FAVORED IFS KIT?
 

OK, going to bite the bullet and go for a hub to hub IFS kit. I've looked at Heidts, No Limit, Helix, TCI and Fatman so far. Who am I missing? Got pricing ranging from $1895 to $2950.

What's the concensus out there from you guys who've bought and installed an IFS? Any comments, likes or dislikes?

If you had to do it over again, what'd you do different?

Any tips besides boxing in the frame rails and measure, measure, measure?
Many thanks

I am about to buy one as well, any advise would be great.

Haven't done one lately but if I were planning one, I'd take a good look at Speedway Motors for an IFS mainly due to the cost. The last one I installed came from Progressive Automotive and was installed in the 29 Ford in my avatar...:)

IFS
 

I just bought one it was on Ebay a lot of extras the company that sold it was CCP the manfacture was TCI I did a lot of comparing with the companys you suggested and all seemed close to the same. Extras hooked me:-X03

Hey Mr Fox,
One of your pics shows someone wearing a Chester NJ sweatshirt - memories of a great turkey restaraunt there mmmmm... Ok back to work.

A slightly different take on answering your question...

1st - If your truck isn't all apart & you are just wanting a better driving truck - I would strongly encourage you to just rebuild your stock front end. It will cost less than $800 if you just do the work & have some axle place set your kingpins. You'll be really pleased with the results - Add a front disc brake kit for $400 & a Toyota Power Steering kit if you need to & you are still way ahead & - You don't butcher your Frame. Time to complete - 2 weeks.

If your truck is all apart anyway & you are looking at a bare frame then by all means go for a Mustang II IFS. We have a 1950 F1 with a 351W & an AOD - We went with a No Limit "Wide Ride" Coilover IFS - Some Thoughts:

o Cost was around $2800 plus welding labor to install it.

o Realistic time to complete - - 3 Months if doing it on weekends to get it in & get your truck back running. Likely much longer due to add on projects - Rewire the truck since you have to pull it all apart, Redo the brakes, Redo the Steering to hook up to rack, Redo Engine Mounts, Drop in a new Engine, etc.

o Would I do No Limit IFS Again? No
- I had to replace a Tie Rod on the "brand new" Tbird Rack when road testing the truck afterwards - PITA. They don't use new racks they are "rebuilt" 1988 tbird racks that are in fact not rebuilt.

- Their IFS has had a lot of revisions. Their Installation instructions
have not so they are pretty worthless. They include hand drawings...

- They are Premium priced & not worth it. No online support etc. Product isn't specifically designed for certain years - generic.

- They don't include the high pressure power steering hose to hook up to
their Tbird rack & they wouldn't tell us the connector sizes so we could get them made locally. They wanted to force us to buy the hose from them for $150. That's crap - we made them locally any way for $40.

Summary:
If you go Mustang II be sure to...
o Include the Front Sway Bar (You really need it to fight roll).
o Include a replacement 2 chamber Master Brake cylinder (Safety & needed to support front disc brakes).
o Get nice big front Discs - This is your one shot & the front discs do all the work. I went with 12 inch camaro brakes but you can get bigger.
o Get Coilovers or Airbags. It's nice to be able to adjust the ride height
to exactly what you want without changing springs & shocks, etc.

Good luck over there. Here is a link to an Online IFS supplier that a number of our members have used. They have good prices & can adjust the Kit to include/exclude whatever you want. (Save Hundereds $'s).

MUSTANG II FRONT END SUSPENSION 1948 - 1952 FORD TRUCK | eBay

Ben in Austin

Ben
thanks for the info
I see your truck is setup the way I want to do mine 351W with AOD could you post some pic of the steering connecting to your steering rack. this looks to me it is a tight fit any pointers would be helpful
thanks

Hey Dew,
I'm hmmming & Hawwing.. The Steering column to rack on our truck is
not something worth showing - It's an engineering marvel that I will probably redo when I get some spare time this summer. Too many joints for my taste. My son has our truck at college & will be bringing it back this weekend - I'll post a pic then.

One of our members "Wallster" Wally just put a nice Heidt's IFS in his beautiful black truck last month & his steering connection is very nice.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...g-project.html
-------------------------------

The 351W fits snuggly into the '48-'52 frame. We cheated by
having the engine installed an inch or two off center toward the passenger side. You need the room. It looked nice & roomy until it came time to put the headers in there. A few pics of our engine bay following
No Limit IFS & 351W install.

(If I could talk you into a 5 speed Manual instead of the AOD I would).

Ben in Austin

What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. I have a TCI and the rubber ball joint and tie rod boots will dry rot very quickly-unless they've changed vendors.

I found this just as another option.

