I don't know how much you are looking to spend, but with the miles your car has on it, it probably needs new shocks as well. Bushings ran me about $400 for the front and rear kits, but installation will be the tough part. I've checked around Lincoln and the going rate for the bushings I got is about $1k. And I still need other bushings replaced that are not part of those kits. MN12performance.com and supercoupeperformance.com both have the poly bushings, and springs I'm sure. I'm sure that both will have the shocks too, aftermarket, not OEM. OEM will cost more (from dealership) than the Illumina II shocks, but will hold up with that setup. Overall it'll be tough, but not impossible. The toughest part will be where it hits your wallet. I'd guess-ta-mate that it'll cost $200~ for springs, $450~ for shocks and $400~ for bushings. Done yourself, you're looking at about $1k. I'm doing mine in stages. As I get $$ I'm getting the parts and when I have them all then I'll do it at once. One thing to keep in mind though is to have your suspension checked out by a trusted mechanic. I need my inner rear knuckle bushings replaced, but they don't come in the kit. Doing it myself, with little knowledge of it, I would not have known to look at the inner bushings.
And about the race you had the other night, there are a couple things to keep in mind. I'm not the best one to actually know this info, because I have not really ever raced, but here's what I have found out (for future reference, of course): launch RPMs. You want to press the gas while holding the brake until you are about 1500 RPMs (stock lock-up speed of the converter, about and higher for aftermarket converters). And the other is vehicle weight. What do you have in your trunk? And the other thing is your intake. A K&N air filter will also help your intake very much. I'm waiting to get my MP intake since the panel filter is almost $50. A lot to spend for just a little while until I get the cone. I could go ahead with the cone, and I may, but I'm getting my exhaust first. But all-in-all, a 5 speed will have more off the line. I think it is the final gear ratio that does it, but I'm not too sure. A 3.55:1 ora 3.73 rear pinion will also help a lot.