Buildup!! 06 crown vic front suspension into 67 F100
 

I am swapping a 2006 crown vic front suspension into my 67 ford F100. I know this is a good alternative for a more modern front suspension and a good way to get alot of suspension drop, plus it is a steal at $350-$500 for the complete setup with 12" disc brakes, power rack and pinion steering and an aluminum corssmember. I have some pics of the process I wanted to share with everyone. Let me know of any questions you have.

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I am currently cutting the front suspension out of the truck so I can install the front crossmember and suspension out of an 06 crownvic. The crown vic crossmember will have 12" disc brakes rack and pinion steering and offer light weight with the aluminum crossmember. The Whole crossmember is out of an 06 police intercepter so the coil springs are rated for 700#'s as apposed to the standard crown vic springs at 400#'s.

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/40...425x425Q85.jpg

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I have everything in place and ready to be finised tomorrow, at leas the front suspensio part anyway. I do have a few things left to do such as box in the front frame rails, switch the steering column and connect it to the rack and pinion. I will be putting the wheels on in the morning to roll it out of the shop and pressure wash the front section of the frame and firewall so I can finish putting por-15 on everything. I will then box in the frame to cover up the 4 crossmember bolts and start mocking up the engine mounts. Here are some pics of my progress so far let me know what you think.


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The old suspension, I had to cut it out in several pieces and yes it was a huge pain, by far the hardest part.

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here is the suspension in place, notice the sleeves I made for the crossmember bolts to slide into. These will come in handy after the frame is boxed.
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here you can see there is plenty of room between the frame and steering linkage. I really should clean up the welds on those sleeves but they are getting covered up so oh well.

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here are some pics of the suspensioin from underneath
passenger side from in front of the truck

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driver side from the front of the truck

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Let me know if you have any questions so far I would also like to hear any comments or better ideas for anything you see.

Thanks
Randy

Hey, that's great! Looks better than chopping off the front frame and then having to fab radaitor support mounts and so on. I'll be interested in seeing how the ride height turns out. I didn't know the Crown Vic had a bolt on aluminum crossmember like that. I figured it was welded in like the one you took out. Are all the Vics and Mercs like that, or just the Police ones? It seems a lot more heavy duty than the Mustang II units.

I'm so excited seeing these pictures I can hardly contain myself!!! Keep detailed notes for the rest of us - I've been wanting to make a IFS conversion for over a year and this is BY FAR the best approach I've seen.

Thanks,
David

Looks like a home run.. Can't wait to see it back on the ground with tires on
Is the Crown Vic a 5 on 4-1/2" pattern??

This is cool!! What is the wheel bolt pattern? And the car you pulled this from had a 4.6, right?? Also, what year Vic's have this drop out suspension? Im sure the 06 is not special. How did you line up the holes for the mount bolts? And what is the measurement from the fire wall to the engine mount bolt holes?? And how do you plan on hooking up the steering? Will you use a collapsable steering shaft? How low will this get the truck? What size wheels and back spacing do you plan on using? Also, the upper A-arms, the way you have them bolted on, is that the same geometry as the vic? As im looking at the pics, I notice the lower control arm has some extra material going aft of the truck. What is this? Is that going to get hacked off?

Sorry for all the questions, this is a very interesting swap.

Thanks for the comments guys keep'em coming. Now lets see if I can answer these questions.

1. The track width is about the same as the original I think there is about a 0.1 difference between them so its not worth worrying about.

2. The bolt pattern is a 5x 4.5 the same as any mustang so wheels will be super easy to find.

3.The front suspensioin can be found under any 2003 -2007 crown vic or mercury marauder or similar car.

4. I will be useing some steering u joints to connect the steering linkage to a 78-79 tilt steering column from a bronco. The steering shaft on the rack and pinion goes right to the truck column.

