i have pretty much had it with the front end under my 53 ford car.i dont want to rebuild the front-end,would still have kingpins and ****py steering....dont have the cash to do the jamco kit.so what ford car has a frame,dics brakes and a steering gearbox?
Just an opinion, There isn't a Ford car that has a suitable "subframe". If I were to do this I would probably create a stub with a Mustang 11 front end. The only other thing that I can think of would be a G.M. 78-87 front frame half. I know that the track width is about right, but I believe you would run into steering box clearance issues. That said, I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of subframe swaps. They always sound sooo easy, then you start trying to package everything after the fact and nothing fits. Oh, that G.M. frame half is under El caminos, Cutlases, Malibus, mid-sized stuff.
Second gen Nova is rear steer, same platform as first gen Camaro/Firebird and too wide for your application. Can be made to work but why go through the effort when you can do it right the first time. When you are considering a subframe for your car keep a few things in mind: Weight of the car, you want your donor to be similar in weight and distribution if you can. Frame configuration, no sense in making things difficult on yourself. Track width! Cannot stress this enough. Take a tape measure with you and check to see if the center to center dimension on the wheels is similar to what you are replacing. You need something in the 57"-59" wide range. Parts availability, absolutely no sense in installing something that is difficult to buy parts for. I've done Mustang II suspensions for these with a high degree of success. It sounds as if spending more than a few hundred dollars is going to break you on this so I won't push the issue. Instead, how about just doing some "traditional" tricks like dropping the spring pocket and a simple rebuild.
Its a pain in the *** to make a nova/camaro stub work. What engine are you going to use in the car as that will have the biggest effect on choice also.
I've done quite a bit of research on this with regard to my '52 Victoria project. It came down to two realistic choices for me and my current situation: the Fatman Fabrications MII stub frame and the Jamco tubular control arm kit. There are other options, I know, but these were the two that seemed to meet my needs best. Both are within the same ballpark cost-wise and both are highly spoken-of in terms of quality and end result. It came down to the "driving experience" in my case. I have a really nicely built Plymouth hot rod with a MII front suspension and it drives like a modern car. I want my Vicky to look and drive like an early custom, not like a modern car. So...I went with Jamco all the way. Balljoint front and dearched springs rear with upgraded gas shocks and big anti-sway bars on both ends. Dropped 5" in front and 3 - 4 inches in the rear to ride about level (I'll adjust it with lowering blocks once it's together and broken in). Disc brakes front, Maverick 8" rear. Should give me the same driving sensation as "back in the day", but with greatly improved cornering and stopping ability. Probably not for everybody this way, but I'm sure I will be happy. Good luck making the right choice.
In '54 Ford went to a ball joint front end. Try and find a rusty '54 with a good ch***is and swap your body to it.
Just an opinion, There isn't a Ford car that has a suitable "subframe". Yeah, just an opinion. NASCAR used Ford fullsize suspension for years, but they were only travelling at 160 MPH...Strength, correct geometry, and long-secter steering box. But for best reliable setup for your Vicky, try Heidt's or Fatman for their Mustang ll, BUT use their tubular control arms and ball joints. Ford 5-on-4.5" pattern simplifies things also, so will a bolt-in 8" Ford rear end! (Mustang, Pinto, etc)
Friend of mine updated a 53 for another friend, used the GM metric G-body front frame section, and put the 289 back in as well, looked great and worked even better.
Since you are in the 1952-56 Ford group one of the members did the Jamco swap maybe you could get a deal on the old parts,1952-54 Fords share the same frame and 1954-56 Fords and 55-57 T Birds share the same suspension if you can find these parts from someone that has done a swap you might catch a deal also post a parts wanted on www.fordbarn.com(late model) and www.1954ford.com Good luck!
i have a 54 parts car..i thought about doing just that,but i would still have the same steering probs...and from what i have read 54 and 53 have a diff wheel base...
There is a really nice post about putting a 2001-2003 Crown Victoria front suspension into a Ford truck. Try a search. It is a one piece unit with suspension, A arms, rack and pinion all attached to a single cross member. Available at a junk yard near you. And it would be all Ford. If only the dimensions are correct.
And that CrownVic front end will be a fantastic way to create that skateboard look that was so popular in the early 90's.. Sorry, it's way to wide for this car and the guy would have to fabricate new frame rails to attach this to anyway.
