[billg_69gmc]

thanks Willys, I had a look at your project journal. I don't think I'm ready for that due to space limitations and the neighbors would freak if I brought a donor home. I have decided that I will most likely put in mono leafs to lower it down and I can always revisit it in the future.

[bigbird]

Raw,
That's a question I have as well. I got my kit a couple of months ago and have yet to assemble it, but I have looked at the bolts and mine look like what you've described.

I am tempted to buy my own grade 8's so I know for sure!!

Fred

[38project]

I have a Stage II setup in my 38 Plymouth Coupe. The one problem that I saw when I installed the kit is that the lower control arm bolt is not held stationary. That means that when the control arm rotates, the bolt can also rotate in the holes in the cross member.

I welded some tabs to the tubular spacer that the bolt rides in that sits between the two sides of the cross member. I then bolted that tab to the bottom of the cross member. I then drilled and tapped two holes in the spacer and put in 1/4-20 bolts to hold the bolt stationary. This keeps the wear on the bolt where the lower control arm bushing are and not in the holes in the cross member.

I just thought this might help the bolt last longer - no metal to metal rubbing.

[JSracing]

Here is a picture of the front end I run on my race car. At 155 mph I sincerely hope there are no issues like you describe.

[cornfieldcars]

I have a stock Mustang II frontend in my 48 Chevy P/U and utilized the strut rods. I feel that everything is welded in very strong..but I guess time will tell as I haven't got the truck on the road yet. Willys stated early on that he prefers the stock MII which made me feel a little better. I do have a question on torqueing the bolts for this fronted. I couldn't open the file regarding the torque and was wondering what the specs were for this frontend

[Zimmo]

Originally Posted by billg_69gmc

First off this thread has been a God send... I've been collecting info on what to do with my "new" truck... 59 Apache. As of now I have been prioritizing upgrades and suspension/steering are up on the list. After reading all the "possible" issues with an IFS kit, it makes me think twice. I've talked to guys at Progressive Automotive and looked at other kits.

Has anyone been pleased with just adding monoleafs to lower a 2nd series and had good results?

Also with converting to front disc, are the kits available worth the time/money?

The truck is completely stock right now. If mono leafs can perform as advertised, does the fact that the front end remains stock still make it feel like driving a tank on a pogo stick?

Also any tips on TIG would be appreciated... I got my LE185 hooked up and began practicing burning through all sorts of test pieces. It's definitely a coordination thing but fun all together! Basically any info on tip diameter / settings for sheet metal of various thickness would be great help. The body has the usual issues except the PO had cab corners lap welded and it was not done well. Same goes for the lower front fenders. Lots of filler. Paint is blistered up wherever body was "patched".

Another issue I'm dealing with is paint. If I do one color, probably flat black or a nice titanium. I definitely want to show off the hood by lowering it up front, so if I two tone it possibly titanium body with flat black hood and tailgate... any thoughts?

I've been tossing around the same idea with my '59. Years ago when I didn't know any better, I removed a couple of leafs from each side It dropped it & looked cool, but it felt loose and the lean factor was way worse. I've seen some cool straight axle drops. One had a modified axle & another had de-arched springs with reversed eyelets. I don't know much about the monoleaf kits. If they are composite/fiberglass, I would really check the track history on that before bolting them up.

Good luck with the '59 They really look good when done right. Mine is painted 'Vette Sunfire Yellow with white trim. Hella H-4 flat lens BMW style headlights really look tough on the quad headlights with the headlight rings painted white.

