Project 3g GT Suspension Upgrades

For those of you following along with our new project, the 3g GT, we will tackle some of the suspension and braking upgrades this month. With just one visit to the fine folks at Steeda Autosports we fulfilled our suspension and braking needs, expediting our upgrades in time for last year’s SEMA show where the 3g GT debuted.

If you’re just tuning in, we’ll give you some background on our new project. The 3g GT is an ’01 Mustang GT coupe in Zinc Yellow. The premise of our continued buildup is achieving 1g of handling, 1g of braking, and 1g of acceleration, hence the “3g” in our project’s name. Our attempts at these vaunted numbers will be with everyday, available parts that can be acquired from the pages of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords. To date, we’ve installed Cervini’s Cobra R body parts, and we’ve given the interior some thrill with billet aluminum, electroluminescent white-face gauges, along with Ford Racing Performance Parts/Classic Soft Trim leather seat covers. Last month we began the serious foray into power by bolting on ATI’s P-1SC blower and mating it to the company’s three-core intercooler. Now we come to the suspension and brakes.

Steeda’s Five-Link rear-suspension system seemed to be the perfect upgrade for our live-axle GT. By bolting on the Five-Link, some Steeda springs, and aluminum lower control arms, we improved traction, stability, turn-in, and unsprung weight, while hardly changing ride quality in the least. Out back, we upgraded the brakes with Steeda’s performance brake pads and Power Slot rotors. Next month we’ll show you what we accomplished up front to complete the package, including Steeda’s 13-inch front brake upgrade and still more suspension goodies.

By the time you read this, NMRA’s Spring Nationals will have come and gone, but hopefully many of you saw the 3g GT there. If you didn’t, you’ll have a chance to see it at the World Ford Challenge on May 16-19 at the Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis.

Horse Sense: When using Steeda’s Five-Link suspension, the parallel upper control arm configuration prevents the use of any size or type tailpipe setup. While some people might use turndowns on their mufflers, we opted to use Steeda’s new Stainless Steel Side-Exit Exhaust System. Not only did this make for one-stop shopping, but also the system easily helps us perpetuate the Cobra R look.