Great site you guys have here. I have a 37 ford truck and a 38 ford sedan I will be building soon and was thinking about using Mustang ll clips and use the left over parts on my next Model a. I have built 3 model a's from the ground up but all had I beam front axles. I hate the idea of buying a "kit" and was hoping someone could send me in the right direction regarding removing a clip from a junker. Should I just cut the frame removing the crossmember and all(on the mustang) or take off the all the front end parts and make my own crossmember. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks, Ed
I would buy a crossmember kit from one of the aftermarket companies. (I am happy with the one I got from Ch***is Engineering. I would also buy the lower control arms from an aftermarket company. (They make em wider to eliminate the strut rod set up) Then get the spindles and upper control arms from the junkyard off a pinto. FONZI
There is a nice new crossmember in cl***ifieds- its a weld it yourself kit. 150 dollars. If you really wanna cut out an original one[we all used to in old days ],...... Do a rough cut in front and behind crossmember with a torch about 3" both ends from crossmember-drop out all the frt suspension from car.... [Once cut out of car]......un ***emble/remove the bolt on parts from the crossmember.... cut the metal where outer Tower attaches to frame rails. Then turn upside down ,and wire brush clean the area inside spring towers lower area that attaches to the cross peice... There you will now clearly see 6 large rosette type spot welds. Cut a circle around each with the torch[an outside job definitely ] Then hit the crossmember with a large BFH a couple O whacks. There ya go.....Now don't that 150 dollar crossmember sound cheap?
Thanks for the fast responses. I'll check out the one in the cl***ifieds but I'll probably try cutting one out. I have several to choose from for free. Besides I just like the idea of doing things without the "kit". (no disrespect intended to anyone who uses a kit!) I think learning how to do it from scratch is always worth the effort! Ed
I'm no fan of "cutouts" but if you do-- gusset up the spring towers, they were known for sagging and distorting, hence the development of aftermarket crossmembers. Also- forget about the faxctory strut rod mounts, fab' your own.
That's exactly what I did once. The only problem using a donated oem vs an aftermarket is the pinion angle. The aftermarket rack brackets are built in at an angle sufficient to allow the steering pinion to go under the motor mounts thus eliminating an extra Ujoint.
I put a stock Ford MII crossmember in my Chevy, and before that, I helped my Dad put one in a 46 Chevy he used to own. Though both cars drive very nice, I'd have a lot of misgivings about doing it again. (I did as choprods described above.) Of course the Chevys have a different style of rame rail from the Fords since the Chevys are already kinda boxed... which means that much more work on the Ford. Having done all that, those $400 crossmembers aren't as expensive as you first think. They will DRASTICALLY reduce your install time (we're talking days, not hours). Plus, as mentioned above, the kits are a more aesthetically attractive install. Another issue is the fact that I also eventually added triangulated lower arms, brackets to mount the steering rack at an angle like the afternarket ones, and a CE sway bar... all improvements, but it woulda been a lot easier and less expensive if I'd have just gone w/ a kit. Oh, don't forget adding bigger brakes and 5-lug rotors. Oh, and the junkyard rack I used turned out to be worn out, so I had to get a new one almost as soon as I did the install. (That seems to happen with almost every "used" part I put on my car... ) I've installed kits from TCI, Heidt's, and Fatman's, and have worked on a couple of cars that had the Ch***is Engineering deal in them. I was most impressed with the CE. I can't really tell the difference between Heidt's and TCI's (both are acceptable, but I still think the CE kit is stronger), and Fatman's seems crude but effective (as well as taking a little longer to install).
I'm impressed with all the responses! Thanks to everyone. I'm still weighing all options including just going with dropped straight axles. I still have time to decide I just thoght I'd check out different angles before I started. I'm used to Model A's, but on those I build the frame from scratch. That way I know what I'm dealing with. I hate the thought of the MII or equiv but like the idea of a smoother ride and considering both would have fenders figured what the hell. I'll be thinkin about it while I'm finishing the truck I'm currently working on. See pics 1st is what I started with 2nd is 2 months later. I built everthing including the bed and frame from scratch.
You are aware -that on a full fendered A, you would have to build a clearance "bulge" in each front fender,for the upper A arms to clear them- aren't you????
The MII front would possibly go on the 37 truck and the 38 sedan as mentioned in the original thread of this post. The Model A's I've built all have straight axles. The picture is just showing my latest project. Check out the first post. But thanks anyway!
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