anyone have advice about who makes and sells the most cost efective mustang II crosmember ive seen the prices vary from 300.00 to 499.00 all i want is a solid safe car on the CHEAP ya know...

I like Bob at progressive.I also like TCI and Hedits. I dont like Fat Man anymore his quality is not up to snuff anymore. If you do the whole deal make sure you get the 11inch brakes and tell them which bolt pattern you will be using.You can order it with ford or chevy bolt pattern to match your rear.Also make sure you get the lower a-frames that dont have the strut rods. I also like the newer (slower rack)90's bird or 95 mustang rack, older mustang II has a pretty quick steering and some guys dont like it and try to fix it with all sorts of valves and restrictors but in the end its just to fast not made for a rod. Hope this helps.

Another thing to consider is the cost of welding those kits into your car. If you aren't a welder or have a friend who's work you trust, it will cost you to get a welder to come to you or to haul the car to a welder. I've had bad luck with alleged mobile welders who never showed up. That's why I bought a bolt-in kit. They cost more initially, but there isn't that hidden cost for welding. RB's and Chassis Engineering make bolt-in kits. The bolt-in kits attach to the chassis the same way that the stock Chevy crossmember does, so the stress on the frame rails will be distributed the same. A lot of those weld-in kits were designed to be "adaptable" to a wide variety of cars with different frame rail designs. Look at the cost of the whole package, installed, rather than just the kit. There's a lot to consider and your life depends on the quality and strength of the installation. So, don't just look at price. You get what you pay for.

First off RB's makes nothing, they are just another summit.(ask them about camber,bump steer and caster gain and they will tell you its factory specs,another way of saying i dont know) The bolt in kits cost more money for no gain.When you do a frontend there WILL be welding and fab work.The little bit of welding you save by the so called bolt on kit is not worth the effort(or cash).I have seen the one he sells for the cars and the wheel base is off a little bit also.Your going to have to weld other parts of the kit any way and so just tack it and send it out o have it welded if you dont feel comfortable welding. In the end the bolt on kit also looks rather crummy. Just my thoughts as i have used them and dont think its worth the extra money.The stress thing was a really good marketing tool by them but is total B.S. The reason it was bolted in the first place was cause it was cheaper than welding.8 bolts or welding,i will take welding anyday.

I agree with Phat on this one. There is just no substitute for welding. When was the last time you saw a bolt in front suspension made from the factory? mid 50's?

A good quality mig welder should be one of your 1st tool purchases. I can't imagine starting a project without a welder, sawzall and a grinder.

Remember the old "Dick Dean" t-shirt that said "Anybody can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up!"

thanks guys for the info this is what my situation is the car is a 48 chev tudor
i'm 28 years old raising kids and paying bills
(meaning i'm dirt broke get it) so what i want to know is should i buy the $359.00 cm from heidts or should i save 60.00 and get it from Jim Weimer for $299.00 is it worth the extra money to go with the brand name ive heard for the last ten years or with the guy who looks better on paper? what i'm saying is if both items are made of the same material i.e. diameter.thickness,welds,and the way it was cut then why pay the extra? both items are fabricated pieces both will have production variations i do understand that this is the foundation of my vehicle a VERY VERY important part also like some of you my car is a work in progress it will evolve as time and funds become available hence i will be using the stock lower A arms with the strut keep in mind that i am a srounger in the truest sense of the word the wiring i pulled from a 66 bel air complete and perfect along with many odds and ends trim screws gauges steering column etc
in short time i have lots of money has to be spent sparingly... sorry this was so long i just wanted you guys to understand me..

I have not used Jims stuff,i have however used the heidts crossmember .I would use the heidts only cause i know they fit well and have had no failures.If there was any way at all possable i would try to talk you out of the strut rod lower control arms. I know money can be tight but the frontend is no place to skimp.Build a junk yard motor,buy a used tranny (dont like the idea of a used wiring harness cause in the end its cheaper to just wire it yourself plus you will have learned a lot about your car)Donor car for seats and interior,primer for paint.I just think you should go the full boat on the frontend and brakes ,they are what makes the car comfortable to take on a long trip and to be safe.Hell if the motor blows up you can allways glue it together to get home ,trannys can be switch in motel parkin lots.Wrecked cars because it did not drive or stop so well........your life or kids life cant be fixed so easy. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Not all Mustang II cross members are alike. There can be a distinct difference, not only in the quality but also in the design (geometry) that can have a big effect on how the suspension performs.

My choice has always been Heidts. I know their cross member has the proper geometry built in to the design so I don't have to worry about things like bump steer. I don't know that's true about some of the lesser-known brands and since the front suspension is a safety item, I will choose a quality product every time. Think of this, are your kid’s lives worth the extra $60? I'm not saying that using someone else's kit will kill them, but what I am saying is that for me, compromising on safety just isn't worth saving $60.

