All bets are off on the aftermarket kits. Crossmembers are offered in different widths and the steering rack must be sized to match to keep the steering geometry correct. Unless you completely understand front suspension and steering design, mixing and matching is probably not your best choice.

 

There are many MII kits out there. I use the word "MII" because the basic geometry is MII based. Not all "MII" suspension kits will accept stock MII components. To piece meal" a front end assembly like you are talking about get a cross member that is designed for MII components. That will give you the option to use stock components or use one of the many custom parts available for the crossmember. I do recommend specifying a mid 90s T-bird rack as the "mini" power steering pump they use fits much better and it eliminates the GM pump touchy feel common to MII rack and GM pump. People use the "ham can" pump because the Ford pump designed for the MII rack is huge and fugly!

 

What kind of vehicle do you have? Fatman Fabrication makes about the best kit in my book. The heaviest built and they make kits for most of the non mainstream cars. Where as other company's will sell you a universal kit and expect you to figure out the engineering. Call Brent at Fatman, he started the company many years ago and you will talk to him on the phone.

 

Remember for many years before and many years after the MII, it was a pinto.

A sub-mediocre suspension on a 2000# car

As indicated above. Do not mix and match

There are better suspension solutions out there

 

A lot of people make this misconception, not true. You need to look at a Mustang II or a Pinto, the engine sits directly above the crossmember. Most '30's and '40's streetrods, the front of the engine sits pretty much behind the crossmember. So the weight distribution is quite a bit different. anyone that has any doubts, call Brent at Fatmans, he'll explain it to you. I've talked to several streetrodders that had 100,000 miles on their MII frontends


, they say it was the best thing they ever did. Unless you want to spend 10,000 for a Morrison chassis. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

some of the MII kits are just for show cars not intended to drive on public roads. The bushings and small, the geometry is just fair, suspension travel can be limited by shock length, I would probably go with anything but MII

 

Well I just can't help my self.....the MII is a very good suspension system. The MII in my 36 Chevy has close to 100K on it. I put it in the car before MII kits were available (1980). I used the stock MII sheet metal cross member, gusseted, along with the stock MII components. The only change to the system was adding 11" rotors when the stock rotors couldn't be turned again. I did install new upper and lower ball joints when I had close to 80K on it in the car. That was done because I had no idea how many miles were on them when I performed the surgery. The car has been all over the Eastern U.S. over the years with no issues. Norfolk, VA - Minneapolis - Portage, WI - Memphis - Mobile - Kissimmee, FL - Louisville and numerous rod runs all over the South East! All with the wife and kids riding along.

The ackerman is perfect for street rods and many early cars as the wheelbase is very close to the Mustang. The notion that they are not heavy enough to do duty is urbane myth! Yes, the failures you are talking about with the Pinto was the cable link from the steering column to the rack. Had nothing to do with the suspension itself. It was recalled and replaced with shafts and u-joints. The upper control arm mounting "issues" are almost always technician related. Those "ripped out" top hat issues are a result of cheap aftermarket parts. The reputable suppliers have had no problems with their stuff. The lower control arm strut problems arise when "armatures" attempted to "clean up" the appearance. Properly braced and gusseted lower control arm strut rod replacements have proven to be durable and dependable. When the suspension is correctly maintained it is reliable, very drivable and very safe.

 

Imma call it M2 and pinto....ish
Too many aftermarkets making upper, lowers, center links, ball joints and everything else to call anything M2 or Pinto....Based maybe. Also know the M2 and Pinto arent the same and the both has different spindles.
IF we all knew what your working on that might help. With some fab skills you can make your own for about $1000

 

Forbid me for not wanting to use a 50 year old design.

But have you considered anything newer with a similar track width(and shock tower location)?

Heck most cars these days have junk transmissions, rusted brake lines after 10 years, frames that rust out within 12 years, and owners that think a 15k mile oil change is normal(that push it to 18-20k).

Good chance (after a good amount of research) you can find a $1200 car with a bad transmission and part it out then cut and paste the IFS into your ride with you getting the IFS for "free" things all said and done. Interior(dash, door panels, seats, column) $400, Engine $400, Tires/rims $400, then were making money on the doors $200, hood, trunk, fenders, bumpers, grill, etc $30-50 a piece, and of course cutting the car up into 6 or so pieces from there to scrap it for $100. Heck these modern infotainment setups can be worth the $1200 by themselves if in good condition.

That is a great way to make a budget build if you have the room to tear it apart.

You may need to do some fabricating to fit a sub frame up there. But it may also make mounting a rack easier with no question about geometry. Then you have something that can easily support a v8 and also easily get stock parts for. If you pull it out something performance related you may be able to upgrade the stock stuff to aftermarket stuff for more camber etc keeping everything bolt in.

 

Most "new" suspension systems use struts vs upper and lower control arms. Not sure how those would work in pre 40s cars? The geometry for suspension systems hasn't change, ever. It is adjusted to meet the end use goal of the vehicle it is used in. Ride vs handling vs strength vs cost are all factors in development of suspension design for a specific vehicle and it's intended use. The geometry of the MII is the basis for many aftermarket builders. It is easily adaptable to many different forms and functions and chassis types to improve and update driving and handling characteristics of a wide assortment of vehicles. Even today all the components for the MII are readily available in any parts house. Ease of installation is second to none. Every alignment shop has the settings for the MII and will easily make adjustments from "stock" to meet individual needs. Experience with installing and use of the MII will keep me in it's park.

 

Seems I forgot one of the Ten Commandments of Forum Posting: I forgot to mention what I'm working on. 😁
It's a 1932 Studebaker. No such thing as off the shelf parts for this build, so I'm basing my searches off of '32 Ford kits. Might be the least amount of modification needed for this application considering the similar body styles (though I think the Ford frames are slightly narrower... need to get exact dimensions).