5. I lined up the front suspension first by marking where the original hub was located in the wheel well then simply putting the crown vic hub in that same location. I then centered the crossmember left to right by measuring the distance from the outside frame rail to the to the inside of the aluminum crossmember I came up with 1.25 inches on both sides.

6. I am not sure how low it will go but I have heard it lowers it about 5" but who knows. I can say that it is a whole lot lower just looking at it. The front hub doesnt even come in line with the rear hub. I cant wait to see it on the ground.

7. I havent decided on the style of wheel but I will be looking for some 18's

8. Yes this will have the same geometry of the stock crown vic.

9. The lower control arm goes from the crossmember to the spindle and it has a trailing arm that goes to the rear about a foot. The "trailing arm" will be bolted to the frame after I weld a bracket on at a 35 degree angle. I chose the 35 degree angle because that is what the factory crown vic frame is set at for that location.

I hope I am being clear on things,if I am not let me know. I will get the bracket made for the trailing arm soon and get some pics of it posted so everyone can see that.

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Here is the passenger side lower control arm "trailing arm"

Awesome! I remember hearing people talk about this swap but haven't seen too many pictures. Great pics and can't wait to see it on the ground. Do you think 15" rims will clear the 12" disks or not??

no I tried some on yesterday and I had to take the caliper and caliper brackets off to fit them. I am going to go look for some 16" steelies off of a crown vic to roll it around with the brakes working. I will use them until I find some 18's I like.

When fabbing your rear lower control arm mount bracket, you can loosen the pivot bolt and pivot the bracket so that it sits perpendicilar to the frame rail. (instead of a 35* angle).
This will make fabbing a bracket easier.
When all of the weight is on the suspension retorque the pivot nut.

With the truck back on the ground it puts the lower frame rail about 12" from the ground.(using 235/60/16 cop rims and tires)
It ends up being comfortably lowered. Speed bumps aren't threatening, it's not slammed.
With all the money you save you could install air ride shock waves afterward if you wanted to play.

79 Thunder, Thanks for the help. Have you done this swap before? I assume you have. I will loosen the nut and move the bracket that will be a huge help. I didnt take any measurements before engine and suspension removal but this thing sits way lower but like you said comfortably low not slammed. I like lowered trucks but hate haveing to go sideways over speed bumps so this is perfect.

So far I have about $365 in this swap and that includes the front crossmember ($350) and the metal tubes and plate ($15) I would say this is an economical swap :)

I will have pics later this evening after I finish putting por-15 over the frame.

Another quick question, what are you going to do for motor mounts?

looks like it was made for these trucks! keep up the good work, can't wait to see the stance.

Thanks Marz.

I plan on makeing some triangle stands that come off of the boxed in section of the frame. I will then use the factory isuzu diesel motor mounts to attach the diesel engine to the frame. I have seen lots of guys with 4x4 rigs and 4bt cummins diesels use this design and it works great, I figure if they can go off road with it I think it will be fine for me cruising the streets with it.

ok enough of a break I need to go see if the por 15 is dry yet.

oh yeah I had it on the ground to roll it outside the shop and pressure wash the underside and frame. I couldnt help but be suprised at how low it sits now, its crazy. I would definately say it dropped it 5-6 inches or so but I didnt take a before measurement so its a guess at best. I dont have the final sized wheel and tire combo on yet either. I will have pics later this evening.

wow this keeps getting better! now what diesel motor are you going to use?
I was also planning on going with a diesel or a turbo charge 6I.
This is the best thread IMO!

I am installing a 3.9L 4 cylinder diesel out of a 1990 isuzu NPR comerciall box truck. The actual name of the engine is a 4BD1T its about the same in displacement and power output as a 4 cylinder cummins 4BT. I chose this engine because they are easy to hop up, very easy to install and maintain with the mechanical injection ( only a couple wires to hook up) and they have no problem getting 30mpg in heavier 4x4 rigs with 35" tires. I will be backing it with a chevy auto with an adapter kit I bought off the internet. I can post picks of the whole setup as well if anyone is interested.

