MM K-member for engine swap, Mustang, 1996-2004
Description
Allows swapping one of the listed engines into a 1996-2004 Mustang chassis. This hybrid k-member bolts into a 1996-2004 Mustang chassis, but has the engine mounting pads and steering rack location to allow fitment of a 5.0L pushrod, 302, 351W, 4.2L, 3.8L, or 2.3L engine.
Get more front grip and dramatically improve the handling of your Mustang with an MM tubular K-member. At 37 lb, the MM K-member is 26% lighter than the OEM K-member, and yet it's the strongest, stiffest, and most durable K-member available. Fits these engines: 5.0L pushrod, 302, 351W, 4.2L, 3.8L, 2.3L.
Better by design
MM's Engineering Team optimized the suspension geometry to increase cornering grip and produce a better-handling Mustang. A design goal was to maximize stiffness, as that keeps the suspension geometry stable when cornering. The added stiffness makes the handling more precise and increases stability under braking.
Like the OEM K-member, MM K-members are designed and built to last for the life of your Mustang. While most aftermarket K-members focus on shedding weight, our design priorities led us to create advanced cross-bracing and triangulation of tube intersections to ensure the strength and durability needed for this mission-critical part. We use thicker-gauge metal and larger tube sizes than other companies to ensure the MM K-member has the strength to handle drag race launches and wheel stands, road race use, and of course the rigors of daily street driving.
MM K-members in the news
See the Articles tab.
Required for installation
- Tubular front control arms
- Front coil-over conversion with high-performance struts
- MM Aluminum Steering Rack Bushings
- Caster camber plates
- Bolt-through-style bumpsteer kit
- Short swaybar endlinks
- Front swaybar relocation brackets
- Universal Front Swaybar Bushings
Recommended
- Solid steering shaft
- Strut tower brace
Notes
- For installing a 4.6L/5.4L modular, 5.0L Coyote, or LSX engine in a 1996-2004 Mustang, use the MMKM-2.
- Stock front control arms won't fit because of the large size of the pivot bushings.
- For 1996-2004 Mustangs, we make 2 different front control arms. Each does something different:
- shifts the tires forward 0.75"
- shifts the tires forward 1.5"
Related products
- Complete MM K-Member packages
- Front control arm rearward pivot hardware (MMF-6)
- Engine mounts
- K-member Spacers
Benefits
- Allows swapping a 5.0L, 302, 351W, 3.8L, or 2.3L engine into a 1996-2004 Mustang chassis. This hybrid k-member bolts into a 1996-2004 Mustang chassis, but has the engine mounting pads and steering rack location to allow fitment of a 5.0L, 302, 351W, 3.8L, or 2.3L engine.
- Improves suspension geometry. The MM K-member has two sets of holes for mounting the front control arm pivots. The lower holes are raised 1" from the stock position. The upper holes are raised 2". This allows installing the front control arms in the best pivot location to optimize the roll center height and improve the camber gain for the ride height you choose for your Mustang.
- Front control arm mounts are shifted 0.75" straight forward. This increases positive caster and moves the center of gravity slightly rearward for improved weight distribution with the non-offset and forward-offset front control arms.
- Forward shift of the control arm location increases the Ackerman steering effect with the non-offset and forward-offset front control arms, which improves initial corner turn-in and reduces understeer.
- Lighter weight than a stock K-member: Installation of complete MM K-member system reduces vehicle weight by nearly 40 lbs.
- Second set of engine mount holes allow 1" engine setback for improved weight distribution.
- After extensive testing of different anti-dive geometries, we determined that Ford got it right! The stock amount of anti-dive provides the best performance, and that's what we build into the MM K-member. Increasing anti-dive geometry over the stock amount, as some other K-members do, causes the suspension to bind during hard braking and makes the front brakes lock up easily.
- Improves maintenance access.
- Designed to make steering rack removal easier than with stock K-member or other aftermarket K-members.
- Stiff design prevents flexing, which improves steering response and handling.
- Tough enough for street, strip, and road course use.
