You'll lose much more than just the turn radius, you will also lose response throughout the range, will feel like the steering is disconnected. With only a 3" drop you should have enough room to drop the steering arm enough to eliminate the bump steer. Draglink doesn't need to be be perfectly parallel to the ground. wasn't from the factory, the angle was deliberate to work with the suspension movement. Get it as close to OEM as possible.

 

If you're concerned with safety you absolutely shouldn't be heating any suspension or steering part red hot, bending or not. Heating that much changes the metal and you're just asking for failure.

I'm with AX' regarding the various possibilities. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but I'd take a straight axle over a Pinto any day. Chrysler always had the worst suspensions of the big three and the Aspen, et al were the worst of the lot. The CV is utilitarian, neither particularly good riding or handling. It was designed for fleet vehicles, sturdy and inexpensive. That was the CV's bread and butter. While I'm not familiar with the Lexus transplant I can say nothing rides or drives like a Jag'. Period. If I were to change out my suspension that's the only direction I would take. To me, anything less would just be a waste of my time.

But that's just me. ;-)

 

Front end: 3 " drop an 2 springs removed. Everything is new from Toyota PS box to new pins in springs. All new except for springs themselves. I also have sway bar on front end. AXracer helped me with caster and tow in. I still had bad bump steer. I heated steering arm and moved it down two inches today. This completely eliminated the bump steer, changed my life!! Now I can roll on at 70 with no surprises. It's not an IFS but to far from it. I have air bags and a wireless monitor on my F250 truck so I ordered the wireless monitor and put air shocks on the rear. I can change form a smooth ride to a firm ride with one touch of a button. This monitor has two chambers, left and right or front and back. I'm think I will try a set of air shocks up front and try them at different pressures. Hopefully I can set it for soft running around town, then change it to firm for mountain riding.

 

I am doing the Jag IFS on my 56. I have looked at countless galleries here and the install I like the best is Aussie 53. By notching the frame he was able to put the upper A arm below the top of the frame, this way the inner fender is untouched, a very clean look.


B

 

A long time since I participated in an suspension debate. I once had strong opinions mostly based on what I read on the net. After 15 years of playing with these and 10 years of driving my own truck and and others my opinion has evolved some.

-Stock suspension can be quite acceptable but is by far the most intolerant of worn parts IMO. The only trucks I have driven that were comp;ete;y unacceptable were worn out straight axle setups.
-Any IFS is almost guaranteed to ride softer and brake better than stock. There is a reason modern vehicles do not have drum brakes and straight axles.
-I've never owned an MII but stating a quality aftermarket MII is identical to a stock Pinto is not an informed statement. I owned a few Pintos and it is stamped steel trash that rusts to oblivion in a few years. There are some very nice MII options if that is what you want.
-Comments about a CV being a fleet vehicle and just a bad option. Are you serious and have you driven one? CVs drive nicer than most any front and top heavy F1/F100 will ever dream of.
-I have a Volare IFS. I would certainly not recommend it as a new install today but after 10 years of use, I just smile when I read how horrible the ride is supposed to be.

If I had to make a IFS recommendation it is this.

-choose something you like the looks of if that is important to you.
-pick something that is popular enough so you can likely get rebuild parts in the future. (or by them now)
-install it with precision, rebuild it to like new condition.
-reality this is hard to screw up so just drive your truck and enjoy it, knowing that in ten years your choice will be considered a bad idea on the internet. The stock suspension was lucky to last ten years off the farm so you probably did OK whatever you decide.

 

How did I know someone would take offense? That's why I prefaced with, "I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings..." and closed with, "But that's just me." I wasn't out to judge anyone's choices or reasons. The OP asked for recommendations and I gave mine. A lot of better options have opened up in the ten years since you chose to graft your front end on. I'm happy that you're happy.

I've been a paid, professional mechanic for 45+ years (check my profile.) 23+ of those years was spent mainly in an alignment pit. Eleven hours/day, six days/week. The boss used to keep track of production and told me I had averaged 21 alignments/day. You do the math. Even if I only did one per day that's around 7,000 alignments (if I did 21 it looks a lot like 144,000+.) Kinda figure I have just a little room to give an opinion when someone asks.

BTW, yeah, I know about CVs. We've got a ton of them here in the Metro. A lot of them are old enough to have cracked frames behind the RF control arm (the frame, not the crossmember.) Good, reliable cars but compared to a Jag? C'mon.... :-)

When does a Pinto suspension quit being a Pinto suspension? Is there some sort of latitude allowed before it begins being called something else? Short little control arms set close together (pivot distance and arm length) are acceptable for a short, narrow, light little turdbox but veer away from that the taller, wider and heavier a vehicle becomes (think: CG.) Obviously a Jag' suspension wasn't designed for our trucks but the simplicity of adaptation and its engineering is a better, again my opinion, choice.

It's all good. I hope I haven't ticked anyone off.

