Installation question about Roush 3rd link (upper control/trailing arm)

[tturner770]

Hi, I bought the Roush 3rd Link Wheel Hop Reduction Kit for Mustang (2005-2010), which contains the upper control (trailing) arm and the bracket that bolts onto the body of the car. It is supposed to fit the 2010 GT500. When I bolted the bracket to the car, the holes don't line up with the mounting point on top of the axle -- off by 1/2 inch or more! Here's a picture:

Not sure the picture will post. To describe the situation, the axle sits forward of the mounting holes by 1/2 inch or more. My guess is that it would be bad to try to move the rear axle back that far to try to line up the holes. There's only one set of holes in the part for mounting the bracket to the frame, so you can't install it incorrectly, and they are round holes, not slots, so you can't slide the bracket forward to help with alignment.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience with installing this part? I bought it from Lethal Performance, so is there anyone from there (or Roush) who might be lurking who has an idea?

I wonder about the description that this part is supposed to fit the 2010 GT500. The body style changed that year, but I don't know if this part also changed at that time

Thanks for any help! I did e-mail Roush and Lethal today, but they are closed on Saturdays, so they won't be available to answer my e-mails until Monday.

[Kevin Patten]

The axle probably just rotated some - push up on the diff and line up the holes. Remember that the 3rd link arm to frame bracket was tightened by Roush to prevent preload on the bushing - same is to be said about the bolt on the top of the differential - you'll need to set the car in it's "loaded" position when you torque down the bolt (upper 3rd link to differential). HTH

[tturner770]

The picture is with the axle is "loaded" -- raised back up to normal ride height, and the holes are still that far off. I didn't know if maybe I got the wrong part, with a longer arm, or if the axle could've moved forward somehow by about .75 inch. That didn't seem likely since the lower control arms are still on, and wouldn't they keep the axle from moving forward toward the front of the car?

[Kevin Patten]

The picture is with the axle is "loaded" -- raised back up to normal ride height, and the holes are still that far off. I didn't know if maybe I got the wrong part, with a longer arm, or if the axle could've moved forward somehow by about .75 inch. That didn't seem likely since the lower control arms are still on, and wouldn't they keep the axle from moving forward toward the front of the car?

The axle can still rotate forward even though the lower arms are attached. just lift under the pinion and line up the holes it will work.

[ShelbyGT5HUN]

Try a pry bar, and pry-away from the new bracket, using the bushing sleeve, as a pivot point. Add some oil to help it slide easier.

[JeffJ]

The axle can still rotate forward even though the lower arms are attached. just lift under the pinion and line up the holes it will work.

Yep, looks normal to me. As soon as you remove the stock third link, the rear end will have a tendency to roll forward if in the loaded position or not. Just as Albino says, just roll it back with a jack on the snout of the third member. Or pry it back as suggested above. What ever works.

[tturner770]

I used the jack as suggested, and that did work! The bolt is installed, so now I can finish the job! I also have to install new lower control arms, so I'm not finished yet. Thanks for the help. This is my first time working on the rear suspension on a car, so I didn't want to mess anything up on the Shelby!