this point it will be another $1250 to refresh the whole frontend on the LS,,, and another $300 to do the rear upper control arms.

At this point in my life... I have learned that if you only do certain parts in a particular area of a vehicle,,, your gonna be back in the same area within 6 months to do more replacement. So I don't screw around anymore,,, and I do it all at the same time. By the time I am done with a total suspension rebuild/replacement... I should be good for 360k on the odometer. I think the engine and trans will give up before that, (but then I will have the chance to experiment with a 4.6 3v upgrade, if I decide to keep the car). :):mad::confused::cool::eek::D

Yeah... price isn't cheap,,, but if a person is only looking to replace the factory unobtanium LS coilovers... you are only looking at roughly $230 per corner with the Jag/Bilstein parts. Granted... lowered suspension could be had for about the same,,, but that depends on preference. Personally,,, I think the B4 Bilsteins and base Jag springs... out-perform the "sport" suspension version of the LS.

I won't be able to confirm this for a bit,,, because funds have dried up at the moment... but so far i like the Jag/B4 combo on the rears. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go to the B6's... unless they were running on the track.
 
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RigsLS said:
gotta wonder why Ford suggest it be tightened in place while loaded.
Click to expand...

Been thinking abouty this. Front bushing is slotted rubber... so it's possible that it could prematurely tear if extended too far out of normal travel.

The 2 rear (hydro) bushings only have boots on the end held in place by wire clips. I wouldn't think they would tear if over-extended. They do however seem to fall apart fast enough on their own. It'd be nice to source those boots for replacement, (maybe the plastic insert too). Someone's gotta have them separate. One more thing on the "to do" list.
 
Front shocks ordered. Got them cheap while i could and are temporarily back in stock.

BILSTEIN 24024921 (24-024921) Strut $ 94.79 $ 0.00 2 $ 189.58

R/A has 2 left. I was gonna go with Summit for about $20 more,,, but on a whim double checked RA. Got lucky. They weren't there last week.
 
Next will be the front springs and flat discs for the bottom seat. That will be roughly another $275 with shipping. Not in a hurry at this point... as long as I don't keep driving "grand prix" style. :D:cool:
 
I DO have one left rear factory 2004 "sport" spring that is still good. It has 180k miles on it... so definitely NOT a new spring,,, so you would be receiving it with NO warranty expressed or implied. If someone desparately needs it... I will give it away for free,,, with only shipping charges to be covered by the person interested. I'll see if it will fit into a USPS "flat rate box" and advise as to the cost. Shipping would also include a tracking number. Shipping would be only to continental U.S. .

Canada would possibly be considered with proper arrangements, (hint, hint). :)

It's sitting in the "scrap pile" at the moment,,, along with the other broken spring. Rear lower controls arms are there too... but I haven't decided what I want to do with the control arms yet. Might rebuild and sell,,, rebuild and keep... or sell "as is". Rebuild and keep would be least likely,,, because I don't see needing contol arms to take me to 450K miles on the LS.
 
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04_Sport_LS said:
Been thinking abouty this. Front bushing is slotted rubber... so it's possible that it could prematurely tear if extended too far out of normal travel...
Click to expand...

I looked at the bushings in the rear control arm, and while I can't think of the right words to describe the design, it seemed pretty clear that they are designed to allow motion only so far in each direction from the neutral (installed) position. If they are installed close to the limit of travel in one direction, they are likely to tear when the suspension moves all the way to the limit in the other direction. I don't know why they were designed that way, but it does seem clear that they have that limitation.

I did the measurements in the shop manual. I found that when I put a jack under the knuckle and raised to the point that it was close to lifting the car off of the jack-stand holding the frame, the control arms were in the right position to tighten the bolts on the bushings.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
Front shocks ordered.
Click to expand...

04_Sport_LS said:
Next will be the front springs and flat discs for the bottom seat. That will be roughly another $275 with shipping. Not in a hurry at this point... as long as I don't keep driving "grand prix" style. :D:cool:
Click to expand...

My front Bilstein's arrived last week. I put them on the shelf in the garage with my other stack of parts (brakes) to be put on. I planned on doing everything when the springs arrive which I was going to order this week; but the wife just called to let me know that my son's eye doctor appointment today was $400. So the Jag springs will have to wait a bit longer. :(
 
joegr said:
I did the measurements in the shop manual. I found that when I put a jack under the knuckle and raised to the point that it was close to lifting the car off of the jack-stand holding the frame, the control arms were in the right position to tighten the bolts on the bushings.
Click to expand...


I was contemplating that theory. So then... once all 4 corners are rebuilt,,, If I can block the car up high enough, (still sitting on the tires)... I should be able to slightly loosen all control arm bolts,,, and the suspension should then settle to the approximate factory ride height. Correct???

Thing is... the Jag/Bilstein parts are different/stiffer. Ride height may still be different than the factory LS specs. Maybe???
 
I would leave the bolts slightly loose and sit it down on the wheels to see where the new ride height is, then tighten them fully.
 
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