Hot Rods Ford IRS - - Anybody using them

There have to be literally millions of the IRS rear ends Ford uses in the Expeditions and Explorers. Is anybody using them? Comment?

 

Might be more popular on a streetrod board.

 

IRS - HAMB

 

I will take a stab at this one. I look alot at the Mustang rear IRS. I know its not a popular hamb thing, I better not see any jags in any hamb car then, but I digress. The cost of the drop outs is one thing, then the cost of getting the half shafts cut down, engineering some rear control arms, as well the stockies are to large, for 2K you can buy one from most streetrod suppliers, and cut alot of time out. Plus all your geometry is closer to real.

 

I agree , there will be way to much work and time to get the IRS to work . The only way it would pay off is if you were using it as a frame swap . Other than that I wouldn't tackle it !

 

Ford IRS - - Anybody using them

yeah. people use all sorts of things that have nothing to do with what the jalopy journal is all about.

 

Okay, I'll admit I've thought about the same thing myself but lack the skills to pull it off. Most here have probably had the thought. I bet some of the closet "street rodders", (when did that become a dirty word anyway) here have even done it or at least tried it. If for no other reason than it looks like it would be a fun thing to tinker with and see if you could make work. That's as old time hot rod as it gets but, I digress. I say if you have the skill to make it happen you'll find a way to do just that. I hope if you do try it that you'll at least pop in here and show us how. OT or not, I think innovative thinking in a corner of the hobby that is very quickly becoming stale and uninteresting is just what some of us are craving.

 

I have a 99 mustang cobra IRS in the storage building. Would be an easy swap into about anything with the right track width as it all bolts to a subframe that just bolts under the msutang in 4 places. As far as non HAMB friendly things it will go in 67-70 stangs and 79-2004 (fox and newer) stangs. Never paid attention to the truck version. I picked up the cobra unit complete for $300 with 3.73 and limited slip

 

Lets just say 03 and 04 cobra owners swap to solid 8.8's.......and Ford put the solid back in to the Shelby...so

 

Is it?

I dont think that a well built Traditional car could ever look stale to me.

And whats so innovative about grabbing a IRS ***embly anyway?

Hot Rodders have been using Jag IRS' almost since they were introduced in the early '60s.

Nothing Innovative about this one, it just happens to be in the Junkyards right now...

 

Yep, it is.

"Well built Traditional cars" not withstanding, the **** p***ing as traditional at most shows and rod runs are stale and over done. Be it the super high dollar variety or the belly dragging pile of rust variety. 99% of the supposedly traditional cars I see now days are anything but.

I think it is innovative to take a part nobody else is using and try to do something with it. Guy's with this much initiative should be applauded.

Maybe IRS has been done before but, I like to see guy's taking their imaginations to a junkyard and looking for answers instead of taking their credit cards to a catalog.

I'm more interested in the point KNGSZE makes. Are the parts strong enough to take the abuse, would they be stought enough for a light car etc...?

 

Who is saying anything about a catalog?

I'm talking about searching high & low for the right 80 year old part, and doing something with that...

 

04 cobra....

 

Exactly the way they did it back in the 1950's. I can hear em now, "Hey Butch you gonna go with me to look at that 1870 Conestoga wagon? It's supposed to have the original harnesses in it. Man, they'd give my new Rocket 88 motor some gitty up!"

You make a good point though.

 

to late...

yep

 

man somebody is going to ***** about anything. dare to be different. I used to say "I want to be different, like everyone else"
I used to ***** about mustang ll's and air bags not being traditional. see how far that flies.

I'm back to "cut to size, hammer to fit, paint to match" live and let live even on the HAMB............Jim

 

I used an IRS out of a '91 T-Bird on my chopped and channeled '34 Ford pick about 10 years ago......Looked great and got a lot of positve attention. This should more about what you as the builder wants to. This hobby is about inovation.
My .02,
Pat

 

I put a Mark 8 IRS in my 28 tub. It'll be on the road soon. Hindsight being what it is and all, I wouldn't do it again.

 

I suppose in an enclosed backend, like on a Custom or something it would be alright.
I'm just wondering if theres any real advantage to them. Looks like a load of frame work would be required and even trunk floor work to make it fit.
Not a big issue if you were building a frame dragger anyway...but would you be limited to a single ride height then? EG: No air bags???

The one area where an independant MIGHT offer some advantage would be in rear seat room and less rear floor pan mods due to not needing front to rear control arms to hold a solid axle. Also the driveshaft stays in one position and angle so that might help.

For me...I wouldn't be all that excited about finding one. The trad way might be old but it isn't outdated.

 

That looks pretty slick. I can see the lower attachment points but I can't make out the upper. Do you have a picture at another angle?

Personally, not a big fan of IRS on the front of an open wheel car. Generally looks like **** but I have seen a few on here that were uniquely designed with torsion bars and such that kept the light weight and simple look of the straight axle.

 

Some of the hobby is about innovation...but this is a TRADITIONAL board that focuses on a certain era and style within the hobby.
Late model parts are often used though...man, it really is a grey area for sure!

I'm leaning towards innovation using parts available to the builders in our focus area...that being up to the mid 60's.