__________________
Centerline
HotRodsAndHemis.com

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

I've been asking this question for several months now. I know the TOTAL COST INVOLVED guys have the best IFS on the market today. how you say, because when you ask a question they have the answer, not one of those a---well---u--c--we--a--- get it! they make the unit and well suport you if you get hung up during installtion, and I've been told this by more than just them. So, don't think your saving money buy putting a cheap unit in wait a little longer save a little more and get the whole IFS, you won't be sorry...

When it comes to Must II lower control the use of the factory strut rod increases the strength of the lower arm while giving some compliance to reduce shock......Don

Don wrong on both fronts.The strut rods fails because they are usally heated and bent at an angle ford did not intended them to run.(as in break and crash the car,also the frame mounts break ocassionally) They have a rubber bushing in them and under hard braking you loose castor.(plus a whole bunch of other good stuff like camber gain/loss bump steer) As the rod goes up and down in its travel it moves the lower control arm back and forth.Ford never got it correct and is still a problem to this day on some of there trucks. Its plain and simple a bad deal and should be avoided.(sorta like the twin I-beam mess they have)Use the good after market lower a-frames and all that ford mis engineering goes away. Besides did you ever ride in one? when they get some miles they squeak and bang like hell.

Have to disagree with some of your opinions on the stock Mustang parts. Yes sometimes strut rod mounts break but it’s due to poor quality welding by the person who installed it, not necessarily because of faulty engineering by Ford. Yes sometimes strut rods break because someone has heated and bent them. That is most often due to the use of a poorly designed kit, not because of Ford’s engineering. A good quality, properly designed Mustang II kit will not require the strut rods to be bent.

All IFS systems are a compromise and the Mustang II design is no different. It is however probably the easiest for the novice to install and has the added benefit of being very strong. It can also be equipped with a myriad of different brake systems, rotors, and shock designs (including air ride and coil over), and when it comes to adapted systems the Mustang II design handles pretty darn well (providing someone starts with a quality kit and installs it correctly).

The Mustang II IFS isn't an end all but is an excellent choice for the novice or anyone who is interested in adequate handling at an affordable price.

__________________
Centerline
HotRodsAndHemis.com

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

Centerline guess you did not read the post .I dont think there is any mention of the stangII being a problem by me.Just the strut rods. You have them i understand and refuse to beleive you made a mistake(thats and opinion,and with the weight of the motor you are running it will be not the best handling thing you could be driving).But you can stop over the shop saturday and help me change the factory ones on a 90's f150 ford pickup with 46K on it(which is real fun cause you have to cut the rivets off the frame mount to pull the strut rod bracket off on a 4x4 or take the whole frontend apart) Its a problem pure and simple ,draw it out on a full scale peice of paper and you will understand.Its dangerous but cheap to build(companys like fatman just copy the mistake in for you,like most of the other junk he builds)If it was NOT a problem you would not have everbody building kits to fix it. Sorry but i do these every day and judge my posts on facts not opinions.See them on a bump steer gauge ,watch the caster gain/loss,watch the camber gain/loss and see they dont hold a wheel alignment and sometimes really raise hell with straight line braking.We wont even go into the fact that as you roll into a corner the chassis rolls over and if that strut rod is not striaght it will either pull that control arm back or push it forward(which also changes toe in or toe out and on a nice wet day spins the car out) which also binds the bushing in the lower a-frame plus binds up the sway bar. Beleive what you will but,i think after you have done 50 or so you may change your mind.Besides it costs very little to do the correct way and get rid of the marshmallow that holds your frontend in alignment.Sorry but i have done a lot of design work on this frontend and the strut rod(next to the small brakes is a NO NO) Hope this expalins it to some guys and gets you to thinkin. I have run longer strut rods with heim joints with some sucess but not all that great.Maybe some one will get to thinking and find a diff cure but for now buy the good lower a-frames.All IFS are NOT a compromise the TCI unit is a drop in and handles better than most new cars out there cause they have done ther home work.It is also one of the easest(cant spell worth a sh#t) ones to install.can be done in and afternoon.But you pay the price. Ok off the soap box.Hope some one gets something out of this it was not meant to be i know more than you kind of BS just info i have found to be true over the year installing this stuff for a living.

god you gotta love phat, he tells it like it is and knows what it is he's speaking of. no wonder he has 5 stars and i only 4

yea Phats pretty shart! I've known Phat off of this board since october.

I've been going through centerlines website. he's got some great write ups on there for a chevy truck the same generation that I'm doing, and I think he may have just saved me some good $$$ on his rear susp. setup.