i have a 51 f1 with 350sbc.. i still have the straight axle front
end..sitting on the floor of my garage is a 86 chrylser 5th ave
torsion bar ready to go in...every article i have seen about torsion bars shows going in a 53 and above....has anybody put a torsion bar in a 51?
i would appreciate any thoughts or ideas you may have.
tks,jeepcat44@charter.net

 

North Woods Vern should be along shortly. He doesn't live in northern MN or MI though. I guess they started up another North Woods out East somewhere. (Kind of like Six Flags I guess)

Anyway, we have had a thread or two on this Volare in a skinny truck subject. He can probably tell you where they were. Your frame rails are a bit narrower on the 51 but it has been done many times.

 

'fenders,

Here I am...right on schedule!

Jeepcat,

Yep, the swap has been done many times and I'll be doing mine just as soon as the weather gets warm enough to get outside. The 48-52 frame rails are about two inches narrower than the 53-56, but the installation is basically the same. The only difference is that you may have to do a little more notching of the front crossmember to access the torsion bar adjustment bolts. I have an 87 5th Avenue and I'll also be using a SBC, so we're doing the same swap. Since these guys don't like to hear about SBCs in these trucks, we'll have to swap info on that portion by email, but everything else is fair game. My advise is to get the installation video from No-Limit Engineering and watch it about three times. It will answer all your questions. There are a few other SBC guys here like me that really appreciate the old Ford trucks, but are not as fussy about what powers them, so there is other help out there. If you want to email me, feel free. I'm at New_Hampshire_Yankee@Yahoo.com.

 

Did you just sneak the "c" word in? Ummmm, I'm telling mom what you said!!! (Oh well, at least it's American.)


Welcome to FTE just the same!
Daryl

 

"I'll also be using a SBC"

That's two written confessions on one thread. "Book 'em Daryl-O "

 

'fenders,

Guilty as charged...but that's okay, I hear Hawaii's nice and warm this time of year. Book me Daryl-O. I need some warm weather for a change!

 

You should send him to Alaska so he will always be cold!

PS I'll highjack the truck on the way!

 

Nathan,

Careful...if you hijack my truck I won't be buying any more parts from you! Besides, it's almost as cold here as in Alaska anyway!

 

I meant the jail truck!

 

Nathan,

Speaking of parts, is that stuff coming by Pony Express? Still nothing on this end...not that I'm in a hurry, but I do want it eventually. Do they have to change horses at the border or something?

 

I could have shipped it faster but would cost you $20. That is twice the cost of the part.

 

youse guys have a great site here...
appreciate all the input, and will be sending for the video
tomorrow.....will start pulling the frontend off and the engine
back out....i swear, i've put 5,000 miles on this new engine pulling
it in and out of the truck....
i forgot to ask, what kind of motor mounts goes with this clip.
i have the tubular one that fits inside the frame rails and bolts or
welds....doesn't look like it will work once the torsion is in place.
anyway...thanks again.
jeepcat44

 

The video will show you how to fab them. I bought a Volare mount kit but it was a puzzle. It's a toss up which way I would suggest you go.

 

Jeepcat,

I doubt if the tubular mount will work. All the installations I've seen so far (for the engine you plan to use) have been front type mounts. I do not want to use front mounts because that's where the power steering bracket goes and I prefer side mounts, so I'm still undecided as to what to use for now. If I can't make my own mounts, I'll probably buy the mounts from No-Limit for Volare installations as 'fenders did. I was even thinking of trying to come off the Chrysler mounts with something to mount the engine instead of cutting them off, but won't know if that's possible until I get there. You are quite a bit ahead of me since I haven't even pulled the 'K' member out of the 5th Avenue yet.

Hey Ferg, did you notice I said 'K' member instead of "Volare"? I'm getting the hang of it!

 

Tubular style will not work at all. The PS box is in the way. If I didn't make my point clear in the last post. If you buy your mounts in a kit like mine, for the drivers side you get 3 pieces of flat steel and a small tube. You tack a piece to the frame, heat it up and start bending. Wasn't what I expected for fifty or sixty bucks plus shipping. The passenger side mount is assembled and trim to fit. The instructions looked like they were hand drawn by someone with no art skills. It was literally like assembling a puzzle. Try it this piece this way............. no that's not it.

If fabbing metal from flat stock doesn't scare you, I would probably just make my own.