[solidaxel]

Well, thanks Folks for all the good info. I am in the process or a complete rebuild of my MII which has a local fabed cross member and hats. The problem that I experienced after 10+years and two speedometers was that the top hats were stressed and pulling away from the frame at the vertical welds. Repairs were made by adding additional gussets to front and back of the hats. The lower cross member I am going too check over after reading of all the problems that were found, I have the stock struts. I am also replacing the lower arm bolts with GRADE 8's which had allen bolts, Thanks for the recommendations. I have a question on the lower urethane bushings where they meet the cross member, there was a washer between the bushing and cross member on the inside and I don't remember why we placed it there, is it needed? Is the bushing serrated and if so should it not torque tight up to the cross member and only the urethane part of the bushing move. I did not look at this when we assembled the front end!! Thanks again for all the good info.
By the way this is on my 55 1st series

[trees]

Solid, I have only seen the washer between the nut/bolt head and the bushing. The inside of the bushing is against the cross member or boss welded on the cross member, depending on the manufacturer, and does not need a washer. Probably would not hurt unless it holds the bushing out of the housing more than designed.

Trees

[h8louzn]

Very nice post!
I was going to do the fatman on my 55 fairlane.
Guess I will look elsewhere.
FATMAN not getting any FATTER off me!!

[willys36@aol.com]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

Well, thanks Folks for all the good info. I am in the process or a complete rebuild of my MII which has a local fabed cross member and hats. The problem that I experienced after 10+years and two speedometers was that the top hats were stressed and pulling away from the frame at the vertical welds.

Another unsolicited testimonial for using stock MII X-members!!

[solidaxel]

Willys 36,
The cross member that we fabricated was not a STOCK unit but 3/16 hot rolled rectangular tubing, that is in great shape.
The problem that I had was, we used too thin of a steel for the hats!! They have since been reinforced by doubling the vertical gussets all the way to the underside of the frame, this will cure the problems that I experienced.
NO, I would not use a stock Ford MII cross member but I think there are plenty of good aftermarket sources for the foundation pieces and the stock struts, A-arms and spindles. I think the rack and pinion is the best part of this rebuild!

[willys36@aol.com]

You misunderstood my sarcastic remark. I am a HUGE proponent of using the stock Ford X-member over any after market one. The stocker will last forever, guaranteed whereas many of the after market ones have obvious built in flaws guaranteed to fail eventually. None of the aftermarket ones have the engineering and testing that the stock one does.

[mattmanuel]

Willys36-
After reading this entire thread you have convinced me that a stock x member is the way to go for my 34 chevy. Now I have even more questions...

What year(s) MII should I be looking to scavange from?

Are the V8 models built any stronger?

Who makes a hub/rotor with a chevy bolt pattern that will fit the MII spindle?

And, yes I will be using a strut rod.

Thanks in advance!

[cornfieldcars]

Matt,

I know I'm not Willys but....I got my rotors/hubs, calipers, bearings etc from Yogi's. It's a TCI kit and seems to be a nice package. I also got springs and shocks from there. You can get a Ford bolt pattern or Chevy. The rotor caliper kit is a little over $300 shocks and springs about another 100. Hope this is of help

Barry

[willys36@aol.com]

Originally Posted by mattmanuel

Willys36-
After reading this entire thread you have convinced me that a stock x member is the way to go for my 34 chevy. Now I have even more questions...

What year(s) MII should I be looking to scavange from?

Are the V8 models built any stronger?

Who makes a hub/rotor with a chevy bolt pattern that will fit the MII spindle?

And, yes I will be using a strut rod.

Thanks in advance!

The X-members are the same for all MIIs, Pinots, Bob Cats, etc. Only differences are in how the strut rod rear attachment is made. MIIs have a bolt on secondary X-member that I like to incorporate whereas the Pinto anchors them in the firewall sheet metal so you need to make you own mounts. They are all pretty strong due to the chassis design. I like the V-8 cars as donors for the power steering gear and the strut rod X-member. Otherwise get any one of them. The engine actually hangs way over the centerline of the front wheels so there is more weight on it than even most big sedans. 4-cylinder springs are usually enough for all but the biggest big block rods. I made up a jig to drill my own rotors (see my journal) to 5-bolt but aftermarket rotors are all over the place. Be sure to weld up a 3/8" strut rod support that BOLTS to the frame w/ 4 5/8" grade 8 bolts. Don't weld it to the frame.