Thread: IFS questions

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I have what you can call a restored 37 chevy p/u and I want to make it a hot rod,I dont want to tear the truck apart at this time so I think I have a bare frame to start the transformation. Does the maufactures of the mustang suspensions have in their instructions where to locate the crossmember as the frame has no front axle to get the centerline of the axle and I dont want to have to find another front axle if I dont have to. This is my first attempt at adding a IFS on a older truck and I would like some pointers on the process. Jeff

Why not just measure the wheelbase of the restored truck, and mark the rails you have???

It might just be me being a hot rodder and not a street rodder but the difference is that a hot rodder never cared how soft the car rode, its just how fast it can go. That was the point, to have a fast car, not one that drove like a new caddy.

I want the best of both worlds,if I put a hot motor in it the way it is it would be dangerous. The truck sits way too high and needs to be lowered and since I can get another frame I will make it the way I like it. I have thought about getting a dropped axle but by the time I get the axle,disc brake setup,new springs,a kit to adapt a newer steering box,a steering box I could piece togather a mustang suspension cheaper and it would ride and steer better. This way I can have it go faster ,steer better and handle better and do it as cheap as I can get by with as I can still drive my truck and when the frame is done take a couple of weekends to change the body.

Since your truck is one of the more common ones the better aftermarket fabricators (e.g. Heidt's) will typically have dimensions based on factory holes and crossmember locations. Sometimes they need to be marked before the original crossmember is cut out (if necessary). Another key is if the original has "bump stops", you know, the rubber, bullet shaped devices that mount to the bottom of the rail over the axle to keep it from bottoming out against the rail. These bump stops are almost always at the axle center line. All that being said, it's still best to mock up the new suspension before welding and trial fit the front sheet metal in it's final (meaning adjusted to the cab, good hood edge gaps, square side to side, etc.) position, with the final choice of wheels and tires. That way you can roll it outside, stand back a good ways, and eyeball it for proper "center" appearance (not necessarily an exact dimensional thing). Same for the rear end. I realize that doesn't fit your plan, but if you want to avoid a potential, and major, disappointment later you'll be better off doing the extra work. That's the difference between a hack rod and a hot rod, or street rod, whatever.

And you don't need to make excuses for wanting to put a MII setup in. It started thirty years ago in the finest of hot rod spirit, so I think that's long enough to qualify as a tradition. Real hot rodding is about improving the performance (which includes suspension not just horsepower) as well as the appearance, not just about pretending to know what you're talking about. Another fallacy that will sometimes be thrown your way will be about the MII being too "light" of a suspension for your car. The uniformed (and apparently too lazy to do the reasearch) types who spew that line don't have a clue. The MII's weighed between 2650 to 3100 pounds depending on engine and options. Your truck probably has a curb weight somewhere toward the lower end of that range. That coupled with the fact that the engine in the original MII arrangement was nearly centered over the axle centerline, whereas in your truck the engine will likely be almost entirely behind the centerline. That means that a lower percentage of the total vehicle weight is on the front suspension as the weight center is further back. This also means you don't need the heaviest (weight bearing) springs from the MII either (another popular misconception). Regardless of the weight factors, your plans for additional h.p. would demand you go to a lager brake rotor and caliper than the stock 9" MII. Don't scrimp, and don't con yourself with the "afford it" excuse. If you can't afford to do it right, save up til you can.

Bob, you hit the nail right on the head, as usual. Hot Rodding is about improving all aspects of a vehicles perfomance, power, handling, ride, braking, safety, and all the other areas that need tweaking.

Far too many nice rides and good people have been lost to the horsepower is the only thing that matters concept. If you can't carve up a few curves around the lake or through the canyon, you are missing out on a lot of fun. The M2 design suspension incorporates excellent geometry when set up right and can be aligned by any competent front end shop. If anyone thinks improving the ride is not part of hotrodding, they obviously have not put in a lot of 700 mile "cruizes" in their car.

Build it right, Jeff. You have a very solid plan in place for building the truck. Don't let impatience or others scoffing leave you playing the "could of, would of, should of game when you are done with the project.

