Projects Model AA Front Suspension

For the rear I could do what Osage Orange did and weld something to the axle but I would delete a bunch of springs.

 

Did Michael J Fox pinstripe that dash rail?

 

So, your wheelbase was pulled back a bit then?

@ludwiggler you've got a lot of potential for doing something pretty cool with all that AA stuff. I'm firmly in the'use the rear springs with less leaves' camp. I'd try to use the front and rear wishbones too. They should be plenty beefy and will go a long way to setting your truck apart from the crowd. You may need to split the front wishbone depending on what engine you run.

You can go a long way building with what you've got there!

 

Ha Ha. I see what you did there. Making fun of someone with an incurable disease. Actually, the pin striping predates Michael, or at least his tremors. Apparently this AA had its last outing in a parade in the 60's and was put in non-op and parked in the backyard. I mowed the backyard for a nice old lady and asked for the truck. 5 acres of mowing for one model AA. Best deal ever.

 

@patmanta I'm sold on the AA spring setup and I see how to do that with welding on the 8.8. What do you think about shock mount location? Should I mount the engine, see where things are going to be underneath and then look into how to mount the stock front wishbone? I have read that the stock geometry is based on solid principles and I would like to try to keep stock wishbones. I imagine that the front and rear wishbones will be attaching at different angles than stock with the suspensions potentially lowered and a different kind of driveshaft. I can see I will need to create some type of custom front and rear crossmember. I can see how things might work with the rear wishbones but with the 302, will I need to split the front wishbones to clear the oil pan? Am I recreating the wheel here? Are there crossmembers of some sort that already exist for me to bolt/weld in place?

Brad

 

Also, what if I didn't use the 8.8 rear end? Any way to hotrod the stock differential?

 

There's got to be a number of big trucks hot rodded...lets see some pics. It would be beneficial to the OP.

 

Where can I find a Model A front end to replace the beefy Model AA? I like speedway's disk brake conversion but I'm not too hot on the front end kit they sell with four bar setup, for example. Are there no other options with the 1931 Model AA front suspension?

 

Go to page 3 in parts for sale. There is a dropped 40 axle with spring on top for sale. It's just what you need.
The Wizzard

 

I generally look locally for bigger parts, Craigslist, Swap Meets, or asking other rodders.
For Dropped Axles, and axle measurements in general, I usually refer to Nostalgia Sid's Droppedaxles.com
http://www.droppedaxles.com/FORD_AXLES.html

Your Wishbone will most likely need to be split to get around the 302 and be adapted to the new stance and layout. Leave them alone for now though. Also, that drag link is BEEFY and looks awesome with the tapered ends. Keep that for your build. Your rear rods are also beefy keepers no matter what rear you end up using.


Don't focus on brakes just yet, but with a small block, I think you'd be just fine with the repop Lincoln drum brakes up front if you want brand new ready to go stuff and it will look a LOT better on an open wheel build.

I do not know about working on the AA rear. They are generally pretty deep in the 6 to 8:1ish range, so it won't be ideal for a hot rod. I'm not sure if there are any parts or reworks that can change that. If you wanted to go wild and are or have a friend that's a machinist, you could possibly convert it into a quick change, but that's ambitious.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/partial-tech-unfinished-homebuilt-quickchange.733594/
Alternately, you could keep an eye out for a cheap Champ Quick Change rear end, which would look KILLER peeking out the back of a beast like this. These rears were based on later heavy truck rears of this configuration.

You need to stop thinking of it as an AA and start thinking of it as a Hot Rod if you're not restoring it. All that specific stuff kinda goes out the window. I think you'd benefit greatly by reading the Tardel & Bishop book, How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod. It's exactly the primer you need before going into this headlong.

You should slow down a little on trying to ID specific parts and really think about what you want this truck to look like when it's ready for the road. What's your grand vision? It's OK for that vision to evolve with the build, but having an idea of where you want to get really drives what you need to do and obtain.

 

@patmanta do you think that this 1936 front suspension and drop axle are a good deal?


1936 Ford Dropped Axle- 1936 1940 1947 Banjo Rear Axles $395
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/pts/4981931802.html

via cPro Craigslist App
iOS: http://bit.ly/CL_iOS
Android: http://bit.ly/CL_android

 

Hm, well those aren't exactly what I'd call bargain prices. He's right at around high retail price on that stuff. So, GOOD deal, no, but not necessarily moon money.

