The OEM K-member that currently on the market is a stamped, steel fabrication with welded components for the upper springs buckets and cross member that goes under the oil pan. This particular piece is heavy and is subject to flexing when pushing the car to the limits. Flexing creates small changes in the alignment geometry and can if pushed hard enough, produce unexpected suspension reactions.

The installation of a Tubular K-member not only significantly strengthens the front end, it also makes it easier to access the oil pan as well as reducing the front end weight by about 60 lbs.

To start this installation, you will need to have the car totally supported by jack stands as high as possible. In addition you will need to lift the motor slightly. This is best accomplished via an engine lift. If you don’t have a lift available, you could make a support to span the strut towers. Ford makes a support that does just that. We utilized and engine lift during our installation. We don’t recommend supporting the engine on the oil pan.

Once you have the car jacked and are ready to get started, remove both front wheels and move them out of the way. If you choose to stack one on top of the other, ensure that you have marked where each tire came from. Most Mustang rubber is Uni-Directional, meaning they can only install in one of 2 locations, either left front or rear and right front or rear.

With the wheels removed and out of the way, you will have full access to disassembly the rotor assembly. Removing the rotor disk will make the assembly significantly lighter. Remove the spring clips on the wheel studs that are holding the rotor to the spindle assembly. They might break, but you also might be able to unscrew them and re-use them later. With these removed, the rotor will slide off of the wheel studs. Put them aside, making sure you know which side of the car they came off of.

The brake caliper will need to be removed and suspended out of the way during the install. Start with turning the steering fully one way or the other. This will provide maximum access to the 2 bolts that restrain the brake caliper. These bolts have Loc Tight applied at the factory and will be tight turning until completely removed.

Once both bolts have been removed, Make a support for the brake caliper. An easy solution to this is to create a wire hanger. Find an appropriate hole in the shock tower and feed some suitable wire through the hole. Wrap the wire around a screw or nail creating a T-head and let the wire hang against the new T-head. Carefully remove the caliper by rotating the top of the caliper outwards. The caliper is fairly heavy, you will want to support it before it is completely loose from the rotor. Don’t let it drop or be fully supported by the brake hose. Thread the wire through a couple of spots on the caliper creating a support mechanism for the caliper. Synch up the wire to support the caliper up and out of the way from the rotor and the strut.

Once the caliper is out of the way, we will remove and protect the ABS sensor. Undo any of the plastic retainers along the harness of the ABS sensor and remove the small bolt holding it to the spindle assembly. With the bolt removed, rotate the sensor back and forth while applying pressure to remove the sensor. There is usually some dirt and grime build up on the sensor and it will need some persuasion to be removed from the spindle casting. When is loose from the spindle assembly, tuck it up on the frame rail, between the ABS sensor harness and the brake hose. It will stay there nicely and be well out of the way during the rest of the installation.

Next remove the nuts that are restraining the sway bar on the connector link. You will not be able to do any more with the sway bar until you do the same on the opposite side of the car. When both upper nuts have been removed, the sway bar can swing up and be clear of the connector links. Remove the lower rubber bushing and washer and put them in a container for later.

One large nut holds the bracket for the ABS sensor harness. Remove this nut, as well as the bracket and put in the container of parts. This will expose 2 more nuts holding the strut to the spindle assembly.

Remove the cotter pin from the castle nut on the tie-rod connector. Save the cotter pin to re-use later. Using an electric or air impact wrench, loosen the nut from the tie-rod end. Using a special tapered ball joint removal tool, or loosen the nut so that the threads are completely protected, hit the top of the tie-rod ball joint to loosen it from the spindle assembly. Once you have broken loose the ball joint and the spindle assembly at the tie-rod connection, remove the nut and allow the tie-rod to hang free of the spindle assembly.

Loosen the remaining large nuts that are holding the strut in place but leave the bolts in place for now. Using a floor jack under the stock A-arm lifting it enough to relieve the spring pressure on the strut. Now you should be able to remove the 2 large bolts that are holding the strut to the spindle assembly. The spindle assemble is held on to the A-arm by the ball joint only.

Repeat this procedure for the opposite side of the car. When complete, you are ready to remove the spindles from the ball joint on the A-arm of the K-member. An impact will be required again to remove the castle nut from the ball joint. Once loosened, again unscrew the nut until it is flush with the top of the ball joint stud. Use the ball joint tool or strike the top of the stud/nut flat with a heavy hammer several times until the ball joint comes free from the spindle assembly. Remove the nut and the spindle assembly from the OEM A-arm. Repeat for the opposite side of the car.

We must now direct our attention to the removal of the cross member stiffener that is on the convertibles. Removing this piece requires finding all the locations for the attachment points. It is attached to the OEM K-member in 4 locations and to the uni-body frame just behind the wheels.

