I have a 37 Nash that I am seriously considering installing a MII into. I drove the car 1300 miles home when I bought it, and I seriously feared for my life a couple of times in traffic. The car is just too big and heavy for the original I-Beam. I don't see the suspension ever being able to handle interstate speeds. It was a long trip at 50 - 55 mph. With that said, there is no "bolt-in" MII setup like you see on the more popular models. What are my best options and from which companies. Ride height is very important to me (I want a perfect stance), I hear there is an adjustable height setup, but I have not been able to find it. Is the MII my best IFS option? Is the car too big? Help!!!!
I would recommend Art Morrison Ch***is. They are expensive, but remember you get what you pay for. They have some spec sheets available on line, they offer kits for many different frame widths and different track widths. http://www.artmorrison.com/2006cat/42.pdf
Give Elpolacko ( Steve) at Industrial Ch***is a call. 602 278 6800 It will not be your cheapest option, but I can guaranty it will be right. industrialch***isinc.com. Right now he happens to be doing a '39 Cadillac in his shop, which I know is not the same, but is of the same basic size and weight, and the fab work is as always, the best out there.
Welder Series. They are an alliance vendor here. Install it at the height that you want. www.welderseries.com
How about some insight from some of you that have actually done this installation and who you used? What problems did you encounter?
I put mine together with parts from several different sources: Extra low crossmember from SnowWhite in Fresno, control arms from Heidts, rack from Flaming River, etc., etc. and of course once I had it on the road, It had too much bump steer and then had to have my friends at Roseville Rod & Custom sort it out a little better - primarily through changing the rack to a Holeman adjustable and changing the mounting points for it. I drives nice now, but...Long story short, it is best to go with a setup from one source that has all been engineered to go together. Initially I had considered getting an Art Morrison ch***is for it, but it just seemed way too expensive, but after all is said and done and also the 4-link and frame kick up I did, custom made sway bars, custom cross member, ****** mount etc. I think it would have actually come out cheaper to go with the Art Morrison and have it all pre-engineered and sorted right from the get-go.
A friend did a '36 nash with a fatman kit, if you go this way watch for an "oops" - the kit came with instructions that place the top hats 1" out, as if its a 2" oversize setup, even comes with a rack extender. The track is not 2" oversize on the '36 so the instructions are wrong (go stock width). The crossmember part is correct and wont need to be touched, its just the placement of the top hats. They may of corrected their information by now.. The welder series stuff would be worth a look, I think a few others do universal crossmembers too
I put a stock MII cross memeber in my 36 Nash - widened 2". All stock Mustang components except for the Granada rotors and Camaro calipers. 32,000 miles and never looked back. Add tubular A-arms and such if you want it pretty, but this is cheap, easy and it works. I have pictures of the whole deal.
I once had a 36 Poncho with a Pacer front suspension clip under it. Worked great. It was...*coughs*....bolted in.
Stevie I think HenryJ used a STOCK Mustang crossmember. I did the same on a '39 Chevy. If you can measure, think, measure again, and weld, then you could do the same for little $$. It was basically a bit of custom fabrication for the gussetting around the top hats, and making new rear strut mounts from scratch, but it wasn't too hard. Turned out nice, and ride height was just were I wanted it. And I didn't widen it at all, and would guess you shouldn't either. If you are apprehensive even one bit, I'd suggest calling Ch***is Engineering in West Branch and asking them if they can help. They are the guys who make the adjustable height kit. If they can't do your car, find somebody like Fatman who offers an exact kit for your Nash.
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; ch****t=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Do***ent"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DO***E%7E1/Ted/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDo***ent> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <woNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDo***ent> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> I used a Ch***is Engineering MII cross member with tubular A arms and the heaviest Mll springs I could find, also used a flaming River Rack and 11 rotors. <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; ch****t=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Do***ent"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DO***E%7E1/Ted/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDo***ent> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <woNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDo***ent> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> Be careful if you want it to set low, make sure you a lot of room in the wheel well openings or you will lose your turning radius.
Don't pay too much for a stock Mustang II/ Pinto cross member. I picked a bare one up this Spring at the Nats South Swap for $10. If there's a pull it yourself yard in your area there may be a MII, Pinto or Bobcat you can go cut the whole thing out of for $150 to $200 or less. With all that said I have to believe a Fat Man (or other) kit would be worlds easier to put in and cheaper in the long run if you never did it before.
I've got to second Henry J and alchemy, The stock cross member is by far my favorite way to do this. It is no harder to do than a kit, and the geometry is correct. My avatar Plymouth has had it's stock cross member MustangII 18 years and about 250,000mi. and has never given me a problem. I would prefer to see it at stock width rather than widened though,as it does marginally effect the roll center to do that. Also remember that most larger disc brake kits can add as much as two inches to the track width of the front end. And, I must add, I do consider a larger brake mandatory on this front end. The biggest problems I have encountered with most of the kits out there is they seem to have no problem moving pickup points in the suspension to package the crossmember better. This almost always results in compromised geometry, and effects such as bump steer, loss of antidive, strange wandering on the freeway, or out right failure, are somewhat common. I much prefer strut rods to strutless arms, unless the rearmost pivots are supported to the frame rails in some way. I've done this front swap on many vehicles over the last twenty years or so, using many different kits, it is not ALWAYS the best way to go, but most times, done correctly it is.
Just as an FYI, a stock MustangII is 56" hub to hub, with a Chevy brake kit they usually grow to 57", and with the common Ford brake kit 58".
FYI it's the stock with Mustang ll at 56" hub to hub and I am using ford bolt pattern rotors. If you were closer I would say stop by and check it out.
100% truth here. I couldn't have said it better myself. I've always used the stock X-member with excellent results. I went with a Fatman in my Zephyr because the frame is just so dang wide. In a few months I'll see how it handles. By the way, run V8 coils in my Nash with one coil cut out.
Check out Tom Pierce at streetrodengineering.com phone 928-636-5350. I used him for a wide mustang front clip on my 51 Merc--it went right in and he is really good about getting back within 24 hours if you have a question. The unit comes as an entire kit and is shipped on a pallet. Check out the website for some car magazine articles on his front clips. Also, this is the unit Jesse James just used on his new 51 Merc.
Granada rotors will get you 5 on 5 1/4. Camaro we be 5 on 4 3/4. I don't know how to get 5 on 5 other than to re-drill a set of rotors.
1938 Cadillac I am working on this week: 1939 Oldsmobile, repaired a botched Camaro subrame job. I used Astro Van rotors with 5 on 5" bolt pattern. Studebaker clips I have made: Even done Studebaker trucks with custom geometry: Feel free to click the link in my signature at the bottom. Check out my Photobucket too... http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb93/ELpolacko/
The Jalopy Journal
