frame question
- Thread starter Madkins23
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rods Rule:
car or truck? you could use a front clip from a modern car, ie camaro, s10. or kit like a mustang 2 kit from a company like speedway or fat man. some one in a magazine i read a while ago that used a clip from a 70s era ventura or nova in a 50s car.
Yankee Transplant
He started out with nothing, he still has most of
I was going to use an 1980 camaro front end on a 40 ford coupe and 1/2 the tire stuck out from the fender.. need to measure what it is now then look ,, I think the s-10 is the right width for the 53 .. aint some body already doing this and has the body already sitting on it ? I-R- pops Maybe ???? I may be wrong Ill have to look
Undercover Customs
Well-known member
If you are thinking about a mustang II kit, look into welder series. Real down to earth guy's and not too good to talk to you about your project.
Yankee Transplant
He started out with nothing, he still has most of
(Blue) has a nice ride too ..
What I'm really curious about is using thethe original front end if the frame and still have Indenpendent suspension
IAM-LDS-2
Well-known member
IFS kits are made to fit your frame . What is a tiIntiI ?
1/2 ton truck. What my idea was to use the original front end of the frame but also have IFS. I see a lot of people just put new subframes under them. I'm just looking for ideas on how to on how to have have IFS without cutting the front of frame off
Blue Eyed Devil
Devil's Advocate
You have had 3 suggestions for MII, which is exactly what you are describing. What aren't you getting here?
roddguy1
Well-known member
Sounds to me like Welder Series would be your best bet. They will have a kit that will be perfect for you and at a reasonable price. There shop is right across the lane from mine, and as already stated they are great folks to deal with. Paul Horton and his son DW will take the time to talk you through any questions you may have.
Yeah I guess I'm just inexperienced with this. I looked up mustang two kits and they are very exspensive. I did find some prints from hotrodplans.com to make your own mustang ii kit. Anybody here done that? I'm trying to get this truck going for 3500 dollars so buying a new mustang kit doesn't look like something I want to do. Is a subframe swap a better route to go for me?
Yankee Transplant
He started out with nothing, he still has most of
cheaper , that would be for sure , ive seen some on here that looks really good , and the moulded the sub into the frame.... really looks nice ,, Id be proud of it . Look up 47 Dodge shop truck ,, this will give you some ideas
If you're trying to save money the cheap way to do ifs is to go with a used front clip. you will need to make of what you plan to use so that your track width is right. with wheels you plan on using and they should be the same as stock so as to not mess up the steering geometry. the clip should be welded on at the same level as on the original car so that the caster will be correct. Don't forget a used front end can have wear and need parts that will add to the cost. All that being said what is wrong with the stock front axle? If you are trying to get a lower ride you could do an axle flip and put the springs under the axle.
a good set of shocks and possibly new springs and it won't ride that bad. modern 3/4 ton trucks with 4 wheel drive don't ride too bad. you could possibly remove one or two leaves to soften the ride.
That might be what I have to do. Maybe eventually get the IFS. Would it ride pretty good on highway? I also want to lower the truck and I've heard that taking some of the leaf springs out would do it but nobody I know seems to know how many would do it or how far it would drop it any suggestions on this?
it should ride ok on the highway, most are fairly smooth. as stated earlier you may want to mount the axle above the springs as opposed to under them as it is now. remember when welding new spring mounting plates on the bottom of the axle make sure they are on the same plain as the existing ones or it will affect the caster, you want to keep the caster the same if you are lowering the rear the same amount.
Blue Eyed Devil
Devil's Advocate
A few hundred dollars will get you a dropped axle and the proper hardware to install it. Nostalgia Sid's has an excellent product with very reasonable prices. It will get your truck properly lowered, and with a correct install it will ride just fine. No reason to flip it (which creates clearance issues) or remove leaves which reduces ride quality. Relatively cheap, easy install and a feasible task for a novice builder. At your skill/experience level I would certainly recommend this route...
