Thread: Mustang II rack & pinion POS

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I brake cleaned everything dry and I had my wife turn the wheel while I was underneath watching, and it turns out I had a seaping fitting. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown carquest under the bus quite so quick, but when past experience tells me that they're part more than likely failed I think that says something too.

So what’s your overall opinion of the MII as far as drivability? I’m thinking of doing either an MII or a Dakota front stub on my old truck this winter.

if going mII go Fatman fabrication . the cross member is made from thick wall tubing . not lite weight sheet metal welded together . over the years i have replaced 4 of them due to fatigue cracks .

I would use a Dakota clip or s-10 . My M Ii is getting a lot better the more I screw with it but I think S-10s and Dakotas drive nicer and are less noisy when hitting bumps. The next thing I'm going to do with it is replace the m2 springs with some coil over shocks to hopefully get rid of some of the spring noise when I hit bumps and get a softer ride. Maybe I'm just bitter but I'll never put another one in again. The guy who was mentoring me while I was putting this thing together convinced me to go with a mustang 2 suspension versus a frame swap. Now he's doing a frame swap on one.

There are rubber spring pads that are supposed to go between the springs and the upper mounts. Ford put them on the original installation. They might help with the spring noise.

I guess different folks have different experiences. The MII in my 46 has been in use for about 22 years. Other than having to overcome the twitchy MII rack and GM pump thing, I've never had any trouble with it. I fixed the pump issue with a Heidt's inline bypass valve, expensive for sure, but the simplest way to get the feel just right for whatever setup you happen to be running.

Everything is stock except the brakes, which were upgraded to 11". The crossmember is stock MII that we cut out of a junk MII and beefed up some. I think that might be the key. The basic MII has been modified so much over the years by the various manufacturers, there's no telling how far the geometry has been changed and some just don't work very well.

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

I would use a Dakota clip or s-10 . My M Ii is getting a lot better the more I screw with it but I think S-10s and Dakotas drive nicer and are less noisy when hitting bumps. The next thing I'm going to do with it is replace the m2 springs with some coil over shocks to hopefully get rid of some of the spring noise when I hit bumps and get a softer ride. Maybe I'm just bitter but I'll never put another one in again. The guy who was mentoring me while I was putting this thing together convinced me to go with a mustang 2 suspension versus a frame swap. Now he's doing a frame swap on one.

That’s what I was thinking, just buy a 1st generation Dakota and swap the frame clip and the rear end. That will upgrade steering and brakes. The old flathead runs so good I’m going to keep it.

Hot Rod 46, I did add the spring pads and I think it may of helped but not sure. It drives alright now but whenever I drive my S-10 Blazer I get mad cause it rides and drives better than the all the suspension that I spent a crap load of money and time on.

I hate it when you break the bank trying to get something right and still have issues. I’ve been ready to torch my 48 a few times