Aerostar front clip in a 1964 F100
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It's suposed to be easier than a volare clip and gets you big brakes and rack&pinion. You have to notch the bottom of the frame and do a little building of the top of the frame rail to bolt the upper A arm to. You also have to tilt the R&P rearward and notch the crossmember for steering shaft clearence. I've seen some galleries here that detail it pretty well but don't remember who's done it. A memer known as TRUCKFARMER has but haven't seen or heard from him for a while. BTW welcome to FTE
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The Aerostar and Ranger have some parts in common, but there also a lot of differences. The biggest I can think of is suspension. When the Aerostar came out as an '85 model, it had fully independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, and coil springs in the rear. Rangers all have rear leaf springs, and the ones made when the Aerostar was first built still had twin-I-beam front suspension and recirculating ball steering.
#10
Heard my name being tossed around here. While it may be true, I helped install one of the first Aerostar IFS in a truck, there are others here that have done the swap since, including that crazy Rinngo. The first one we did was on a 55 F100 frame that was given away as a door prize at the Dash to the Dells truck show. The winner sold it, it was sold to a guy in Florida, who in turn sold it on Ebay and I lost track of it. I always wanted to see how it sat and rode when completed. This was the easiest swap I have ever done. We did one on a 65 that it actually took longer to torch off the Twin-I beam suspension than it did to install the Aerostar.
The boys in the 48-60 forum have done an excellent job of writing a tech story on this modification. The frame width on their trucks is the same as ours so all of their collected info will apply to a Slick 60. They wrote 11 articles about different front suspension choices including the stock straight axle. A little something for everyone.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...art_Eight.html
I can buy the front ends for $100-$150 around here. Oh, the Aerostar was available with all-wheel-drive. That is not what you want for this swap. If you need any more info, don't be afraid to ask here or email me.
The boys in the 48-60 forum have done an excellent job of writing a tech story on this modification. The frame width on their trucks is the same as ours so all of their collected info will apply to a Slick 60. They wrote 11 articles about different front suspension choices including the stock straight axle. A little something for everyone.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...art_Eight.html
I can buy the front ends for $100-$150 around here. Oh, the Aerostar was available with all-wheel-drive. That is not what you want for this swap. If you need any more info, don't be afraid to ask here or email me.
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Try these links for photos. They are of 53-56 Fat fendered trucks but will give you a visual.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...?&albumid=1923
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...?&albumid=9497
here is the 65 we did, added plenty of drop. Lots of photos.
http://groups.msn.com/slick60sfordfs...onversion.msnw
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...?&albumid=1923
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...?&albumid=9497
here is the 65 we did, added plenty of drop. Lots of photos.
http://groups.msn.com/slick60sfordfs...onversion.msnw
#15
Simplest way to install the Aerostar invoves no notch in the frame, (although mine is, and gusseted). If you basically just sit the aero cross member under the frame, weld it on and use a thick spacer, you will have stock ride height.
Mine has a half a coil off the springs and is sunk in about an inch, it still rides fairly high with the 302 in it. This would be a good setup for a big block, there is certainly plenty of spring capaicty in the Aero, due to it's being designed to have the front passengers and the engine sitting on it.
Mine will finally be on the road this fall, judging by the way the supension bounces now I expect it to handle like a sports car! Built-in sway bar too!
Mine has a half a coil off the springs and is sunk in about an inch, it still rides fairly high with the 302 in it. This would be a good setup for a big block, there is certainly plenty of spring capaicty in the Aero, due to it's being designed to have the front passengers and the engine sitting on it.
Mine will finally be on the road this fall, judging by the way the supension bounces now I expect it to handle like a sports car! Built-in sway bar too!