Be wary of pre-37 stuff up front, 36 wide 5 hubs/drums are a one year only thing and don't easily adapt to juice brakes (they require unobtanium deep offset Lincoln plates) and the spindles are the small bolt pattern. The GOOD deal there is the "1939-1940 Ford front axle assemblies complete with brakes or will part front ends out $100 to $400." I'd snatch one or both of those up even just for the brakes if the price is right. Avoid the Wide 5 stuff unless that's the way you want to go. Stick with the 5 on 5.5 if you want to run more common wheels.

I'd see if you could get that dropped axle separately and some 40-48 spindles, brakes, hubs/drums as a package instead. The 36 stuff just isn't going to be useful other than the spring and maybe perch pins.

The later front end assemblies have spring in front and have less space between the kingpin and perches. 28-36 are all the same:
50-1/2" Kingpin Center to Center
36-1/2" Spring perch Center to Center

The rear with the juice brakes you want are the F1's with the open drive. They should be a good width for a truck build and they're already open drive for your 302 & more modern trans. Also, they don't have the spring hangers to get in the way, just the pads for the parallel leaves of the F1, which will make good reference points. $500 is a bit high but really, with complete brakes, you'll save in the long run over buying a rear then converting it ($300) and putting brakes on it ($250-500). 3:78 is probably a happy medium ratio for a hot rod truck with an OHV engine.

 

@patmanta you're awesome. Thanks for all the help!

 

Keep us posted, and with pics when you find what works best for you. Keeping the front wishbone was my first choice, but a 351W with an AOD gets kinda bulky where the wishbone would pivot, so I went with a Pete & Jake's four-bar front and old mustang steering, but an F1 box would work out just as well.

 

A full wishbone is superior to split. Model A one is short and would require a strong crossmember curving around the bellhousing to mount it, early V8 ones are longer and meant to mount about at trans mount area.

 

I wouldn't go 4 bar personally. I like split wishbones given the choice any day.

I'd say you can maintain a good angle by mounting the split bones as inboard as possible if splitting is necessary.

Those AA bones are bigger than standard A bones though, aren't they @Bruce Lancaster ?

 

Everything is a bit bigger on '30-31 AA, but they are still short, as they mount to the bell like a regular A.

 

OK, then he could probably make a simple K from the center crossmember with some 4" angle iron and attach them split and close to their original location and be in good shape. Am I wrong?

 

Better to find V8 ones that connect a foot or so farther back, and keep'em mounted as designed.

 

I'm still searching for parts to get things rolling with. The earlier craigslist parts didn't go anywhere because They never responded to me. What do you think of the craigslist post below? I'm not certain if the drop axle pictured is something I could use if I bolted the 30 stuff to it....

Brad



modela front ends $200
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/pts/5013324505.html

via cPro Craigslist App
iOS: http://bit.ly/CL_iOS
Android: http://bit.ly/CL_android

 

Check out droppedaxles.com

 

Hey @ludwiggler how's the build progressing? You've gone quiet on us!

 

I'm back! I have done absolutely nothing on this project. I sat in the cab on a fruit box and made vroom vroom noises yesterday so I'm inspired. I have some people tracking down 37-49 spindles and 32 to 36 axle for me for the front suspension. I'm wondering if there are wheels out there that look similar to these big wheels that are currently on the truck. I really want to run dual tires in the back.

 

These are 1960 F-350 wheels and 17.5R 8 tires, the closest I could find to something that looked like the original AA wheels with duals. As you can see, they're 6-lug, and the left side is left-hand thread. But I'm with you, I wanted "the look."

 

Mine sits on a 36 axle with F1 spindles and brakes. I kicked the rear of the frame up 6" so the 36 axle is not a deep enough drop for me.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-hot-rod-29-aa-express-aav8-build.1124353/

 

This bolt pattern is slightly larger but it’s the same big 5 bolt pattern used on many Ford, Dodge, and international trucks
Came from a dodge motorhome, it’s a Dana 70 and 19.5 wheels

 

If I remember correctly, you may want to check the hole diameter. The pattern is the same but when I put a set of the matching RAM rear drums up to my F1 brakes, they fit BUT I needed a shim on the hub and the holes had like 1/32" slack around the studs. I THINK that this is because the MOPAR studs have a shoulder on them and the wheels are the same but you should take a close look at the dimensions before you spend a bunch of money.

 

Gorgeous!