Randy

Pics are good!! This sounds like an awsome project.

just a few more questions. If you dont mind.

The area where the motor mount goes on the frame there, what is the measurement from that spot to the cab? Where the stock 4.6 would bolt to.

Is the steering rack power?

And what are you doing with the brake lines?

Did you get your hardware at the local improvement store? And what length are the bolts for the frame?

Are you going to use a sway bar? Can the one off the Vic work?

I will have to measure the spot you want. I basically marked the outside edges of the factory spring cups and put the inside edges of the upper contorl arms on those marks. Trust me this is the first project like this I have ever attempted and so far its going great.

The rack is power it is from an 06 crown vic. I also got the power steering pump from the vic but I am going to use the power steering pump on the diesel and just adapt the crown vics lines to it.

I will use the 06 crown vic rubber lines from the caliper and I will run them into a bracket then get new metal line and run it from the bracket/rubber hose to the distribution block.

As for the hardware I just got everything from the crownvic. Only 8 bolts hold the entire assembly on the car from the factory, 4 on the aluminum crossmember and 2 more on each trailing arem for a total of 8 bolts.

As far as a sway bar, yes I am going to use the 06 crown vic swaybar. I am basically going to have a 67 ford truck that handles and rides like an 06 crown victoria when I am done.

I am still going to post pics tonight I just had to go to the local lowes to get more welding wire since I ran out. I have the frame boxed and the engine bay por 15'd. I just need to make the motor mounting stands.

This is the coolest thing i've ever seen!!!! I have been laboring for months to complete an IFS swap (i won't mention the donor vehicle, it was free). Let me get this straight, you didn't have to widen/narrow this thing at all?

Nope, the Crown vic frame rails are 34 inches apart from outside to outside.
Just like every Ford truck made from '53-'96.
It's a slam dunk, like it was meant to be swapped into them.

You assumed correctly, as I have installed 3 of these and helped with/sold 2 others and will begin installing another in a week or two.

Enjoy the ride!!

79 thunder is right its a bolt in deal after you get all the old suspension and crossmember out of the way.

79thunder--how bout some pics of the truck at ride height! This is a very interesting swap, economical, and there are tons of cop cars out there.

hmm i wonder about header clearence with a 460 or how would ya go about the mounts and stuff to go along with a 460 in there

So far I've installed a 302, 351w, and a 460 Ford using rear sump oil pans and clearance has been very good.

I've also installed a 350 sbc ('65 F100) and a 440 Mopar('56 Dodge truck) using this crossmember.

The amount of clearance is very simular to putting in an aftermarket Mustang II style suspension.

Engine mounts are fairly easy to fabricate for all of the above.

(Hmmm... Maybe I should build some "kits")

thats amazing those pics made my day

Carcrafter22,


Just in case you have not experienced this I will save you some grief.

I have found that POR15 is great for areas that do not receive sunlight, once the UV rays hit this it will start to discolor.

The POR15 chassis black is great and is UV resistant, however the chassis black does not have the same properties that regular POR 15 rust preventative paint has.

The CHASSIS BLACK POR15 recommends topcoating over a dry POR15 rust preventive paint.

My first mistake was using the POR15 rust preventive paint and not topcoating with the UV resistant Chassis Black. The final result weeks later was a milky white sheen to the POR15. The silver after being in sunlight will turn a greenish color.

Great job on the front end, if you get a chance you really need to start a gallery to display your build pictures in. After this thread cools down it will require someone to do alot of searching to find the pics you linked to it.
I would like to see more build pics of your setup.

Rudy

My god.....

This is exactly what I've been looking for for a long time....

The only thing I don't like about it, is that I can't use my factory Ford hubcaps that I love so much. Theyre for 15'' rims only...

