[playboy]

Ive got a 36 chev pickup that someone else has started. He put on the mustang II suspension except for the strut rod and calipers and pads. I am not familiar with this suspension or the use of the strut rod. I have searched but can't seem to find what I need.

I have seen some people mention don't weld the support to the frame, it shoud be bolted. I have the stock strut rods. Does anyone have any pics of it mounted? Are there any tricks finding the right location? ride height? certain wheel angle? thanks!

[cornfieldcars]

I don't know who said you shouldn't weld them, never heard that before. Anyway....i have attached a couple of pics of the brackets on my 48 chevy p/u. Hope this helps.

Barry

[playboy]

I saw this post that someone recommends not welding it to the frame..

How NOT to do MII strut rod supports

if there any tricks to mount it? or just pick a spot on the frame where the bar is as straight as possible and weld?

[OneMoreTime]

Wily's comments go to lousy design of the connection of the strut attachment points..Study on good design of the weldments and use thick enough metal for the mounts and you should be fine..

Sam

[Slipangle]

Now... bear in mind my question comes from someone who has never had hands on a mustang II suspension, but has designed suspensions for tubular chassis.

Aside from designing the attachment point properly for the strut rod, don't you ideally want your pivot point where the strut rod attaches to the frame to be on the line in space formed by your lower control arm pivot axis? Anywhere else you are creating suspension bind, which will mean you essentially have a higher spring rate on your suspension, and any movement you get is from parts deflecting, like the bushings or your bracket on the frame.

[AntnyL]

Originally Posted by Slipangle

Now... bear in mind my question comes from someone who has never had hands on a mustang II suspension, but has designed suspensions for tubular chassis.

Aside from designing the attachment point properly for the strut rod, don't you ideally want your pivot point where the strut rod attaches to the frame to be on the line in space formed by your lower control arm pivot axis? Anywhere else you are creating suspension bind, which will mean you essentially have a higher spring rate on your suspension, and any movement you get is from parts deflecting, like the bushings or your bracket on the frame.

Yes. Ideally, the lca pivot bolt and strut mount should align in a common pivot axis to eliminate binding, bump-steer, etc.

Antny

[AntnyL]

Originally Posted by playboy

I saw this post that someone recommends not welding it to the frame..

How NOT to do MII strut rod supports

if there any tricks to mount it? or just pick a spot on the frame where the bar is as straight as possible and weld?

As far as welding vs. bolting, my thoughts are as follows;

Welding the strut mount directly to the frame may weaken the base metal and eventually cause fatigue stress cracks/failure. That's why some folks don't recommend it.

If you are looking to attach the struts to an otherwise stock vintage frame which typically use thin-walled steel channel, I think you'd be better served by using a length of structural angle iron (2" x 3" x 1/4" or so), bolt that to the frame using at least 2 bottom and 2 side (the more the better to share the load) grade 8 bolts (don't weld it on), and use that as the surface to weld the strut mount to. I would also tack in a few 1/8" thick steel backing plates to the backside of the frame where the bolts will be located, to beef up the strength in that area, and certainly box the frame there too. Overkill? Maybe, by why risk it?

This weekend, I'll be making up a set of similar supports, to add to the LCA pivot bolt, to add support to my MII suspension (55 Chevy pickup rod). I plan to use the same techniques/reasoning.

Anyone have any other tips? Should I instead consider adding strut rods? Mine is a TCI kit with tubular arms. My truck is a weekend driver, not a show-truck/jelly bean, so aesthetics don't matter.


Thanks,
Antny

[41'srfun]

Here's a shot of a strut rod mount on my 54' Chevy pickup. The frame is boxed on the inside and the pivot points on the strut rods and lower control arms are lined up so there isn't any bind when the control arm moves up and down. I think it would take a major impact to cause this mount to break, but I'm not a Mustang II expert either. Check the link to my journal in the upper right hand corner of this post. For some reason the pictures won't load.

[playboy]

pic no worky..

im still not clear how exacly the stut rod works. Does anyone have a moving diagram or something?

In my mustang II installation instuctions it says use the stock rods and attach them to the lower control arm and then move the strut rod until it meets up to the underside of the frame and weld a bracket to go between the bushings. It doesnt not mention if there should be weight on the suspension, if there are any angles it has to be at or anything else other than this.

[streetrodderbn]

Ideally,the strut rod should pivot in the same plane as the lower control arm. the mustII design was a good design,but the strut rod was an ancient fix from an earlier ford design to strengthen the lower control arm from deflection when the tire hits a pothole,ect... I would not utilize the stock strut rod,as it can cause impedment with some aftermarket wheel/tire combo's.remember,this setup was designed for a tiny 14 in tire on a pinto! there are articles on how to heat and bend the stock strut rod to bring it into the correct angle to align with the lower control arm pivot point,but why go through all that hassle!! you have 2 alternatives.1)buy an aftermarket tubular control arm with a poly bushing,it bolts on the stock lower control arm,and already is mandrel bent to align with the lower control arm pivot point.all you do is install a long bolt or bar through the lower control arm (where it bolts on the crossmember,the bolt has to be long enough to pass through the tubular control arm poly bushing) this will align both the control arm and the strut rod to pivot on the same plane,then you weld the brackets to the frame to maintain this alignment of your tubular strut rods. or 2) buy tubular lower control arms that eliminate the strut by being wider to the rear of the crossmember.these also require welding,this time they have a thick tube that welds inside the crossmember,where the stock lower control arms bolted inside the crossmember, and, then a thick tube that welds to the rear of the crossmember with a gusset. now the lower control arm bolts to the outside of the crossmember in the front,and onto the thick tube that was welded to the rear of the crossmember.(this is the preferred method of all aftermarket mustII installations you will see in all aftermarket frames,as is is the cleanest install.) hope this helps!

[kruzr]

Is the frame boxed?,if not, I would consider doing that,here is pic for you I hope,very informative ,they even tell how important the strut is.You can get info from Heidts site..... also pic of aftermarket strut...hope this helps
This is my reasoning for using strut,think of yourself pusing wheelbarrow along smooth surface,everything good,now hit a hole or rut and it kinda throws your body wherever n hurts too...and hope nobody's watching

Go here for info and picshttp://www.heidts.com/heisinfo.htm

[bentwings]

Look at the thread regarding M2 failures and read info posted there. Your mount looks ok I think. There is some good info here too about alignment too. I use struts on my Willys too.

[cboy]

Originally Posted by 41'srfun

For some reason the pictures won't load.

41,

The pictures in your journal are HUGE and that may be the reason they will not load up in your post. If you downsize the pictures (either in your journal or make copies in your photo gallery) they should appear in your post without any problem. I normally use a stock 4"x6" size with 100 dpi. This also helps out our members who are on dial-up. Those large pictures take forever to load on a slow connection.

Dewey

[kidashley25]

You will use the lower control arm and strut rod for locating the rear strut rod supports and gussets. Using a 2 x 4 and a C-clamp.

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