Thread: Ifs suspensions

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Has any one used an IFS from speedway?I am wanting to install one on 1946 chevy truck and are finding them priced from around 1100$ up to 2300$ but They all seem to be a like ,Fatmans,Heidts.TCI.Can someone give me some advice on what to stay away from and what will work fine .I am not building a show car but if spending more will save some trouble down the road then fine.Thanks for your help.
Jim

I would say stick with the big names. I want to get one when I can afford it but the cheaper ones I would stay away from.

Richard

Speedway sells a decent unit.... takes a bit of detailing too look nice, but there quality and safety is fine. I've installed a few of their units, nothing wrong with them. Speedway has been in business since the 50's, not exactly a fly by night company..... "Speedy" Bill Smith has put a lot back into Hot Rodding and racing, too. BTW--If you're ever passing through Lincoln, Ne. on I-80 he's got one heck of a nice museum there, too....!!!!!!!

I have an ifs (M ll design) on my 46 chevy truck. Not sure who made it or installed it but my truck likes it. I am in the process of doing a rebuild on it but other than just worn, I like it.

Dave has some experience with Speedway so thats good. I kind of dont trust some of thier stuff. I have read some things about parts breaking. I would assume they are being made off shore to make it cheap. Just look things over and replace or repair anything that looks shakey (at least thats what I would do)

Jim; My buddy Rick got a kit from rod & custom, I know he did alot of research
before he bought one. He said they had a complete kit, everything was there
so you don't have to buy stuff not included. Alot of these companies like to nickel
and dime you to death. He also said that there tech & asst. dept. were great and realy knew thier stuff. He has been really happy with thier product.
Check out thier site, and look at thier motor mounts in the orange mustang. Kurt
http://www.rcmotorsports.net/Spotlight.html

Jim. Before I bought anything, I would research what type of spindle the kit uses. Some of them have a bad reputation for breaking. I know Heidts has the best spindle out there. The difference will be in the material used. I hope others will jump in here and expand on this.

ah... a topic that I have some first hand knowledge on.

I did a lot of research on this topic before purchasing my kit for a 36 chevy sedan. Many places do not have an IFS set-up for the 36 standard sedan. They have everything pre and post 36 but not the 36. Of the ones that do, I was told by a reliable builder to stay away from fatman's because they have fit issues sometimes.

The one I went with was Jim Weimer rod garage for the complete set up. While their instructions were not the best and they are rewriting them, their help line was very helpful. Installing it was a snap and quality is very sound as it fit perfectly. My IFS is very solid. My best advice is to make sure you set the exact ride height then when putting in the crossover piece - make sure it's level and parallel to the floor. tack weld and check it. Don't be afraid of cutting the tack welds and redoing it again if it isn't perfect. You will thank yourself later for being extra careful here. Once my welds were cleaned up with a carbide dual cut burr, everything looked perfect.

oh and they do have a kit for your 46 chevy truck at www.jimweimerrodgarage.com

Jim, just my 2 cents here (your opinions may differ). I think you get what you pay for. I have a heidts ifs on my 39 coupe and couldnt be happier. Pete Chapouris told me, "you should only have to buy a quality part once". Since then I have only bought that kind of part(s). I would stay with a company that does IFS mainly. Heidts, Kugel, etc. That's what they do primarily and they have a good reputation. You're probably going to spend a little more but piece of mind and engineering background to me is worth it. It also depends on what you are going to do with your '46 when its complete. Good luck!

Don't know, I've installed bunches of IFS over the years, Heidt's Kugel, Weimer's, TCI, Speedway, and even a company that's a subsidiary of Shell Valley..... all are DOM tubing, poly ends, tig welds, forged spindles, etc.various brands of coilovers.... Granted Heidt's and Kugel have the name, but when quality is the same, no reason to spend a bunch more.....

As for customer service, there's a bunch of companies who have equal or better customer service then Heidt's..... Ever tried to order something out of the normal package with Heidt's????

Jim also said he was building a driver, not a show car.....I'm the first to say that quality parts are worth more, but I don't see paying extra $$$$$ just to have the "right" decal stuck on a cabinet in the shop.......

dave I agree with you about heidt's I want change my r&p steering on my deuce I have a reversed xke that I did back in the 70ds sent them an email no response so I called them they just blew me off if you not spending 2k I don't think they want to talk to you .....ted

Originally Posted by ted dehaan

dave I agree with you about heidt's I want change my r&p steering on my deuce I have a reversed xke that I did back in the 70ds sent them an email no response so I called them they just blew me off if you not spending 2k I don't think they want to talk to you .....ted

Hmmmm. Thought it was just me.... I wanted some lighter coil over springs for the front of a Nova with a Heidt's kit, went through 3 guys and still couldn't get what I wanted, even after explaining the extra engine set back and all the lightweight parts on the car. Even gave them the weights off the scales...... So I called my pal at Weimer's and got what I wanted in 3 days......

I thought I would give another option. Before all these company's had this stuff figured out we had to make our own, it's not that difficult. I don't know what you have available for equipment but it is very rewarding to do this. Making some simple fixtures for the A arms and using OEM bushings and after market spindles (if you want it low). Copying factory geometry for the length and travel for your A arms, it's really not that hard. BUT, you have to be confident in your fabrication skills.
I use Kugel's stuff now.
Ken

Copying factory geometry for the lenght and travel-----funny they called it Mustang 2 suspension just because of the Pinto gas tank problem

Stay away from the Jim Weimer mustang 2 for your 46 chevy truck. I installed one earlier this year for a guy. He supplied his own parts. The crossmember welds to the bottom of the frame and the top hats weld to the outside of the frame and on top of the crossmember where it sticks out past the outside of the frame. It sat way to high. JW also sold him a saddle type motor mount crossmember that woudn't work because interference with hooking up the steering to the rack. The saddle type trans crossmember interfered with the power brake assembly. I prefer Heidts. I've also used TCI but they leave an extra 1/4 of material on the inside of their 35 to 40 ford crossmembers that needs trimmed off to fit between the frame rails.