Help before this gets me killed.

Devil Horse

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I got my sn95 in February 2022 and not that I've been driving it for a bit I'm starting to notice something that feels like could get me killed.
Note: the car was sitting for 2 years before I got it.
Driving down the road at city speeds is fine but ones I get on the highway at around 60 to 70 and up i feel it wanting to walk around at the smallest input from the wheel. I have had the front end checked out and they only found very small play in the lower driver ball joint and that was fixed and alignment done.
It still wants to move around and is getting worse. It feels like it is coming from the rear but I'm not 100% sure. It's like a swaying from side to side. When taking a curve (even at the speed limit) it feels like the car is about to go sideways but never does. Coming out of the curve is sometimes a challenge because it wants to fight me on what direction it wants to go.
My Mustang is a 96 GT with a 5 speed manual. I have made the choice to part it until this is fixed because of how dangerous it is becoming. I nearly side swiped another car on the highway the other day because it wanted to start swaying after q simple lane change.

Any help is appreciated.
 

lwarrior1016

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How mechanically capable are you?

My suggestion would be to get the car on stands and start by replacing all the bushings in the suspension. This may seem a little over the top but if they are stock I’m almost positive they need to be replaced.

How old are the struts and shocks, and is the car lowered?
 

ttocs

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I would start checking the rear end. When I first got mine on the road and did the first couple of drives I felt something strange and scary as well. Sometimes I would just feel something move/adjust and I thought it was from the rear end as well. What I discovered was that maybe I didn't tighten down the rear mounting points for the shockwave shocks. The brackets were slot designed for an easy install so you could just loosen the lower mounting bolt and slide them on rather than remove the screw and put it through a hole. I could see that the mounting points had moved even though it looked like it was tight. To fix it I welded a thick washer to the mounting points so that the bolts have to be removed and that fixed it. Your problem as he said is probably just the bushings.
 

garrittpwl

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I too would start in the rear, look at the rear control arm bolts, look for signs of them moving. Look at the rear control arm bushings, they're black rubber; if they look like they're deteriorated in the least bit replace them. Stock replacements are dirt cheap, same goes for front control arms.
 

Randall Garner

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I got my sn95 in February 2022 and not that I've been driving it for a bit I'm starting to notice something that feels like could get me killed.
Note: the car was sitting for 2 years before I got it.
Driving down the road at city speeds is fine but ones I get on the highway at around 60 to 70 and up i feel it wanting to walk around at the smallest input from the wheel. I have had the front end checked out and they only found very small play in the lower driver ball joint and that was fixed and alignment done.
It still wants to move around and is getting worse. It feels like it is coming from the rear but I'm not 100% sure. It's like a swaying from side to side. When taking a curve (even at the speed limit) it feels like the car is about to go sideways but never does. Coming out of the curve is sometimes a challenge because it wants to fight me on what direction it wants to go.
My Mustang is a 96 GT with a 5 speed manual. I have made the choice to part it until this is fixed because of how dangerous it is becoming. I nearly side swiped another car on the highway the other day because it wanted to start swaying after q simple lane change.

Any help is appreciated.
I would look at rear control arms upper and lower . For worn bushings also ensure all you wheels are properly torqued. Ensure shocks are in good condition. Look at the quad shocks. . do a good look over the whole suspension.
 

Jules98GT

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Some people remove a shock in the rear of the suspension on our cars to fit wider tires at the drag track (I can't remember which one), if you need a drawing of what the car is suppose to have from the factory AlldayaDIY is a good source to get drawings. It's a chilton manual on steroids.
 

weendoggy

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I agree. You've got a wonky rear ender going on there. It needs some work to make it better. Support the chassis on stands in the rear (not on the axle but body jack area) then shift the axle side to side. That will say a lot.
 

ttocs

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Some people remove a shock in the rear of the suspension on our cars to fit wider tires at the drag track (I can't remember which one), if you need a drawing of what the car is suppose to have from the factory AlldayaDIY is a good source to get drawings. It's a chilton manual on steroids.
your thinking of the quad shocks and if I am not mistaken they are mainly there to prevent wheel hop. I know if I wrong someone will chime in.
 

white95

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Excellent tech advice here! While this may be low on the suggestion list, verify your tire condition and proper pressures to complete the job.

your thinking of the quad shocks and if I am not mistaken they are mainly there to prevent wheel hop. I know if I wrong someone will chime in.

