Thread: Can anyone tell me what this front susp. is out of...?

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What is this front suspension from?? Its on a 47 Ford chassis (or whats left of it ). It is just bolted on so I could easily remove it. I thought it was an old Corvair at first, but then I noticed the disc brake caliper mounts on it.....Is it a Mustang or maybe a Pinto? I was gonna toss it, but if its not the old corvair I may have to use it on my other chassis......

Mustang II and Pinto are the same, that's what you've got there.

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

Mustang II and Pinto are the same, that's what you've got there.

Thanks Bob....Ive always used straight axles....is this the one that is a popular swap? If so.....there must be a better way to mount it to the frame then the way this one is....

Mounting a stock crossmember has become less popular as time has passed and original donors have diminished, so "technically" it's not so popular anymore. However it's still viable if some things are done well. First of all the setup you've got there is missing an important component, the strut rod. That piece is an additional "leg" on the lower control arm that trangulates that piece, without it the lower control arm tends to "flop" about. Second, other than the questionable appearance that looks like it's held in by a bolt or two on each side, it appears it may not be mounted at the proper angle to take advantage of the factory anti-dive engineered in. Once set up properly welding would be more reliable given the minimal support the stock crossmember has in the mounting area. The last thing would be strength of the front rail sections, though the frame you have has a second structure within the rail, it's customary to box the front for additional strength.
When I mentioned missing pieces above I obviously skipped the caliper, shocks, and steering rack btw.

If you look through this stuff you'll see what all the parts involved are; http://www.speedwaymotors.com/m/273_...uspension.html

It looks like the genius that installed this thing never did have the strut bars installed.. that would make for a "cheap thrill" under braking.. I have to believe the car might have never been driven like that...Perhaps the project was not finished.

It duplicated my post and wouldn't let me delete it so all I can do is edit...WTF

The centerline of the strut rod pivot where it attaches to the frame has to be located exactly on a line that goes through the lower control arm attaching holes in the crossmember. Remove the lower control arm. Replace it in the crossmember using a long rod or piece of threaded rod of the appropriate diameter for a snut fit in the holes. The rod will show the line where the strut rod pivot needs to be mounted.

Originally Posted by Daffy427

It looks like the genius that installed this thing never did have the strut bars installed.. that would make for a "cheap thrill" under braking.. I have to believe the car might have never been driven like that...Perhaps the project was not finished.

Yeah, the whole frame is a total butcher job. But it came with the car so I figured Id take it home.....I probably wont even use this front suspension. I was curious as to what it was before I scrapped it. But maybe Ill stick it in the storage barn for future projects!

Originally Posted by techinspector1

The centerline of the strut rod pivot where it attaches to the frame has to be located exactly on a line that goes through the lower control arm attaching holes in the crossmember. Remove the lower control arm. Replace it in the crossmember using a long rod or piece of threaded rod of the appropriate diameter for a snut fit in the holes. The rod will show the line where the strut rod pivot needs to be mounted.

Im going to do a little more research on it, but the frame Im going to use already has a nice straight axle under it. I'll probably keep with it for simplicity. Its gonna be a 50's style build anyway......Thanks for the input!