Projects Jailbar ford front suspension

Hey all, I've been trying to figure out the front end suspension upgrade for my 42 Ford 1/2 ton. I have looked into the mustang ll from Heidts and others. I was wondering if anyone knew what years mustang front end these kits are modeled after and what might fit. If anyone has any other front suspension suggestions I am also open to ideas. I am decent with welding and fab , but a newbie on building a hot rod ,so any info would be appreciated. I looked at the crown vic also but it sounds like it is too wide for my application and won't look right.

 

Mustang 2 suspension are taboo subjects here. Traditional old school stuff only.

 

There is nothing wrong with the suspension on the truck. I would just rebuild it, swap to a dropped axle and maybe swap to disc brakes if you see that as an upgrade. And, all those things can be talked about here for the most part.

 

I suggest rebuilding the factory axle They work just fine.....mine does

 

Ok, I did not realize this was a traditional restoration site only. Appreciate the input, I will give the stock front end another look. I didn't know how stable this truck would be cruising down the highway and hitting Ohio potholes with the stock steering and suspension.

 

Off to a good start aint ya.

 

Not restoration, traditional hot rodding. Anything 65 or earlier that would have been done. Or just don't post it if you go with the m2.

 

The stock front suspension with some upgrades will work far better then a mustang 2 set up.

if your dead set on a clip swap there are way better options.

they call it a mustang 2 but it’s a pinto set up, ya really want that under a big rig like yours ?

mph and picks of what ya got
We like pics

 

I know a few people who have done that M-2 swap and have very good fab skills. They all say the same thing," should of left it alone"..

Those straight axles are designed to take heavy abuse, I don't think the pot holes are going to hurt it..

 

Yea, I have always thought I would rather have a solid axle that was designed to be under the truck than a suspension that was designed to be under a Pinto or small Mustang. I actually have been happy with how any dropped axle or even stock axle pickups have driven at highway speeds, etc. The hardest I pushed one was driving my 58 Chevy pu with a dropped axle through the windy hills of SW Missouri one time for a hundred or so miles. Pretty sure the 58 handled quite a bit better than my 66 C10 with independent front suspension when I did it a couple years later. I still have yet to understand why folks want to cut up the frames on these old trucks.

 

i do 42-47 trucks pretty regularly. I like using the stock front end, rebuilt with kingpins and new tie rods and drag link. Then i like using the Posies lowered front springs, the ride is much improved over stock replacement springs plus it looks cool. Speedway has a very simple disc brake kit that improves upon the stock drums. The truck drives great, tracks great and the ever growing potholes aren't a concern.

 

Post some pictures of your truck Joe .... we can guide you through this

 

I will get some pics up when I get home. Be forewarned though, when I bought the truck it already had an sbc 350 in it. I'm guessing that's not too popular here. Thanks for the replies regarding the stock setup.

 

The engine is fine. Folks have been installing SBC’s in old Ford’s since the mid-50’s.

 

Got a 36 chev pickup, stock axle converted to discs, all rebuilt, with the exception of the steering box. Put a gm 525 manual box in it, make all new steering parts, and the truck will drive as nice as you can stand. Cheap and easy.

 

Built this '46 back in the 80's and drove the wheels off it. Stock front axle...had a local spring shop build some de-arched front springs to get a better stance. It drove an handled nicely.

 

I think the reason pickups of the era get a bad rap on how they handle, is they were used as trucks. I’ll give you two extremes though. My dad bought my ,57 new, sure he hauled stuff with it, pulled trailers, took it into the hills for hunting but took care of it.
The ‘59 I bought in the 90’s was last tagged in 63 or 64, although the sheet metal was pretty straight, the suspension was plain worn out. When I got it running, even after setting the toe, 35/40 was about all I could do to keep it on my side of the road

It was a lotta time involved, but not much money, to make a good, solid driver out of it.

 

Interesting that straight axle design is still the standard in medium and heavy duty trucking, the concept must still have some value.

 

Of course it does, for obvious reasons. Where has anyone said it doesn’t?

But the opposite can also be said......in light(er) duty vehicles of the same era you are referencing that design is not at all common and for equally good reasons.

But none of that is the point of my post.....which is about factual information as opposed to misinformation.

Ray

 

My post wasn't intended as a reply to yours, just an observation

 

I find this discussion partially hilarious because the other half of the membership here is busting themselves to pull the IFS from under their cars so they can fit a (usually) truck axle under it.

 

Trying to upload pics. Not having much luck.

 

Working on it

 

Looks like a cool project! Thanks for posting the pics. One thing you might try when posting pics is to click the “full image” button so they show up bigger.

 

I'll post the traditional HAMB reply:

It's YOUR truck. Build it however you damn well please. Not to please anyone else.

You will get excellent advice and opinion on here about engine, suspension, paint, upholstery, styling. Just respect the guidelines.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

@Joe McCabe So, welcome to the HAMB! That looks like a decent project, keep us updated on what you're doing to it.

As you've seen by some of the previous comments, there are some guidelines that control the subjects on this site, which is fine by me. It keeps the content relatively focused, which is why the majority of the folks here love the place. The moderators do a nice job of controlling the content, and eliminating off-topic garbage.

Discussions can get "lively", and sooner or later you'll discover that there are some curmudgeons on the site who will slap folks around a bit when they stray. We did the same with our kids to keep them on the straight and narrow. Maybe some of those will even take this posting the wrong way and tell me to go to hell.

A couple tips:
1.) When posting pictures, you can put multiple photos in the same posting, and you can also click on "full size" when posting them.

2.) Please fill out your profile info so we know where you are located. Lots of folks on the site are more than willing to give a hand if they live close by.

Enjoy the HAMB!

 

Enough said.

 

...except, as far as I can tell, it never was...

https://www.thehenryford.org/collec...l-resources/popular-topics/henry-ford-quotes/

 

The '46 I have uses a stock I-beam axle. I installed new springs (from Eaton) and disc brakes (Speedway, $320 well spent).
Here is the cool part. The PO hacked off the front frame horns above the axle and flipped them upside down-and-left-to-right. That raised the front perch up six inches which effectively lowered the truck 3" in front without disturbing the cross steering.
Mine has a 460 V8 , manual steering, and non-power discs.