MUSTANG
APEX PACKAGE
This Takes a Special Kind of Crazy
MUSTANG
Have you ever Googled balljoint technology?
Does it annoy you when your significant other won’t listen to you explain caster trail? Are you not sure what caster trail is, but are game to learn more about it? The Mustang Apex Package might be the right setup for your car.
We call this the Apex Package for a reason: simply put, it’s composed of the most hardcore versions of everything we sell at MMI. It’s the combination of parts that we’ve beat on weekend after weekend at events like Optima, Goodguys, GridLife, and too many track days to count. We’ve spent more than a decade developing, designing, and refining this package.
The primary focus of Apex is adjustability. Nearly every part included replaces a stock part that wasn’t originally adjustable. Though this may seem overwhelming and perhaps a touch intimidating, it was done with one purpose: to give you the ability to grow into it without having to buy more stuff down the line. This is a package that will keep you happy from your first time on the track to your 1,000th time because of the flexibility it offers. Easily swap springs, shocks, shock valving, roll center, weight balance, you name it. It can adapt to your driving style, the type of event, the track, and more, all with basic hand tools.
Have a particular engine in mind? Maybe a Coyote? Or a NASCAR engine? It can adapt to that as well. Want to set it up for rallying? Yup, it can handle that. Apex was designed to be the final word in Mustang suspension and it has the win record to back it up.
FRONT SUSPENSION
We start the Apex setup with our MOD 2 Front Suspension Kit.
Make no mistake, the install is involved, but the improved performance is worth it. We start by removing the original shock towers and replacing them with our MOD 2 designs built to create maximum space in the engine bay while maintaining the strength Ford designers originally intended. Constructed out of thicker gauge metal than similar kits, these are designed to keep the shock mounted much higher (and closer to the original location) to enhance overall shock travel, resulting in better suspension geometry and performance.
We then replace the lower control arm mount with a new design that locates it in the most effective position and helps to tie the rest of the kit together. As fans of adjustability, we installed our keyed mounting points, offering you the ability to raise or lower the mount for the lower control arm resulting in improved alignment specs. Keeping the longest control arms possible combined with vertical control arm mounting adjustability ensures that you will have the best combination possible. Of course we built in our preferred JRi Racing shocks (with your choice of adjustability and Hyperco springs.
Tying the shock towers and lower control arm mounts together you’ll find a tubular crossmember designed to clear a front sump Coyote oil pan like those from Canton or Moroso.
REAR SUSPENSION
Originally designed to cruise on the street then destroy at the track, this suspension has seen years of refinement and development. Comprised of several components, this kit most notably moves the coilover from under the body up into the trunk using a cantilever-type setup more typically found on Formula 1 cars. Not only is this generally badass, but it allows us to run a full size coilover without worrying about packaging it under the car.
We’ve also designed this package to be minimally invasive, requiring only a small amount of cutting (a couple inches) to your trunk floor and the boxing of about an inch of your rear frame rails on either side. Try that with any of those other kits on the market.
In short, this kit offers classic Mustang owners an incredibly balanced, strong, tune-able system that’s as comfortable on the street as it is on the track. We’ve installed this kit in countless cars and made several refinements over the years and it continues to be a defining suspension for us at MMI.
POWER STEERING
If you’ve ever tried parking one of these cars without power steering, you know just how essential it is. But finding the right combination of pieces is a daunting task. Our focus started with the proper steering geometry, a bunch of math that helps tell us engineers how natural the steering is going to feel. After all, it shouldn’t take 13 turns of the wheel to turn a corner, nor should it take half a turn to make a u-turn.
So we start by replacing the steering box with a high quality ABS unit with a 14:1 ratio. We back that up with a KRC Power Steering pump, the likes of which can be found on everything from street rods to race cars. From there we source quality replacement components: center link, tie rod adjusters, and inner and outer tie rods. Again, focusing on the best stock replacements we can find, not the ones from the discount bin.
So why not go with a typical rack-and-pinion type setup so common these days? It all has to do with steering geometry, or the math behind why your car feels twitchy and unpredictable instead of solid and confidence inspiring. Unfortunately, feel often takes a backseat to packaging constraints (and consumers who say “I want that” without really being sure why). What everyone seems to be missing is that most rack and pinion systems actually make the original steering geometry worse. If you’re looking to drop a Coyote in, we offer a Coyote specific pump and reservoir that’s works extremely well with this setup.
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- MOD 1 Power Steering Kit (Engine Specific)
- Replacement Centerlink
- Replacement Tie Rod Adjusters
- Replacement Tie Rods (Inner and Outer)
BRAKES
For brakes we start with our MOD 1 Front Brake Kit and add on our MOD 2 Rear Brake kit. Up front you’ll get a pair of 6 piston Wilwood Superlite 6 calipers over massive rotors (18″ wheels highly suggested). Of course we’ll want to mount those wheels on a set of our big pin spindles for improved strength and so that we can include a set of DRP Bearing Spacers.
With our setup in the back offering a full floating rear end, we’re able to run a Dynapro 6 caliper and rotor setup. Furthermore we’ll weld on the necessary brackets on your housing, then run brake hard lines to meet the stainless flexible lines for you. That means your rear end comes with all the necessary hardware to plumb and install it, saving you the guesswork and time.
This package is our most involved install, but it can be done on a painted car. If you are not comfortable welding, fabricating, and working on your own brakes, we’d highly recommend you leave this to the professionals.
You will need to remove your stock shock towers and weld in our replacements. You’ll be doing a fair amount of welding, but fortunately the shock towers and small section of the rear floor are all that will need to be cut. Brackets are welded to both the front and rear frame rails that act as mounting points for various parts of the suspension.
Also of note…
First, we don’t currently offer a shock tower brace to complement our MOD 2 Front Suspension. Frankly we’ve seen so many unique engine options installed that we haven’t had a big enough sample size to create an off-the-shelf piece. However, this is on our radar.
Second, we don’t currently offer any header options. MOD 2 is designed to offer a fair amount of room, but those Coyote engines are big, especially in the 64-66 engine bay. Custom headers will need to be fabricated for that application and likely for others as well.
Third, this package does not include a rear diff as standard, but it is an option. We’d recommend the N-Series from GearFX.
