Hey guys, I want to put a new IFS in my 50 F1, I've looked at a dozen different manufactures and can't seem to compare apples to apples. any suggestions? thanks
With this being the HAMB....you're probably going to get a lot of folks advising you to just put the straight axle under it...
Put in a Jag XJS 12 front suspension. lots of info out there. check my BLOG. 1948fordpickup.blogspot.ca. good luck Thomas.
Mid 70s Volarie, put one under my 48 F-1, had the slamed look and road great! Everything is mounted to the crossmember, PWR brakes/steering and great parts support. Check on the Ford truck sights, there are vendors and fellows that will provide the template for cutting the frame to set that bad boy in place.
+1 I've heard good things about Fatman IFS. Not only is the the product but the support after with Installation/tech questions is great. Call'em up.
Here are a couple shots, sorry there are not better, that was a few years ago (1992) and the truck is living happily ever after in Covington, TN. As you can see the front cross member is nearly 100% intact. Even at the ride hight set that low it road great! That picture was the first time the truck was out of the garage under it's own power.
My '52 F1 has a clip from a 79-82 GM G-Body (Monte Carlo, Regal, Gran Prix, Cutlass). It was installed by the previous owner. While the G-Body clip would not have been my first choice, it is a reasonable choice. Donors are cheap and parts are readily available at the parts stores. The truck drives and rides good. If I was building another truck, I would probably go with the Jag IFS. As has already been mentioned, there are lots of articles and people who have done this conversion over at the FTE forum. Good Luck! -DV
hey bill, I'm sorry to be ignorant but this is the first time i've been on a forum. how do you get the pics?
Look very closely at the Jag Xj anything up to '86 for the four door stuff, and upto about '92 for the two door sporty car. They are all over the wrecking yards around here. My local u-pullit wanted 200.00 for one. They have the right track width, excellent geometery, and they come from a car of comperable weight to the truck your talking about doing. Elpolacko here on the H.A.M.B. used to do a Dakota kit for F-1s, but it was always just a bit too wide for comfortable wheel and tire fitment on a lowered truck. If your is up at more like stock height, he might be able to set you up with a kit. This is without a doubt the best front end for an early pick up out there. The Aspen/Volare front ends were popular back in the '80 and '90s, but again width is an issue with these trucks. More importantly, parts such as torsion bar bushings are almost unavailable,and the camber curve, and caster geometery is not so hot with these front ends. I love Mustang II front ends under fat fendered cars where they are well hidden, but in personal opinion, when they are widened or otherwise modified to install into something bigger many goemeteric changes occure that mostly end up negetive. JUST MY OPINION, but I would not use Fat Man stuff, ever. Once again, if you absolutely want a Mustang II under your truck, contact I.C. and talk to Steve (Elpolacko) and he can put a crossmember kit together for you. I know I sound like I'm shilling for Industrial Chassis, and to a point I am, but it's the simple fact that when stuff is done there it is designed around and keeps the correct geometeric placement of all the components. Other companies have no problem moving say the upper control arms to higher location to make an install easier; I mean what's the harm, right? Camber curve goes all to whack, that's the harm. You might not notice it readily in everyday driving, but that one time you get a little over your head, it's sooooo much better when it all works right. If it were mine, I'd look very closely at the Jag stuff.
thanks so much for the info. this helps a whole lot. i hope i don't wear you guys out, but i can tell i'll be asking a lot of questions. thanks, jeff
Jeff just click on the "Go Advanced" button, look for the "manage attachments" button, click it and a new pop up will show boxes with "brouse", that will let you put pics from your computer, not used the other functions so can't address them.
As you can see in the picture width is not a problem. The truck had full lock to lock turning ability at that ride, never bottomed out and aligned perfect the first time out. The front wheels were 14" Ford passenger car wheels, the rears were 15" Ford truck, the axle is a ????, don't remember....
Yep, wheel design (diameter/back spacing, etc) makes a big difference, as does tire choice. Do lots of research before diving into this. There is more to it than just picking up a front clip at the junk yard.
Another vote for Jag IFS. It has Chevy 5 on 4.75 bolt pattern, so you have lot of wheel choices. The whole Jag IFS comes out as an assy that is bolted to the donor car. You can weld it to your F-1 frame easily, or use the Jag factory rubber mounts if you want to get more complicated. I put 86 Jag XJ6 IFS under my 52 GMC, and the install was easy. Your Ford F-1 is essentially the same. Here is a pic of my Jag IFS in the GMC frame: It looks like this when removed from the Jag donor:
I would read throught this thread from elpolako. Even if you are not building your own there is some good info about what to look for in Mustang II front suspensions. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70073
I did a magazine project truck F-1 and we helped TCI develop their replacement frame for F-1's. It used a mustang II based suspension and rode and drove very nice. You can get that kit from them for a stock frame as well. Worked very well
It might be unpopular to use new parts on this site, but without trying to upset anyone...I recently installed a MII from Scott's Hot Rods in Los Angeles. His A-arms are the stoutest ones I have seen yet and the quality is second to none. Additionally his company has been very helpful and quick to respond. I know some have had issues dealing with them in the past but I can only speak about my purchase. I will definitely buy from Justin and his company again based on my experience. Don't shoot the messenger regarding new parts, I'm just trying to give helpful feedback. Send me a PM if I can assist with additional information. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
No argument or insult intended, but when I look at that pict I see about a degree and a half of negative camber dialed into the front end to keep the tire off the wheel wells. These front ends are cursed with negative camber gains in the first place and this wouldn't do a thing to help with that situation. The front tires are still a bit closer than I would be comfortable with and they are 14". A "standard" 3"-4" backspaced 6" or 7" aftermarket 15" wheel with even a short side wall tire would be a non player at best. Once again, I'm glad this worked for you, and I did the same many times back when this swap was one of the only games in town. But these days there is better out there and more commonly available.
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