Start by finding the bolts on the uni-body frame locations. A couple of them will be hidden behind the plastic splash guards. Loose the 2 middle bolts in the K-member and remove completely the front 4 bolts. The cross member brace can now be removed after the remaining 2 bolts in the middle have been removed.

You will not be re-using this on the new Tubular K-member application.

The steering components will be removed, supported and then re-assembled onto the new K-member. Start by removing the lock bolt on the shaft that connect the steering wheel to the steering box. This is located between the K-member and the motor mount on the drivers side of the vehicle. With the bolt removed, you will be able to slide the coupler towards the firewall, it will recede inside the outer member of the connector shaft. Push the 2 shafts together as far as possible to give you as much room to work you can get.

The Rack and Pinion assembly is mounted to the K-member with 2 studs with 4 bushings.

You may have to restrain the stud with a wrench on the end of the stud. Completely remove the 2 nuts and put in the bolt container. You will not re-use these nuts, nor will we re-use the bushing. New bushing are supplied with the Tubular K-member.

The Rack and Pinion assembly is fairly heavy, but it can be tied to the sway bar with good quality pull ties or tarp straps. You will probably require a pry bar to remove the assembly from the studs, there is just enough room.

Remove the 2 motor mount bolts and lift the motor about 2 inches, allowing it to pivot on the transmission cross-member. This will give us enough room to remove the K-member.

Take a floor jack with a 2x4 just long enough to span the distance to the A-Arms. Put enough pressure on the jack to support the K-Member and remove all of the bolts that are holding the K-member in place. Slowly release the pressure on the jack and lower the K-Member. Check to make sure that nothing is getting hung up on the K-member as it is lowering and when completely down, pull it out from under the car.

Take a few minutes to do a little house keeping around the attachment points of the OEM K-member.

Take a few minutes to compare the differences between the OEM version and the new AJE Racing Tubular K-member.

There is no time like the present, line up the AJE Racing Tubular K-member under the original location and position the jack in a similar manner. Lift the new Tubular K-member into place and replace the bolts at the same time installing the upper spring bucket. Start with the bolt on the drivers side first, then do the front passenger side.  After these 2 bolts are in, they basically line up the new K-member as close to the OEM location as possible.

With the new Tubular member in place and squared up, add the supplied A-arms to the K-member.

Tightening of the A-Arms is very specific according to the instructions supplied by AJE Racing. Refer to their directions for this procedure. Once the A-arms have been installed per instructions, can install the spindle assembly onto the ball joint. Tighten the ball joint up with an impact wrench until the spindle is seated onto the taper of the ball joint. Install the appropriate spring in the lower A-arm assembly. With the floor jack placed under the A-arm spring bucket, rotate the top of the spring in towards the engine and align it with the upper spring bucket. Depend on whether you have lowering springs or stock, you may need to use a spring compression tool. Balance the alignment of the spring around the center alignment ring and compress the A-arm upwards with the floor jack. Raise the A-arm until the spindle assembly lines up with the strut and install the two bolts that hold the strut securely to the spindle assembly.

We can now start to re-assembly the left and right wheel assemblies starting with the connector links for the sway bar. Remove the connector links from the OEM K-member, salvaging all of the washers and rubber spacers. I had to interject (not show in photo) a reverse bend into our connector rods. The Tubular K-member is forward of the stock location, putting it closer to the sway bar. Installing the connector links without a reverse bend in them will  a binding situation as they will be angle back too far. This condition would be made even worse as the suspension is compressed.

Lower the floor jack, and release all of the pressure on the bottom of the A-arm. Check all aspect of the spring installation and ensure that it is properly aligned and contained in the spring buckets. Repeat the same procedure for the opposite side of the car. Take some measurements vertically to ensure that you have good solid geometry to move forward with, if any adjustment are required, make them now before full assembly. Once you have verified a good fitment, re-install the rotors onto the spindle assembly.

Install the Rack and Pinion assembly to the new mount points on the Tubular K-member. Visually line up the rotors longitudinally with the car and make some minor adjustments to the steering tie-rods. The Tubular K-member move the front suspension geometry forward by a couple of inches, this directly affect the tie-rods. Tighten the castle nut on the tie-rods with and impact, ensuring that you have properly seated the tapers on the tie-rods to the ball joint. Install the cotter pins to lock the tie-rods in place.

Lower the sway bar onto both connector links at the same time, you may need some help to alignment them at the same time. Install the washers and spacers just as they came off and tighten them up.

Re-connect the steering shaft to the Rack and Pinion assembly. Re-install the locking bolt to retain the shaft to the assembly and tighten.

Re-install the calipers to both sides of the vehicle in the reverse order that you removed them and ensure that everything has been tightened properly. Add the wheels to your list and torque the lug nuts.

If you have adjusted your tie-rods appropriately you should be fine to drive the car a little until you get it properly aligned.

There you have it, you have shed approximately 60 pounds and have tightened up the front end of you Mustang.

Thanks to AJE Racing for producing a quality product for the Mustang market place.