I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow to pick up a '54 Chevy Belair, after doing some research it looks like I want to go with the Fatman Ultra Low Mustang II kit in front and Gambino Setup in the rear, I will be running air bags, 355 motor/700r4 trans and I plan to pretty much daily drive this car so my question is should I get the manual or power rack and why? what do you guys have, what do you like and dont like? thanks!
My manual rack works great in mine...I would not bother with a power rack. Load some pics of ur new ride!
I have a manual rack on my '34 and it's a pain to maneuver at low speeds and I'm lighter in the front than you will be.
after doing some more research and budgeting out my project it looks like I'm going to go with a Jaguar XJ6 front clip appears to be a pretty easy swap so we'll see how it goes and most likley in the future a Mustang II when I have enough cash it's ugly right now, but plan to get to work on it this weekend it's got a '53 front on it with a cut down '54 grille but I found a complete '54 front on craigslist so that'll be the first thing to get changed or maybe the ugly visor will be the first thing to go
not yet, I sort of put it on the back burner for now still collecting parts and slowly working on it I saw yours at the Street Freaks show in Saginaw, looked great!
Got a manuall rack on my 51 with the Ultra Llow. Drives perfect steers great. Its easy to turn my wifes drives it sometimes.
I think you are going to find that the Jag is more than a bit too wide for that car. On the other hand, I have done several Mustang 11 setups under '49-'52 Chevs and they work great. I'm not to jazzed on Fat Man's kits though.... I usually use original crossmembers when doing this swap. If you do go Mustang11, the choice of steering rack is easy - If you are going to retain the stock big steering wheel, a manual is the way to fly. If your dreams include a small diameter modern steering wheel, a power rack is in your future. I am dead serious though, think twice about the Jag in THIS application. Not that I don't like the Jag front end,( I'm currently researching one for a clients '57 GMC) but I can tell you that it is just shy of 61"wide. These Chevys need something in the range of 56"- 58" to get any sort of tire clearance when set low. Depending on what brakes you use, The Mustang fits these perimeters beautifully.<iframe style="border: 2px inset; width: 100%; height: 100px;" tabindex="1" id="vB_Editor_QR_iframe"></iframe>o jazzed on fat man's kit though...
hmm I've heard from several sources that its a perfect fit with the Jag front thats why I was considering it and the fact that I can pick one up for $200 here complete is nice, if I could find someone who has done with with pics that'd be awesome
I Have a Mustang II front susp and manuel rack n pinion on my '27 T ,,WERKS GREAT !! ,,But ,,i've had several Jags over the last 30 years ,,Jag uses GM power steering pumps ,,cheap at the junk yard ,,PLUS ,,the Jag power rack is cheap to rebuild ,,and has great road feel ,,BUT ALSO ,,the XKE's had Manuel Rack n Pinion ,,with quick steer for road racin' , SlolamCoarses,,Rally's ,ETC, PLUS ,,the XKE has torsion bar suspension where the XJ-6/12's had coil springs ,,either way ,,i'd go for the Jag stuff ,,PLUS ,,get the independent rear stuff too ,,if you can ,,it's Totally AWESUM ,,makes a Jag with a '54 Chevy body ,,THAT's GOTTA BE TOO KQQL !!
My point was that in my opinion the Jag step inbetween is unecessary and a waste of money. I would just use the stock front end until I could afford the Mustang II. You'll save whatever you spend on the jag front end. In my opinion you don't need power steering, I've never had a problem with manual in mine, but if that is what you want.
He's already got it in the classifieds for sale...Musta found something else that caught his eye. Went from a Fatman to a jag to "for sale" very quickly....
I'm still debating on selling it, I got both my cars up for sale right now I guess whatever sells first I'll part with..I'm moving to Florida and cant take both with me
Before you make a decision on the Jag front, measure your track width and compare it to the Jag. Make damn sure they are close because there is nothing worse than a front end that's too wide under a lowered car.
good call, talked to a guy here on the HAMB and he says a Camaro front will fit perfect as well and I've seen many of them listed for sale with Camaro fronts but then I've heard they are too wide also..anyone have insight/picts of one of those
If the camaro front is the same width as the camaro rear, your issues will arise if you slam it. (reportedly anyway). Lots of people use 2nd gen Camaro rearends in 49-54 cars with great success. However if you're planning on laying her on the ground, the tires sidewalls are going to contact the wheelhousings sooner then if you were running a stock width rear. We ended up using a Nova rear (I think it was a 74-75 model) in the 54 that we put together. It was the same width as stock. No idea if any of this is any help to you or not. Considering the extent of some of the work I've seen you post up, I'd think you'd look a little closer at modifying the stock frontend. Unless you're planning on modifying body mounts, raising rear wheelwells and removing the stock K-member, you might be more then pleased with the amount of drop provided by dropped uprights and some bags in the front....or not. There's lots of info on these cars around here... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201028&highlight=gambino+suspension http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123065&highlight=gambino+notch http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202220&highlight=gambino+suspension http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194332 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257882 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284598 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62088&&showall=1 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=294910&highlight=chevy+manual http://jimmeyerracing.com/37-54_Chevy_Lower_Steering_Column_Mod.html http://www.customrodder.com/tech/0303cr_retrofitting_1954_chevy_rb_ifs_ii/index.html http://villainscc.com/BryansBuild.htm http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284445
camaro is to wide for what you want to do. not sure about the jag. measure hub to hub. you do not want more than 1" total width wider.
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