I'm still in the planning stage, so I've got time to figure things out. Looks like a call to Fatman's might be a good idea. While johnsongrass1's idea of building it myself would certainly fit better within my budget, my welding skills would need to take a great leap in improvement first! (That is part of my overall plan, though.)

 

To directly answer you subject line question, Mustang 2/Pinto style is just a style.
Large masses of production on uppers, lowers, spindles, ball joints and everything else you can literally put the roll center, IC, bump steer, ackerman, all that pretty much anywhere you want too and call it Mustang 2 style. I'm sure some are better than others and without considerations of the back end is doing, the task of buying the perfect kit is daunting to say the least.

 

As noted, if the crossmember you use is designed to take stock components you should be able to piece-meal the front suspension... as long as you are using components that are meant to replace stock components (fit a stock crossmember). That's the limitation. Many of the "MII style" suspensions use the basic geometry but make alterations to either improve handling or reduce cost of production. Some of the changes are safety related, especially when eliminating the strut rod. Issues with strut rod elimination kits had a lot to do with bad installations. All crossmembers aren't strong enough to take the added stress, especially not stock Pinto/Mustang II crossmembers. Some crosmembers were made lighter simply because they didn't have to deal with the stress of an A-arm since the strut rod took a lot of pressure.

There are a few front suspensions out there that can be used. Ford Panther platform and Corvette C4 come to mind. The Panther (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis. Town Car) is used a lot in older trucks and might work. Here's a link with photos of one installed in Ford truck:
Crown Vic IFS - Installation Complete (For Real) - The FORDification.com Forums

This might be interesting also: Narrow Crown Vic | Team321

Many people use small and midsize truck front suspensions in older car like yours. Dakota, S-10, Ranger. But you have to use the front frame clip, not just a crossmember, due to the way the arm mounts are welded to the frame.

 

Here is a miata subframe as an example.
Lots of adjustment, lightweight, has a good aftermarket , and narrow track width.

The struts can be shortened , cantilevered, or air bags used to keep things under the fenders.

Heck you can make the IRS fit in the same manner with frame rails in between.

An aluminum turbocharged 2.3 or 2.5 mated to a 5 speed and a miata rear will move things while still being light.


Just as an example.

 

The Miata subframe can be made to work, just need somewhere to anchor the struts or coil over shocks. The upper arm isn't as stout as the lower, but a tubular arm could be made for it so that an air bag or spring could be used on top of the upper arm. Most strut suspensions don't use two A arms -- they use a single arm on the lower with the spindle part of the strut -- no upper arm needed. Some of the more expensive models use two A arms and a strut, but most are front wheel drive. Some of those could still be used -- it depends on the bearing. In some cases a stub shaft would have to be kept to keep the hub on the bearing. Not many people have explored using a FWD front suspension in a rear drive car, but it's doable.

 

Farna's post is interesting. I hadn't considered the Crown Vic, but after looking at that Team 321 website, I shot them an email to explore the options a little further. That, of course, brings up my next question: Some complain that the MII design is 50 year old, but, has it truly been surpassed by modern designs for this type of application?

Looking at the Crown Vic design, and even that Miata clip above (another nice suggestion, by the way, thanks!), the only real difference that I can pick out is the longer (longitudinally) lower A arm. I'll admit that I'm not an engineer, but does make any difference (other than possibly being more forgiving in terms of fine adjustments of the setup)?

 

The Miata uses a cam to adjust camber and toe (front and rear) so you can quickly move the thing one notch(I think a notch is 2 degrees) or 2 or 3 notches in a parking lot (writing down what you did) then go back to your baseline easily after playing around for the day etc.
Seriously every suspension should use a cam setup for easy alignment.

In contrast the mustang 2, s10, and a majority of others uses "alignment shims" which your not going to make adjustments to in a parking lot "easily". Not saying it is not possible to make parking lot adjustments with shims it is just harder then a setup that has a cam.


They sell knuckle kits to have like 60 degrees of steering angle on the Miata and not interfere with those lower arms with a fat 15x8+25(ish) wheel (stock miata body). Might hit the 32's fenders though and turning the full 60 degrees does freak most normal people out who will tell you your wheel is about to fall off going through a parking lot.

Generally street driving you will have a easy enough time with adjustment/steering angle on the stock knuckles.
This is of course assuming your 32's track (I found 59" front but a tape measure (middle of the tire to middle of the tire)will tell you for sure) is close to the miata's (55.5-56) you can of course use spacers/wheel adapters(not a fan), offset rims, or offset knuckles to avoid hitting the body.

It is easier to start with and fix a track width that is to narrow then one that is to wide.


For street driving a pinto front can be just fine if the application fits it. Set the alignment so it is parfect using shims and mark down how many your remove from where when you do any maintance(dont freak out if they are not symetrical). The amount of setback can have a drastic effect on the front end stress/weight. A pinto IFS in a MG is going to have more of the v8 over the suspension then the same v8 set in a (lightened) BMW M3 with a pinto IFS. The two could have the same curb weight with the same engine. But the pinto IFS may need gusseting in the MG while the same pinto IFS in the M3 will go for 100k without a concern.

 

Arm lengths make a difference, but I don't know enough to tell you how! So a little research. See these two sites:
n smikle's LMP car - F1technical.net - explains what varying lengths do (changes instant center).
Instantaneous Centre – Geometry Explained – Suspension Secrets - explains instant center.
Suspension Geometry Calculator - something to play with different arm lengths.

 

Just a quick follow up to this, I contacted Team 321 about their narrowed Crown Vic front end. Ended up having a great conversation with Dave about the prospect. I've definitely got more homework to do, but based off the conversation alone, I would certainly recommend Team 321 to anyone considering one of their components.