1953 Ford F100 Bolt On IFS - Custom Classic Trucks Magazine


_________________________________________
46 Ford Tudor - Street Rod
48 Ford F1 - Darkside

" Happiness - 3 pedals and a 5 speed" :-jammin

Hello Mr Fox,

My 52 project has a Fatman IFS in it. I bought the chassis as a partially completed unit from 51Panelman....it already had the crossmember welded in, but I had to take it from there.

I can say that the guys at Fatman were extremely helpful....all of the ancillary parts that they use are stock Mustang parts, so they'll either sell you parts or give you Napa part numbers. They also helped me with the rack and pinion...I went with a manual rack, but the option is always there to go to a power rack....once again, that rack can be bought at Napa as a new or rebuilt Mustang part. Mine (and everyone else's) did require an extenstion since the truck is around 2 inches wider than the Mustang. The same was true for the springs....they provide a variety of part numbers and help on getting the ride height set up properly.

They directed me to contact Engineered Components (ECI) for the brakes....I'm sure that they would have sold me a complete installation kit, but given that I was completing a relatively old and incomplete kit, they had me buy parts directly from the suppliers. Their support and all of the instructions that they provided were first rate.

By the way...ECI set me up with hubs that are 5 on 5.5 so the wheel bolt pattern matches the rear.

Dan

Has anyone used this "welder joes" MII kit? It appears to be a copy of the HELIX IFS

F-100 IFS BETTER THAN MUSTANG II FORD TRUCKS FITS 53-56 | eBay

I sent them a detailed email and got this reply:

Hello there,


We do carry an IFS kit for a 1954 Ford F100, which my fitment guides indicate that it will use a crossmember designed for a track width of 60.5". What determines the fit of our kit to your car is the minimum inner width and maximum outer measurements of your frame rails, which I can send over a fitment guide for verification though I will need an email address to send to since the eBay system blocks attachments. I will also include a copy of the installation instructions for your review.


We offer the stock Chevy (5 x 4.75") and Ford (5 x 4.5") bolt patterns free of charge, and for any other bolt pattern we can have a set of rotors machined for just $189. Right now I have access to discounts on upgrades since we are trying to make room for an incoming shipment, so I can offer you any one of the upgrades for this kit at HALF OFF pricing! Our upgrade options are the following:


Adjustable coil-over shocks, which can lower the front suspension up to 2 inches - normally $599 - your upgrade price is $299.
2" drop spindles - normally $299, your price would be $149.
Power steering rack and pinion - normally $299, yours for $149
Sway bar kit - Retails at $199, price on this order is only $99.


I also am upgrading customers to an 11" Big Brake kit when they check out using PayPal, and I can honor the listing details for a free tubular arm upgrade and FREE domestic ground shipping. As for motor mounts, I currently do not have stock for any engine though I may be getting some in the next few weeks. You can also purchase them from another vendor on eBay if you do not want to wait. Let me know what options you would like, and I can build a quote for you.


Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!


Thanks,


eBay Sales Team
Welder Joes Sales

The kit is probably made outside the US or just a copy of the Helix. I dont see why it wouldnt work.

I'm just looking for a nice quality driving F100, The suspension doesnt have to be powdercoated or chromed or loaded with options. But I do want a sway bar, big brakes, and coilover shocks.

any thoughts?

My 50 project has a Chassis Engineering complete bolt-in kit. 38 3/8" bolts hold it in place end to end. It completely wraps around your frame rails and eliminates the need for boxing the frame and welding ($$$). Buy a good drill and plenty of 3/8 " bits! Trust me, it's a very strong setup.

I went with a kit from Streetrod Engineering out of Arizona. It cost me about $1200 complete hub to hub, meaning included the disc brake set up. The tech support was good the instructions not so much. Alot of calls to AZ., but I'm very happy with the ride height and handling.
I agree with Ben, just want to add it's a good idea to have the frame straightened before you install any IFS. Also, be certain you are confident in your welding skills or hire someone to do it. Measure in every possible direction as many times as you can stand before you start tacking in the crossmemeber.
A couple of other things: You don't need a power booster for your brakes if you install a dual chamber master cylinder. You don't need a power rack, it requires a pump, hoses, etc. which all add up and I don't feel it's necessary. I have a manual rack and I think it gives a better feel of the road. Just my two cents. Good Luck:-jammin

Pay attention to the brake & hub setup that you buy. I went with GM 11&5/8 disks with two piston calipers....the stock wheels don't clear the brakes (missed it by that much...the rivets in the wheels hit the caliper). It was only a small problem, but I had been planning on using my old stock wheels for my rolling chassis....I ended up buying wheels & tires a little early.

The good part is that the brake supplier (ECI) did provide hubs that are a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern. I kind of like the idea that all four wheels are identical. I'll only have to carry one kind of spare tire.

Dan

I have this same set up in my 48 project. A friend down the street from me
has the CE unit in his driving 48 and loves it.