 

Jag worked for my F1s, I just like that it came from a 4000 pound car so it is made to handle the weight.
Easy to adapt in the F1 and other vehicles. I am putting one in my 41 caddy now.

 

I'm leaning toward the Lexus SC 400 swap. Those are proving difficult to come by in my area. Has anyone used a Lexus LS 430 front suspension? If so, what's the good, bad, and ugly of doing so?

 

Look like a nice suspension, only downside I have found is the lower ball joints are not replaceable, have to replace the lower control arms to the tune of $250 and up each.

 

any year SC300 SC400 or 92+ Supra.

Like Dave said lower ball joint is not replaceable. There are ways around that though if you have the tools.

 

Sorry if I came off as offended. I should be numb by now. I've read a hundred of these IFS threads since the late 90s. Nothing has really changed much. Some would like to think that installing an MII makes your truck drive like a Pinto, and a Jag suspension magically transforms your Effie into a Jag. Both are false for a number of reasons. MII owners are not cutting a stamped steel Pinto suspension out of a rusty donor as seems to be implied. We had a terrible MII scare here sometime back. We all patiently waited for a forum member to crash and die but it never happened. Almost always typed by somebody who has never once driven an MII truck, or whatever IFS we are bashing on any given day.

Anyone that wants to bash a suspension choice that has been installed 10,000 times without issue is free to do so. I'll just point out to readers it is usually internet pontification from somebody who has zero actual seat time with what they are bashing. Stock suspension guys take the same internet beating because somebody drives some 50 year old wore out junk and starts assuming the factory design must surely be dangerous.

 

I've seen this topic brought up before and you have the ifs crowd and the straight axle crowd. People will defend what they have.

When the straight axle crowd preaches about how wonderful it is and how it can be "close" to ifs handling and ride I often wonder what the cost is apples to apples

Jag ifs - $2-300
Rebuild - $200?
Another 50-100 for u joints and hardware to hook up the column to the rack and pinion


Mustang ii with power steering, disc brakes, and sway bar plus good camber gain, anti-dive, scrub radius and ackerman
$2000.00 for a good kit

Straight axle
Dropped beam $?
Disc brake conversion 400?
Power steering $500-600
Sway bar $300
Shocks $ 50-200
All new steeromg components $?

I don't see where an argument even exist unless you're staying traditional. We'll maybe so you can do one at a time instead of one upfront purchase

 

I agree all else being equal rebuilding and upgrading a straight axle is about the same or more money than upgrading to IFS, but upgrades require fabrication and the snowball of changes needed with each non stock change.

Not everyone has fabrication / welding ability, and rebuilding and upgrading a straight axle can be a mostly bolt on / hand tool job and sometimes that is more important to the owner.

I can do a jag IFS including rebuild for normally $600 or less but it is no bolt in install. I do think it is an easier install than a mustang II and I always prefer OEM parts over aftermarket but that is just me.

 

Sorry, NOT comparing A to A. if you are going to add in the needed extras for some you must do it for all. (esp MII above) Then add in installation costs i.e. if you aren't an accomplished welder you are going to have to hire one.
There is no necessity to use a dropped beam, that's a personal choice option. A completely rebuilt beam with PS can be done for ~ 1K and the work accomplished by someone reasonably mechanically inclined with a good set of hand tools in the home driveway over a long weekend or two.
I agree with the assertion that most who criticize the beam axle likely hasn't driven one that is completely rebuilt (and/or w/PS).
The quality "MII Type" suspensions have been completely redesigned and use almost no common parts or geometry with the OEM MII/Pinto. Just avoid the low end crossmember only "kits" that call for salvaged OEM parts for rest of suspension/steering.
IMHO the only positive feature of the CV is price, but that is offset by cost and limited selection of usable wheels. The geometry is nothing to write home about. Here at least once a month there is a story about an officer losing control and crashing his/her cruiser. Installation is more complex than an MII. Really doesn't fit an F1.

 

Of course I wasn't thinking anyone would graft a Pinto onto their truck. It's the geometry that has been copied. Dollar for dollar my opinion is the Jag is the best IFS to add on. It may not be as pretty but it's easy to install, has good brakes and drives well. And that's what the OP was asking for - opinions. And no, I don't believe any of them is going to make a 60 year old truck drive like a Jag, a CV or a

Who do you think did the alignments on those vehicles when they were finished? Yeah, I drove a lot of them after aligning them and helped owners figure out "why does this do that when I ..." Trust me, I have plenty of seat time. For my money I don't think a Pinto front end has $2000 advantage over the straight axle when you consider how the truck will be driven. These aren't autocross vehicles, nobody's driving them in a Formula race. They're pretty much going to be cruising, doing a few burn outs and picking up some beer. Some will actually make long voyages cross-country and then the value might show up. But I know I'd be happier, at that point, with the Jag and the extra $ left over.

But that's just me... ;-)