RBS550
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- 2015 Mustang GT
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Okay I know this is long, but there’s a lot of info, multiple components & companies. I will break it up into sections. This was all done by myself with hand tools on the ground (no lift).
1. Stock K-member removal, as you can see in the pics I used a 4x4 & ratchet straps around the headers and a jack as backup.
A. I did NOT remove the radiator, I supported it with 2x6 on a jack stand. I did remove the jack stand only to slide the K-member out, the friction fit on the top rubber mounts held the radiator long enough to do this.
B. I left everything on as you see, I slid the K-member towards the driver’s side enough that the strut would clear as I rotated the whole K-member clockwise, then pulled it diagonally towards the passenger side till the passenger side strut cleared the bumper.
2. Watson Racing K-member Install, this was really easy and straight forward
A. I simply slid it under the car, jacked up one side, then went to the other side and lifted by hand over the stock bolts (which act as studs) and threaded the nuts on and repeated on the other side.
B. I did have to make a trip to the local hardware store to get 4 shorter bolts for the rear most mount location K-member to car.
C. The solid engine mounts were straight forward. Later I may put in an 1/8” piece of flat rubber just to dampen the vibration if it’s too much handle, but I doubt it lol.
D. A-arms were straight forward also, just adjusting to line up holes and slid bolts through.
3. Flaming River Steering Rack #FR1515 Install, this is where my problems started.
A. Now it’s not Flaming River or Watson Racing’s fault, as this K-member is designed to mount your stock rack. The mounting location is 1” difference between the two.
B. So I loosened the rack mounts and slid each one a ½” inward.
C. Now the rack mount to K-member mount had interference. I removed the majority of material from the K-member and minimal from the rack mount.
D. Now my steering shaft was 2-1/4” short of making the connection.
E. I cut the steering shaft in half then made a template using a wooden dowel, till it was right.
F. Transferred those measurements to a solid round 4130. Once machined and test fitted to be sure, it was welded up using ER70S and NOT ER80S, this keeps you from having to Pre & Post Heat Treat on the component.
NOTE: In modifying the way I did, you lose one of several collapse points in your steering shaft in the event of a frontal collision. There are other alternatives to this design that would maintain this function.
G. I used universal joint #FR1709DD to make the connection between the stock shaft and the rack.
4. BMR to the RESCUE! Thanks Kelly!
A. I must note that this K-member uses 2014 spindles, the Hubs bought loaded with ARP long studs from Rehagen Racing I believe they are now Kohr Motorsports , check them out, they are real big on Road Course stuff. Well the 2014 STRANGE #S6011LM struts fit the spindle perfectly, but 2015 springs do NOT transfer over to 2014 struts and the 2014 top spring mount have 4 bolt design, not 3 bolt as the S550.
B. Here’s where Kelly saved the day, having access to multiple parts, he was able to confirm that a 2014 spring top would fit the S550 top mount. Great news! Let’s put some Air shipping on those please!
5. AEROSPACE BRAKES Install.
A. The brakes themselves were no issue, as the procedure was no different than the tons I installed in my Fox Body days.
B. Brake line fittings, now here's a problem. The stock tube nuts are 10mmx1.5, there are NO fittings of this thread. No problem, I made some for the rear, but the front is a different setup.
C. In comes Kelly again, we share what we have done on the fitting problem. His idea spawns a slightly different idea for me and I thank him greatly, as now I’m going to convert my rear fittings to be the same.
D. As you can see in the pics I bought new brake lines from Ford ($22 ea.) this way my stock stuff can always be put back if needed. #BRHF-147-FR3Z-2078-D and BRHF-80-FR3Z-2078-C2078-C8-C
E. I cut the hose off, drill & tap to a 1/8” NPT, this makes converting to 3AN easy.
F. Now not to drill too deep and weaken the stock connection side, I drilled only enough for the fitting to be secure and leak free. To do this requires two taps, one full length to start and one that I cut down to match the length of the fitting. This way the hole gets bigger without going deeper. Remember NTP is a tapered fit.
6. Alignment Time.
A. The bump steer kit that comes with the K-member is sized for the stock rack. This is not compatible with the Flaming River rack, Patrick from Watson Racing fixed me up with what I needed, BAER #3261008.
B. I had POSITIVE Camber, not to worry once again Kelly had already suggested BMR #FC001 and that did the trick, now I have a little NEGATIVE Camber that goes away when you are under power.
C. Alignment, I used plates with a little sand underneath so they can slide with adjustments. I only missed it by 1/8” straight off of the jack stands, not too bad for a cross eyed Hillbilly.
7. Weight savings.
A. AEROSPACE takes the Trophy on this one, 65 lbs. saved in the brakes alone!
B. Weld Wheels and M&H Tires come in weighing 29 lbs. per side.
C. Flaming River FR1515 weighed 14 lbs. I do not know the weight of the stock rack and do not plan on taking it off just to weigh it, so if someone knows the weight that’d be great.
D. Watson K-member came in at 38 lbs. with the A-arms. I do not know the weight of the stock K-member.
8. Other benefits are ease of working on the car with all the extra room, better geometry, money saved with less expensive 2014 brakes, no more lost tools or fasteners, I have a power source from the power steering pump, now no longer being used, oil changes will be a breeze and last but not least it’s KILLER looking. I still jack up the same way, under the engine mounts as there’s a direct transfer to the frame.