Oh, by the way. Is a project every really done????

I wish I would of did all what I want to do to it now the first time as I did not know how the vehicles of the 30s were on the road. With that said it will be done right but I dont have mega bucks to do it so I will be using alot of junkyard parts and some wheeling and dealing to complete the project,I will be buying a good M2 crossmember but will use stock mustang controll arms and spindles as I will paint everything black and the stuff wont be seen anyway. I plan on setting up the frame in the backyard as I get the parts and if it takes me a couple of years to finnish the frame no big deal as I have plenty of time not money. I have located a free S10 4x4 rear end to install in it,as for the motor and trans I would like to keep the 235 6 cylinder as I like the sound of the split manifold but I think something more modern will have to go in for reliability and parts availability. My choice of motor will probably piss off the die hard chevy people but since I mainly deal in ford products it will get a ford motor and as I said on a previous posting turnabout is fair play and I am sick of looking at chevy motors no matter how cheap they are to build,its time to change that trend and every chevy I build in the future will not be chevy powered. Jeff

Good for you Jeff

And I applaude your whole approach to how your going to build your truck. What can I say it's the basic way I'm doing my 37 Dodge PU.

Like Bob, the one suggestion I would make is to consider upgraging the stock size (9") front rotors to l larger one. As I recall, if you just buy the basic kit which cosists mostly caliper brackets you can save several $ by picking up you own calipers and rotors seperatly. I also seem to recall that based on the kit you use, it calls for either a Ford or GM rotor so you might be able use a rotor that will match you rear wheel bolt pattern.

It's been a while since I've done a good rant here so now is as good of a time as any.

Hot rodding has always been a blending of old and new technoligy. As Bob said it wasn't limited to just making the cars go faster. A big part of the hobby/sport/lifestyle has always been to improving the TOTAL car, not just the drive train.

To those of us old enough to ACTUALLY remember when there were just hotrods (before all the hair splitting definitions came about) big changes also included upgraded steering boxes and BIGGER BRAKES, better tires etc. The parts that were used back then were pirated from newer cars to take advantage of the latest improvements the factory had come up with.

Unless you building a era correct car and plan on driving as it would have been in that era there is no sense in not taking advantage of whats available especially when it comes to safety related items such as tires, suspension, and brakes.

There is never an excuse to use the term HOTROD to justify building an usafe car (it's usually just an excuse for being inexperienced, cheap or lazy).

The brakes will definately be upgraded as I dont want to use four lug wheels,the stock mustang brakes probably would work good on the truck as its about half fiberglass and it probably weighs less than a stock mustang. I want to build a thumpin motor but I am more concerned on how it rides and handles than how fast it goes as in its stock form it is terrible and I cant handle riding in it on a long trip,I know those 30s trucks were made to work butI hope to remedy that. Jeff

Hey Jeff, don't be concerned about taking a couple years to do the truck. I have a 72 Ford pickup sitting in a friends warehouse that I started on in 1995, and a 63 Galaxie I bought at an auction last summer that I haven't even hardly looked at yet. Oh yeah, then there's the 67 Galaxie that has been sitting besides the garage for 5 years.

I will get to them as time and money permits, and if not it will be just more toys for my friends to bid on at auction after I tip over. I have always considered any time spent doing hot rod stuff as time well spent.

As your progressing on your truck, let us know what you are looking for in used parts, got lots of spares laying around. Trading is way more fun than writing checks, just takes a lot more time and good negotiating skills.

Get a hold of every truckin mag you can. They do a lot of articles on IFS installation.

we just scrapped a complete 69 galaxy 500 with original 400 some engine and auto trans in it and was convertible and all, maybe you could have used some parts from it ? we also have a 67 fairlane coupe thats tubbed with 9" four link and we are gonna scrap body once we rmeove the drivetrain and axle setup

dunno if anything from that would work for a galaxy ?

hot rodding is definitely all about improving a vehicle in alot of ways including braking steering handling, etc. engine and tranny upgrade should be last or one of the very last improvements in a hot rod building up

yep

good luck