The whole MII gig is a drag race cross-over. Always has been and makes a new project an INSTANT has been. NONAME, nice deal there. A disc conversion would settle those who'd be scared. For a short time I toyed with the idea of a tri5 front frame on an AD. It was close and wouldn't take much to look OEM. Settled on a dropped axle and sold the abandoned donor car. The whole Camaro/Nova/G Abody deal is ok if it's done right. Lots of coverage on that conversion but it's ugly and I like everything to look kool even if ya can't see it all the time.
I quess you can use an S10 pu front end I am putting my AD on an 85 s10 frame when time arrives ED got all the parts need the time.
This fella used a Pacer IFS on his AD truck I think I could scrounge up his email if you want to ask him about it. -W Update: 10:45am ET I emailed that fella with the truck in the link above and this is what he wrote in reply: Hey Woog long time no hear. The Pacer clip has given me no issues whatsoever ... I had the steering rebuilt a while ago after everyone told me that it couldn't be done because there are no rebuild parts. Other than that it's still working fine after God knows how many miles. -Fatfenders
I used the subframe from a 79 Grand Prix (G-body) and while I am happy with the results I will use an IFS kit on the next one. There are some interferences (Steering box to Core Support, Fuel pump to Cross-member, Headers to right side frame) that complicate the installation. Others may have other solutions though. Having said that the only sub-frame/clip I would recommend for the ADs is a rear steer from a 1st gen f-body or early Nova but a IFS kit is the best option hands down. The 2nd gen F-body can be done but you will have tire/fender clearance issues IF you lower the front down too far and do not use rims with a BS of 4.5 or more. The Pacer and Volare options can be difficult to find replacements for. If you do use a subframe I would recommend upgrading the front springs. I swapped out the stock Grand Prix springs for some from a 87 F-body (IROC) and got a much better ride.
Uh, yes they have. But back to the original question. We used to us the front suspension from a '62 C-10. The torsion bars made the ride height adjustable. Of course that was pre-Pinto/Mustang II. I don't have anything against the Mustang II they are great and made pretty much a bolt in for the street rod crowd but I don't know anyone that run one if they had other options.
wouldnt a MII be a bit light duty for an AD truck?.. possibility of looking for problems down the road? I know i would want more than an MII under my truck if i had one
I used a 73-87 chevy truck 1/2 ton front end, it bolts on to the original frame with a half inch spacer on each side. Easiest setup there is, and it remains a truck front end, with disc brakes and the like. i can send you pictures of one im working on for a friend right now or pics of mine if i can find them!
having put a few miles on 49 chevys with 49 chevy suspension I can say that while it is an improvement over an axle as far as ride height, it is still a far cry from a MII. as for the Corvette comment... they make Mustang IIs for those too for people who want better steering ratios and disc brakes. solid rear axle Vettes may have been the stuff back in the day, but 63 and up put them all on the tralier in the loser section when they arrived. I've taken apart more than a few of these when parting out cars. those front ends were all about the grease. you would not believe the wear these endure without regular maintainance and buckets of grease. ad to that ball bearings and a different sort of bearing adjustment that most don't have a clue how to perform and you are looking at toasted bearings. you didn't really want to put a 55-60 year old suspension in your new ride without a rebuild did you? oh... did you want to stop also? by the time you get the worn parts replaced and a good set of brakes you are 3/4 of the way to an MII. do it once. do it right.... or rebuild the axle. axles are cool. wouldnt a MII be a bit light duty for an AD truck?.. I'd have to check my catalog for trucks but on the 49 54 cars use 4 cylinder springs with V8's. ball joints are bigger than the popular camaro clip. I'd say no.
I must have missed the part where he was building a period correct early car. better just get that axle dropped then.
Look at the front end under an '80s Ford Aerostar van. The whole works attaches to a single crossmember than unbolts from the unibody van. Saw one under a '54 Ford pickup that worked really well.
Here are some suggestions. They are for the Ford truck of the same vintage but should work equally well in a Chevy. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/19...rd-trucks.html
I've done three '68-72 Nova (early Camaro) clips into AD trucks and they work well--and they are not too wide. These clips are the "rear steer" type and it keeps you from having to re-work the radiator support for the later front steer subframes. But you may have to work with exhaust manifold selection around the rear steer box. I've put Olds 455 engines into two of the clipped AD's I've done and there has been plenty of room, even using the stock rear crossmember for the T400 mount after drilling one hole. A clip is not as easy as a MII and you have to build front sheet metal mounts, but that's not hard either if you build a jig before you cut the old frame stub off...
I got to say that the mm2 is the way to go. what is it going to cost you for a camero front clip or similar. Then it will need to be freshened up. Then installed wich is a huge job to do it right. If you add up your total cost and all the time to do it correctly you are most of the way to the price of a decent mm2. Just my 2 cents!! Have fun!! Grant
Two words. Fatman Fabrications. Can't beat it works great last long time! I run one under my 40 half ton. BBC Muncie 4 speed. Handles great. But if it is period correct I would drop the original axle.
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