Disclaimer: Not all pics are in order, it took me a few hours to put this post together, so this is as good as it get's. And as always questions, comments and criticism welcomed.
1. Stock K-member removal, as you can see in the pics I used a 4x4 & ratchet straps around the headers and a jack as backup.
A. I did NOT remove the radiator, I supported it with 2x6 on a jack stand. I did remove the jack stand only to slide the K-member out, the friction fit on the top rubber mounts held the radiator long enough to do this.
B. I left everything on as you see, I slid the K-member towards the driver’s side enough that the strut would clear as I rotated the whole K-member clockwise, then pulled it diagonally towards the passenger side till the passenger side strut cleared the bumper.
2. Watson Racing K-member Install, this was really easy and straight forward
A. I simply slid it under the car, jacked up one side, then went to the other side and lifted by hand over the stock bolts (which act as studs) and threaded the nuts on and repeated on the other side.
B. I did have to make a trip to the local hardware store to get 4 shorter bolts for the rear most mount location K-member to car.
C. The solid engine mounts were straight forward. Later I may put in an 1/8” piece of flat rubber just to dampen the vibration if it’s too much handle, but I doubt it lol.
D. A-arms were straight forward also, just adjusting to line up holes and slid bolts through.
3. Flaming River Steering Rack #FR1515 Install, this is where my problems started.
A. Now it’s not Flaming River or Watson Racing’s fault, as this K-member is designed to mount your stock rack. The mounting location is 1” difference between the two.
B. So I loosened the rack mounts and slid each one a ½” inward.
C. Now the rack mount to K-member mount had interference. I removed the majority of material from the K-member and minimal from the rack mount.
D. Now my steering shaft was 2-1/4” short of making the connection.
E. I cut the steering shaft in half then made a template using a wooden dowel, till it was right.
F. Transferred those measurements to a solid round 4130. Once machined and test fitted to be sure, it was welded up using ER70S and NOT ER80S, this keeps you from having to Pre & Post Heat Treat on the component.
NOTE: In modifying the way I did, you lose one of several collapse points in your steering shaft in the event of a frontal collision. There are other alternatives to this design that would maintain this function.
G. I used universal joint #FR1709DD to make the connection between the stock shaft and the rack.
4. BMR to the RESCUE! Thanks Kelly!
A. I must note that this K-member uses 2014 spindles, the Hubs bought loaded with ARP long studs from Rehagen Racing I believe they are now Kohr Motorsports , check them out, they are real big on Road Course stuff. Well the 2014 STRANGE #S6011LM struts fit the spindle perfectly, but 2015 springs do NOT transfer over to 2014 struts and the 2014 top spring mount have 4 bolt design, not 3 bolt as the S550.
B. Here’s where Kelly saved the day, having access to multiple parts, he was able to confirm that a 2014 spring top would fit the S550 top mount. Great news! Let’s put some Air shipping on those please!
5. AEROSPACE BRAKES Install.
A. The brakes themselves were no issue, as the procedure was no different than the tons I installed in my Fox Body days.
B. Brake line fittings, now here's a problem. The stock tube nuts are 10mmx1.5, there are NO fittings of this thread. No problem, I made some for the rear, but the front is a different setup.
C. In comes Kelly again, we share what we have done on the fitting problem. His idea spawns a slightly different idea for me and I thank him greatly, as now I’m going to convert my rear fittings to be the same.
D. As you can see in the pics I bought new brake lines from Ford ($22 ea.) this way my stock stuff can always be put back if needed. #BRHF-147-FR3Z-2078-D and BRHF-80-FR3Z-2078-C2078-C8-C
E. I cut the hose off, drill & tap to a 1/8” NPT, this makes converting to 3AN easy.
F. Now not to drill too deep and weaken the stock connection side, I drilled only enough for the fitting to be secure and leak free. To do this requires two taps, one full length to start and one that I cut down to match the length of the fitting. This way the hole gets bigger without going deeper. Remember NTP is a tapered fit.
6. Alignment Time.
A. The bump steer kit that comes with the K-member is sized for the stock rack. This is not compatible with the Flaming River rack, Patrick from Watson Racing fixed me up with what I needed, BAER #3261008.
B. I had POSITIVE Camber, not to worry once again Kelly had already suggested BMR #FC001 and that did the trick, now I have a little NEGATIVE Camber that goes away when you are under power.
C. Alignment, I used plates with a little sand underneath so they can slide with adjustments. I only missed it by 1/8” straight off of the jack stands, not too bad for a cross eyed Hillbilly.
7. Weight savings.
A. AEROSPACE takes the Trophy on this one, 65 lbs. saved in the brakes alone!
B. Weld Wheels and M&H Tires come in weighing 29 lbs. per side.
C. Flaming River FR1515 weighed 14 lbs. I do not know the weight of the stock rack and do not plan on taking it off just to weigh it, so if someone knows the weight that’d be great.
D. Watson K-member came in at 38 lbs. with the A-arms. I do not know the weight of the stock K-member.
8. Other benefits are ease of working on the car with all the extra room, better geometry, money saved with less expensive 2014 brakes, no more lost tools or fasteners, I have a power source from the power steering pump, now no longer being used, oil changes will be a breeze and last but not least it’s KILLER looking. I still jack up the same way, under the engine mounts as there’s a direct transfer to the frame.
Disclaimer: Not all pics are in order, it took me a few hours to put this post together, so this is as good as it get's. And as always questions, comments and criticism welcomed.
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