Having said that...SAFETY must be the prime concern IF the vehicle is to be road driven. I'll be using modern lighting, tires and a few other odds and ends.
I don't think that we should be **** about something modern being used in the underpinnings of a vehicle unless it becomes the focal point of the build.
A LOT of 50's pickups going on modern frames for example and thats great!
Trucks are hitting the road with good, safe frames and running gear.
This isn't the actual 50's...but theres only so much you can get away with before a car creeps out of the HAMB era and the look becomes confusing.

 

I guess bickering is good for the blood flow

Let me take a walk down memory lane. When I was a punk in the early 70's, my late uncle was one of the first people in my area to take his Deuce Tudor and put chrome jag front and rear under it. And Ghads! He had a small block chevy in it too! (rather potent one to, it scared me it was such a mill) He went away from the straight axels he used in the past, as well as, GHADS! a 57 Chevy rear end in his 5 window.

My oddball point is, I know people today that are disgusted by a chevy engine in a ford. Why did everyone put smallblocks in their cars? Was it the 1955 Chevy? Ford had V8s for a long time. Both small block chevys were prevelent, as were the fords. And the old fit in the engine compartment better is a urban legend.

IF we were to stick with tradition, no ford would ever have anything but a flathead.

Hairpins would have never been used.

Corvair or Vega boxes would be a no no.

Automatic transmission?

I learned long ago, its about who owns the car, what he or she did to it with their own hands( granted everyone does not do paint and upholsery so I can give a p*** there) and what kind of person they are.

We could argue over cars being "right" or "wrong" forever. Antiquers think we are nuts. (granted not all) Who was better chevy, ford or chrysler at any given time.

Is it fun, well yes at times it is. But I know I can only quote my late friend when it came to these cars, and I trace him back to the 50's with my late uncle. "ya know, I think I have had more fun in the building process with these cars. Thinking out the problems and working on them (he was a steamfitter and helped my unlce, his brother in law, weld in the Jag stuff on the 32 frame) but once they are done, the challenge is over."

Kugel was in the beginning stages back then.

The challenge of engineering in your head, doing somthing no one else has tried, and making it work, safely.

Othewise tear all those nail heads, small block chevys etc out of those fords and install hopped up four bangers and flatties and we will leave it at that.

I like IRS, I like IFS, I like the son of the Cammer in current production, I like the Cammer, I like the Ardun head setup (created by the father of the small block chevy) I like straight sixes, I like big blocks, I like Hemis. I like MANUAL transmission in cars--wow shifting what a concept. I like dropped axels, I like parallel leafs, I like coil overs.

I like factory muscle, I like customs, I like street rods, I like hot rods, I like stockers.

With the acception of the rice burner generation, I like cars in all shapes and forms. (okay high buck trailer queens I do not) Its about the people who do the cars, first and foremost for me.

Build it the way you want it.

 

Very nice and sanitary installation, and I'm really liking the contrast of the IRS with the wires.

Since the aftermarket got going with the from-scratch IRS kits (instead of Vette and Jag adaptations), people seem to have forgotten that a lot more vehicles are made with RWD IRS these days that could be adapted. And, for that matter, there are a lot of XJ6 bonepiles that can be had for nearly nothing nowadays.

 

They have a habit of going boom drag racing. The Mustang Club in Pensacola had a Strip Day as part of thier National Show. One guy blew his IRS in front of a number of Ford executives, bye bye warranty.

 

Thanks! the mounting isn't finished yet but it is so simple and thats what i love about this setup. 4 bolts will hold the whole thing in. i wont need a big driveshaft tunnel, its has nice brakes, it's good till about 500hp, and i can go to any parts counter and get parts for it.

Thanks! When i bolted the wires on i was amazed by how cool it looks, it made the rear end almost look like it was something that was created way back when. It's the perfect little package because it includes everything you need. It wasent even that hard to find. i got this one for $900, it has 3000miles on it, its from an 04 Cobra that was turned into a drag car right away and they put an auto and a solid axle in it.

 

More shots during mockup.

 

With a simple 4-point mounting I'd think if the track width is right these might start finding a home under alot of 49-56 Ford cars, at least.

 

Did you narrow it or is it stick still?

 

Stupid question: I see no springs, is there a torsion bar hid somewhere. If not what is used for a spring?

 

not to hijack the thread or to get flamed out by the traditional guys, but when i decided to do my '48 4100 chevy i used what i had laying around (hot roddin' for sure). '92 toyota supra turbo front and rear ifs. they both are in sub frames, reasonably attaractive with forged aluminum upper arms, finned rear cover, alot of adjustment, r&p, lsd diff, and 1,000+ proven whp capability. there is almost no brains needed to use this stuff since all the adjustment is in the subframe, not to mention theres a big aftermarket for even more well engineered adjustable pieces to throw in this stuff, sway bars & bushings on the market too. as long as you mount them up squarely and level itll work every time, and mine did flawlessly all summer, including counless parkinglot burnouts and wot accelleration with a stout/well tuned small block. there are multiple ratio diffs avail, incl. open, lsd, & aftermarket too.

now i know its far from traditional but damn if it aint hot roddin' and it gets alot of attention. i usually need to explain to them that its not corvette stuff, which having the corvette wheels does not help.



this seems to be the best pic i have of the front