- Precisely located holes allow easy use of plumb bob strings to square the K-member to the chassis during installation.
Features
- Raised front control arm pivot points; 2 positions accommodate the ride heights of both street-driven Mustangs and race cars.
- Control arm pivot points move straight forward 0.75".
- Fore/aft tire location is determined by which MM Front Control Arm you choose. See the Fitment tab for tables showing the front tire location when various MM Front Control Arms are installed with any of the MM K-members.
- Accepts fitment of other aftermarket front control arms that replicate the stock control arm pivot bushing locations, and have smaller-than-stock bushings.
- Includes a 2-point chassis brace (both stock and aftermarket K-members need a brace).
- Control arm pivot points located the same distance from the vehicle centerline as 1996-2004 V8 Mustangs.
- Maintains stock engine mount height for best oil pan clearance.
- 2 sets of holes for the engine mounts allow choice of either the stock location, or moving the engine rearwards by 1".
- No modifications needed to the engine mounts, unlike many other aftermarket K-members that require removing the anti-twist feature.
- Includes features to ease squaring to the chassis during installation.
- Includes 2 MM Low-Profile Front Control Arm Bolts for improved clearance between the rubber steering rack boot and the heads of the two forward pivot bolts.
- Superb installation instructions
- Black powdercoating for protection and good looks
- Designed by the MM Engineering Team.
- Track tested by winning American Iron racers: too many to count.
- Made by MM in San Luis Obispo, California. Beware of poor-quality copies made overseas!
Fitment
Fits
1996-2004 Mustang with one of these engines:
- 5.0L pushrod
- 302
- 351W
- 4.2L (255 c.i.d. pushrod V8)
- 3.8L
- 2.3L
- Most aftermarket tubular front control arms
Tables below show the front tire location when various MM FCAs are installed with any MM K-members.
1996-2004 Mustang | ||
MM Control Arm | Part No. | Fore/aft Tire Location |
Non-offset | MMFCA-7,8 & MMFCA-17,18 | 0.75" forward |
Forward-offset | MMFCA-10,11 | 1.5" forward |
Does NOT fit:
- Stock Ford front control arms
- Stock location springs; coil-over conversion is required
- 1979-1995 Mustang chassis
- Any steering rack bushings other than MMST-6
Wheel/Tire Fitment
Fore and Aft Wheel Location
The fore-aft location of your Mustang's front tires may change after installation of an MM K-member and Front Control Arms. How much it changes depends on the specific combination of parts you install. Scroll down to see images showing the results of several combinations of parts installed on SN95 Mustangs.
Required Modifications
1996-2004 Mustang
All combinations of MM K-members and MM Front Control Arms move the front tire location forward. Some may require slight modifications; how much depends on the tire size, wheel offset, and how far forward the tire goes. In general, 0.75" rarely requires any modifications unless an uncommonly large tire/wheel package is installed. 1.5" of movement may require modifications to the plastic inner fender liner, and trimming the end of the bumper fascia inside the wheel well.
For more information about these modifications, email the MM Tech Department from the Contact Us page. Be sure to include the part numbers of the K-member and front control arms you will use, as well as the year, model, and sub-model of your car.
The images above show the results of several combinations installed on a 1994-2004 Mustang.
Left image: No change in tire location, using either:
- Stock K-member and stock front control arms
- Stock K-member and MM Non-Offset Front Control Arms
Middle image: Tire moved forward 0.75", using either:
- MM K-member and MM Non-Offset Front Control Arms. The MM K-member adds 0.75" of forward offset.
- Stock K-member and MM Forward-Offset Front Control Arms. The MM Forward-Offset Front Control Arms add 0.75" of forward offset.
Right image: Tire moved forward 1.5", using:
- MM K-member and MM Forward-Offset Front Control Arms. The MM K-member adds 0.75" of forward offset and the MM Forward-Offset Front Control Arms add another 0.75" of forward offset, totaling 1.5" forward offset.
Details
- MMKM-1.1
- MMKM-1.1
- Maximum Motorsports
- New
Categories
Shipping Information
- Item Requires Shipping
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