Carcrafter please keep this going and updated. When I go back to my parttime job at the salvage yard I am going to look at the crossmember from an 05 that we brought in about 1.5 month ago and then go measure a buddy's 53-56 Frame to see how close they are. Thanks Donald

 

79 Thunder would you mind emailing me any pictures you have to tacson at comcast.net? I am interested in this IFS swap on a 53-56 F100? Thanks

 

how much weight do ya think you took off the truck? i know the twins and every thing that goes with them isnt that light so there must be a pretty good weight savings. keep up with the pic's even tho i realy dont wana lower mine im following this close i might do the same thing just to save weight and and the goodies like disc and power

 

Looks really good Randy.

What I would do about the rear axle is weld the axle pads on the bottom and notch the frame for extra travle then if you need more drop you can put some shackles or lowering blocks. Keep up the good work and keep showing us how it's done.

 

Have you looked at the possibility of using the Crown Vic. four link and coil springs?
Keep up the good work, this is great.
Mike

 

if you think that the front will be lowered 5" from the new frontend, then you will need about6" in the back which will be tough without flipping the axle

 

I really didnt want to notch the frame in the rear but I probably will have to. I dont think it will have to be notched a whole lot though. Besides if I notch it now it will already be done if or when I decide to put in the air bagged 4 link

I would really like to thank everyone for all the encouraging words I am glad you guys like it so far. I still have alot more to come.

 

I have a 55 with the front sheet metal off and I measured the outside of the frame rails above the axle and it is right at 34 inches. The centers of the bolt holes on the crown vic suspension is about 31.5 if I remember correctly. One hole is oblong to allow for adjustment. Hope that helps ya.

 

34" wide is the perfect frame width. This is almost a complet bolt in setup after you cut out the front crossmember. The only thing you have to fab and weld in are the 2 brackets that you mount the trailing arms to.

 

Well its 3AM here and I just finished getting the rear axle somewhat in place. I have gotten all the crown vic suspension mounts cut off and ground everything down to make it look like an older axle. I just need to put the axle in place and tack weld the spring mounts in. I should have it done tomorrow sometime.

 

Once word of this gets out as to how easy this swap is, it will beat the snot out of all those after market IFS systems. I thought they were over priced anyway. Keep up the great work Carcrafter22! I can't wait until you get it finished.

 

Thanks and I agree I just couldnt justify spending $1500-$2500 for a mustang 2 suspension. I like this because you can always get parts at the local parts store almost anywhere and did I mention its dirt cheap. LOL...

I decided to put the axle on top of the springs after some looking and thinking. This put the truck really low.

I placed the bed back on to see how it looks. I was kinda dissapointed because the tires touch the fenders a little. I will fix it by haveing the springs rearched and raise it by 1" and I will roll the fender lip up to also help clear the tires. I may just get some wheels with more offset later on. Who knows.

I think I will need to raise the rear up by 1" anyway to make the truck sit level. I will know how it really looks after I get the engine and trans installed.


I had planned on installing the engine and trans tonight but just found out that I have to go back out to east texas for buisness. I will be gone for a few days so the truck is back on hold.

 

Here is the 8.8 with disc brakes installed in the truck. I have the springs under the axle right now but may put them over the axle before long. more on that later...





Here is how it sits with the bed. A little too low for my taste. I will need to raise the rear 3" to make it level with the front of the truck.

 

The wheels are stock 07 dodge magnum 18" wheels with 225/60/18 goodyear tires they are about 28.6" tall. From the bottom of the fender well to the ground it is 26.75". The tires do touch the fenders pretty good. I will have to raise the rear 3" to make it level with the front and I may still shorten the width on the rear axle to make it have the same track width as the front, I still havent decided.

 

Here is what the front of the truck looks like now after installing the engine. Even though the diesel engine weighs around 700#'s it doesnt squat the front end much, from ground to the bottom of the fender it is 29.75"



here is the tranny installed



Some pics of the isuzu diesel engine sitting on the motor mounts. I made the mounts out of 3/16th 2x4 square tubing.