About 30 years ago I put a Pacer frontend in a '34 plymouth. It was a little too wide and in this redo I want to correct that. does anyone know what balljoints have the same taper as these? Anyone have a better idea than narrowing the arms? What is a good source of stock car racing arms? Better ideas?
I would suggest narrowing the crossmember itself.....that does less to change the geometry than narrowing the arms. However, it likely will change the geometry of the steering rack/tie rods enough that it could induce bumpsteer. Ideally, ***uming AMC got it right in the first place, the rack should be narrower by whatever amount the crosssmember is changed. Perhaps a Mustang/T-bird rack would be closer to correct width or some other Ford/GM/Mopar unit. The idea is, with the wheels straight ahead, a line drawn from the inboard upper A arm pivot through the lower A arm pivot should intersect the inner rack tie rod joint. If that is the case bumpsteer is negated entirely or at very least, very minimal. Ray
Personally, I'd **** can the whole front suspension and start over. You will be dollars ahead. Probably a Mustang II because there is plenty of reasonable parts being produced for future service. JMO
I have one mustang 11 I won't put that **** under a driver. maybe OK for a fairground queen,but never on the roads i drive.
Ive got the amc rack under my 64' f100, Man it sure works good! if you can figure it out I would stick with it! nostalgia you know? I mean the mustang II is great and afforable and all that, but at the same time, immediately recognizable when you pop the hood. The amc will get you a lot more second looks at that suspention!
Common answer to too wide suspension...........but......it screws up front end geometry in anything but a straight line by moving the wheel center line inboard from it's intended location. Also affects spring rate by effectively shortening the control arm leverage. Not that it won't work..it will...just not ideal for reasons stated. Ray
amc pacer frontends are a mistake to even think about. you can't find parts anywhere. no racks are availeable and the company that rebuilds them is slowly phasing them out. when parts were plentiful,this was a decent swap for some wide track vehicles and worked well. try getting anything now.
I narrowed one many years ago, by taking around 3" out of the center & used a T bird rack I it worked out well, but that was before the MK2 kits were available. I'd never do one again tho.
I read that the pacer IFS are based on the mustang II. Except the crossmember bolts in and comes with 11 discs. So you'll have the same basic thing. Perhaps the ball joints are interchangeable.
Terryr,the front end has nothing in common with the mustang II. Its built like a midsize GM,if anything. the rack can be replaced by a T-bird rack without much work. it's under the car and won't get replaced by the Pinto stuff,which is where the MK II originated.
Just for the record, the Mustang II DID NOT originate with the Pinto/Bobcat. The Mustang II debuted for the 1974 model year and was produced through the 1978 model year. The 1980 Pinto/Bobcat was updated to the MMII design and does share parts.......the earlier Pinto/Bobcat, '71/'79 was a different set of parts, even if similar in style. Further, the MMII's had the engine located over the centerline of the front "axle" and used 4 , V6 and 302 V8's, so they had a weight distribution more heavily biased to the front than period street rods. If you use MMII V8 front springs in a street rod it will set very nose high and ride rough. Usually it requires the 4 cyl w/AC springs to do the job. The MMII spindles and bearsings are sized about he same as the Galaxy of that period. Except for the spindles, and in some cases the steering rack, there are no real MMII parts in "MMII" most front ends, except for the lower buck kits with stamped steel A arms. It's the geometry that is replicated by the aftermarket kit makers more than the parts. I used to think the same as you have expressed, and for some rather heavy vehicles, I still have reservations. But, for the typical '30s thru '50s lghter cars, I have become very comfortable with the so-called MMII suspension. I own, and have driven several others, with this system. Properly installed, sprung, shocked and aligned, it drives very well. In the end, you certainly can and should do what suits you. But, you may be laboring under some misconceptions and/or prejudices that bear re-examination. Ray
The Jalopy Journal