This made my week. What amazes me, is that noone at ford thought, "Hey, we can make the crown victorias the same width as the old ford trucks, so that way people will be able to swap the front suspension into one of them"

What amazes me more, is how people find out this kind of stuff fits. Is it just like, "Hey, This looks about as wide as my trucks front framerails...... Hot damn! it will fit!!!"

Thanks for the build. I can't wait to see some after pictures.

I checked the three local JY's today, and none had any 2003 and newer, vic's, mauraders, Marqiues!! Let alone any cop cars. I figure if I cant get a cop car, I could always swap out the springs.

I wouldnt hesitate buying the front end out of a regular crown vic, if you need stiffer springs you could always swap them out later on.

I know I said I was going to post some more pics for everyone but I had to go out of town on buisness and should be back early next week. I did get the engine bay and all the frame por-15'd and get the suspension fully bolted in. I have also started on the motor mounts.

I also brought the new trans home just before I went out of town. I am now ready to mock up the tranny mounts along with the engine. Wooohooo!! I think once I get the engine in and start it everything will be down hill from there. oh yeah I cant wait.

What about earlier cars with that came with 15" wheels, was the frame/cross member the same?

Does anyone know what the track width is on these crown vics?

My auto teacher wants to put one in his 1950 ford coupe, if the frame will work.

Using the stock Crown Vic rims, the track width is 63.4". Which is a little bit wide.

That is the only drawback to this system.

The '65-79 F100's had a track width of around 60.5" but they can swallow the extra width quite easily.
I'm not certain but I believe F350's had a track width of 63.5".

The stock rims also have 5.72" of back space on a 7" wide rim so it is very difficult to "narrow" the track width by using a different offset.(the stock rims have about as much offset as you can get!)

The good news on the rims is that it is the same bolt pattern/offset/back space that is used by the '05 and newer Mustangs.
So you can use take off wheels from a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis, Marauder, Mustang, or after market wheels designed for the newer Mustang.

Carcrafter, your spring rate spec's seem a little off, Can I ask where you got them? I've looked everywhere and can't find them. Thanks.

These Crown Vic's (police or otherwise)weigh in at 4100 lbs with about 2200 lbs on the front ends.
Most of our old trucks weigh in at 3500 lbs with around 1800-2000 on the front end.
They are nice solid pieces, they are not Pinto's/Mustang II's or Pacer's.

As Carcrafter mentioned they have 12" rotors with dual piston calipers.
(Have you seen how inexpensive cross drilled and slotted rotors are for these?)

Most of the aftermarket IFS kits have been "upgraded" to utilize an 11" rotor and a single piston caliper, you can also upgarde from those as well.($$$)Untill you end up with brakes as good as the ones found stock on these cars.

As far as this fitting on a 1950 ford car, the short answer is no.

Track width issues aside, I believe the car frame rails in that era were not straight. The frame rails split and curved outward to form pockets for the springs to sit in. Most aftermarket upgrades for these cars involve cutting the rails off of the car at the firewall and welding on a new front frame "stub".

Maybe I should reword that.
Was the earlier Crown Vics frame/cross member the same as the 03-08?

no the cars prior to 03 had the frame welded into the frame. the cool part of the 03 and up suspension is that it is all mounted on an aluminum crossmember that just unbolts from the frame.

79thunder I have only found one place to give me those spring rates so that is what I went with. I have no other way to verify how accurate it is. sorry. I do think it makes sense that the police interceptor has stiffer springs than the standard ci. You can go here to view the site where I found the info. http://www.p71interceptor.com/rearsprings/ The info is towards the bottom, I have tried talking to multiple dealerships and shops but they were of no help witht the spring rates. I have decided I will drive around with what I have for a while and if I dont like it I will upgrade with aftermarket springs or air bags later.

Randy

Amazing.

A Complete modernization of 40 year old vehicles with high end components at bargain basement cost.

Way beyond what I'll ever attempt...but just amazing.

Is there an Award we can put you in for ??