100 percent of the rattles and squeaks are gone.

[Hitman]

I found out that the fox mustangs had little plastic bushings on the door and hatch strikers. O'Reilley carries a generic pack of bushings for this purpose. The two large ones fit on the doors and the two small ones with a little bit of cutting fit on the hatch. The doors now sit the way they are supposed to, there is no noise, and they close quietly. This car is far quieter than my Cobra was, and that's not counting the exhaust. A couple of new front struts and this thing would be quiet enough to drive every day with no fatigue at all.

[whitesnake99]

I've got so many squeaks in my 99'. I'm thinking about working on those this spring as I'm planning on keeping the car for awhile. I know coop put dynomat down under all his carpet and when I rode in his I could tell a difference in road noise. I may try this as well.

[Hitman]

I've got so many squeaks in my 99'. I'm thinking about working on those this spring as I'm planning on keeping the car for awhile. I know coop put dynomat down under all his carpet and when I rode in his I could tell a difference in road noise. I may try this as well.
I know what you mean, Alex. Like I said, my 2001 was starting to rattle and squeak when I got rid of it, and I put subframe connectors on it first thing. This freakin 18 year old car is quieter.

[whitesnake99]

wow, I still have not done subframe connectors, I know I need to have that done as I have been meaning to for quite some time.

[Hitman]

You'll be amazed at the difference.

[whitesnake99]

perhaps I'll call HPP this week

[Hitman]

perhaps I'll call HPP this week
Let me know what they charge you. I'm considering having some put on the 5.0 just to keep it nice.

[whitesnake99]

will do

[75coug]

Re: subframe connectors. Pardon my standard ignorance, but just what exactly do they do? And if they improve the car so much, why don't manufacturers include them when they build the cars?

[Lyle]

On many unibody cars such as the Mustang and Camaro, the body is part of the frame and they don't have a full frame such as trucks do. Subframe connectors tie the the front and back subframes together to reduce the flex that is inheirent in all unibody cars by basically imitating a full frame.

The reason mfgs don't put them on to begin with - COST.

[Hitman]

Manufacturers do put them on. Just about every Mustang convertible has bolt-on connectors, and my Mach 1 had them as well. Bolt on connectors will lose effectiveness over time, which is why welded-on is preferable.

In addition to saving money, Ford also doesn't want the cars to last forever. They certainly don't want them to be quiet and comfortable forever. If that were the case nobody would buy new cars. The unibody design, as with many stamped metal parts, came about in an attempt to save assembly and material costs.

A quick look at the body on my car will show where the flex just from very tame driving has begun to wear at it. If you bend a coke can back and forth enough times it wiill weaken and eventually break. I'd like to avoid that.

[Venix]

Do you have a part number? I need to get that stuff for my 89 4cly. About how much was the kit also?

[Hitman]

Do you have a part number? I need to get that stuff for my 89 4cly. About how much was the kit also?
Typically the best way to do it is to buy the parts and then take them to the installer to do the work. The trick is finding someone that does good welding that won't rake you over the coals.