Correct. Removal won’t cause the car to deviate from its path.
 

badass98svt

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Some people remove a shock in the rear of the suspension on our cars to fit wider tires at the drag track (I can't remember which one), if you need a drawing of what the car is suppose to have from the factory AlldayaDIY is a good source to get drawings. It's a chilton manual on steroids.

Removal of the quad shocks doesn't have anything to do with what he is experiencing though.
 

Mc4

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Just to chime in, I'm with garrittpwl. I think your issue is bushings in the rear control arms. The upper control arms are angled to locate the axle laterally. The bind that occurs during suspension movement can also damage where they mount.
Make sure the mounts are good, replace the control arms with the Steeda arms with the 3-piece bushings (555-2002).
Repair and upgrade.
 

TrickVert

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Devil Horse

Devil Horse

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How mechanically capable are you?

My suggestion would be to get the car on stands and start by replacing all the bushings in the suspension. This may seem a little over the top but if they are stock I’m almost positive they need to be replaced.

How old are the struts and shocks, and is the car lowered?
As far as I know they are all original. I was planing on redoing it all with coil overs. I just got new upper and lower control arms in today for the rear but I haven't had a chance to put them in.
 
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Devil Horse

Devil Horse

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Excellent tech advice here! While this may be low on the suggestion list, verify your tire condition and proper pressures to complete the job.



Correct. Removal won’t cause the car to deviate from its path.
First thing I did was install brand new tires. It did make it better but only in the fact that I could grip the road and not go into an unwanted drift like the first time I pushed it. I have rally raced and been around it most of my life but that's mainly with imports and all wheel drives. This is my first time with a muscle car and I am learning fast that they are different lol
 

white95

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First thing I did was install brand new tires. It did make it better but only in the fact that I could grip the road and not go into an unwanted drift like the first time I pushed it. I have rally raced and been around it most of my life but that's mainly with imports and all wheel drives. This is my first time with a muscle car and I am learning fast that they are different lol

Seems as if you’re used to be being on the verge of losing control!

Keep us posted with your findings and take pictures. We love progress!
 
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Devil Horse

Devil Horse

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How mechanically capable are you?

My suggestion would be to get the car on stands and start by replacing all the bushings in the suspension. This may seem a little over the top but if they are stock I’m almost positive they need to be replaced.

How old are the struts and shocks, and is the car lowered?
Somewhat capable. I used to rally race and I grew up around it. But we mostly had a crew that worked on the cars. The is the frist time i have tried doing one myself. I'm learning so what work I can do I will do on my own.
As far as I know everything on the car is original. All I have done is replace the clutch with a stage 2, aluminum clutch quadrant with firewall adjuster new seats new brakes all around and new tires. I have only really done what was needed to be able to take it out on the road. The last owner didn't seem to take very good care of it. The driver seat was not even usable. The mounting bracket for it was broken and I had to put a block of wood under it just to load it on the trailer to get it home.
Right now I have the upper and lower control arms for the rear that came in over the weekend. I'm hoping to put them in when I get back in town this coming weekend. I was going to wait until the rest of the suspension components came in but I checked this morning and they are 3 weeks out thanks to a shipping mishap.
 

lwarrior1016

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Somewhat capable. I used to rally race and I grew up around it. But we mostly had a crew that worked on the cars. The is the frist time i have tried doing one myself. I'm learning so what work I can do I will do on my own.
As far as I know everything on the car is original. All I have done is replace the clutch with a stage 2, aluminum clutch quadrant with firewall adjuster new seats new brakes all around and new tires. I have only really done what was needed to be able to take it out on the road. The last owner didn't seem to take very good care of it. The driver seat was not even usable. The mounting bracket for it was broken and I had to put a block of wood under it just to load it on the trailer to get it home.
Right now I have the upper and lower control arms for the rear that came in over the weekend. I'm hoping to put them in when I get back in town this coming weekend. I was going to wait until the rest of the suspension components came in but I checked this morning and they are 3 weeks out thanks to a shipping mishap.
If you’ve done a clutch install, you’re more than capable of tackling this suspension overhaul. I think you made a wise choice replacing the rear control arms, it’s easier to do that than waste time replacing the stock rubber bushings.

What control arms did you go with?
 

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