I put a 78ish front steer Nova in this 53 back around 90, put a 429 Caddy in as well. Really easy as far as subframes go, no real clearance issues with tires, exhaust, steering. Been on the road now for 18 years.
Here is one I just did with a MUST II... Ford 302, C4 and Lincoln rear. Contact me if your interested, and I can try to help. We sell all the parts shown. Heres a link... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368547
I supframed my 52 back in 87 with a nova rear stear, Nova stub slides right inside the ford rails. be cautious of the ride hieght. I went a little low. A friend of mine did same swap using the front steer nova stub, Worked great. His was SBC mine went to a olds. Both cars still on the road.
A****er Mike- no insult intended. Ford stuff is great, but the "swapable " stuff they made is way too wide for an early fifties ford car. Narrowing is not a good idea either because the second you start moving suspension points around geometry goes out the window. To my knowledge, the late seventies thunderbird or cougar is the same basic suspension as the crown vic, and also too wide.
I did the Jamco complete swap and I'm very happy with it. The $2k it costs is well worth the price as nothing had to be done to the frame besides clean-up. I took about 4 hours of wrench time not counting the cleaning to change it with simple hand tools. You may have that much money in a swap using a clip if you have to buy everything. Jamco's kit has everything you need but the brake fluid! With the 1 1/8 inch swaybar this thing really corners and handles while being a very smooth ride. I would suggest this kit to anyone that hates that ride and steering that the 52/53 Fords give.
I did a post a couple weeks back, "Building the kid a car", where I started subframing a 53 Linc for my GF's grandson. He can't afford to rebuild the Linc front end, and will probably driv eit pretty hard, so better suspension and brakes are a real plus. I narrowed a front steer Camaro/Nova frame 3 in. Should be enough, even with lowering the car a lot. While it is "economically" a good way to go, even with rebuilding the suspension and brakes, labor-wise, it can be very difficult. The front steers take up a lot of room up front, and often you have to juggle around the radiator and rad support, or fab up new stuff. Same with making something for the front bumper to bolt to. This sort of stuff can take longer than the actual sub swap! So, if you're very handy, have much more time than money, and are a great welder, and fabricator, go for it. If you had to pay someone to do it, the M2 or Fatman is a more economical way, with less butchering up of the car.
I cant see where your saving any thing using a junk yard front end other than possibly a rack and pinion steering and disk brakes-You still have to overhaul the front end components to be safe and most likely the hydraulic part of the brake system including hoses. By the time you cut one out and clean and over haul it you could have had a new mustang II set up in and driving. Been there and done it many times. You cant beat the deals out there now for conversions with all new parts.
sure i can rebuild the front end,but i would be throwing good money at bad..and if i put a used subframe under it i will have to rebuild it,but it has parts i can get at about any parts store,and it would steer good...the fatman kit is $2640 + $250 shipping.and it lowers the car 2" , i dont want... jamco nice kit $2000.+shipping.and it doesnt address the steering there has to be a better way..the early nova looks like it hangs the wheels too far ..
We do have a conundrum, don't we. You've come to the same conclusion that I did, and there seems to be no real answer that is satisfactory in all areas. Many nice Fords have been ruined (in my humble opinion) by subframing with suspensions that are too wide. It's true that shallow wheels and a high stance will keep the tires from rubbing too badly, but when the wheels are turned it commences to look...well...funny. That's why most owners of these cars display them with the wheels pointed straight ahead. 50fraud here on the HAMB has a subframed '50 Victoria that looks right, but by his own admission it was a nightmare to cut and narrow the subframe to get it that way. Please keep searching. Someday somebody will discover a clip that will work successfully on these cars. Hopefully, that somebody will be you. Good luck!
Beep,,wrong answer,,the frames are basically the same with the exception of a ball joint front suspension. HRP
I can guarantee that it won't be a Ford clip, sorry diehards, it's not gonna happen. Sad reality is, if you want modern driveability, you're going to have to spend money. And seriously, if spending two grand on a proper front suspension, steering and brakes is going to bust your budget to build this car, I think you need to reset your priorities.
Bulletproof, put an S-10 clip in it. Look for my tech article on installing one in a shoebox and follow that. It'll work perfect, tires will be tuck, parts are plentiful and cheap and you can not beat the steering and ride. If you have any questions along the way feel free to PM me. -Shiny
THE GREAT DEBATE! do what you want, I'll stick to "caveman" technology and drive my "all over the road", "non-stopping" stock suspension ford which happens to drive and stop like a normal car. i like old cars, not 70s cars.
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