Slam it! Part Two -- Technical Article -- Rod And Custom Magazine

It's a good thing the kit came with new gas shocks for the rear, as the originals were wasted from decades of abuse riding next to a hot exhaust pipe.

Scott was afraid the car wouldn't sit quite low enough, so a pair of 2-inch lowering blocks was picked up as well. The U-bolts included in the Jamco kit are extra long, and they accommodated the blocks without a problem.

By slipping the blocks between the rearend and the spring, the wheels were shoved farther up inside the well without affecting ride quality.

With the rear suspension dialed in it was time to finish things off with a new heavy-duty front swaybar. First these brackets were wedged into the channel of the front crossmember and bolted into place.

Next, urethane bushings were installed on the swaybar, which will help keep the car cornering flat with a minimum of body roll.

The bushings were bolted to the brackets with hardware included in the kit. We kept everything loose until all of the components had been bolted together, then tightened it all up.

More urethane bushings were utilized to bolt the ends of the swaybar to the lower control arms. These are graphite-impregnated, so they will not squeak or make noise, even when they get wet.

Lag bolts were included to bolt the ends of the swaybar to the control arms through the holes that were just drilled. Everything could now be assembled with lock washers and tightened up.

This is how the installed swaybar should look. Keep in mind that a trip to the local alignment shop is vital after serious suspension work like this, as the car would be a danger on the road until a professional dialed everything in.

Talk about a difference! With the chopped top and stock suspension the Ford looked disproportionate (top), but once the suspension was slammed, it started to look like a real custom. Add some paint, glass, and different wheels and this bad boy will be ready to go.