Howdy, I'm new to the place. I picked up a 1953 f250, what are my options for upgrading the frontend ?

 

I'm not the one to be answering that question but the guys that can answer it will most likely want to know what engine you will be using.....I have noticed that question alot with the front end questions (oil pan)

I just installed an Fatman Mustang II on my 53 f100, but I have not got much info to share on that due to it not being 100% complete.....I still have alot of work to do on the rest of the chassie

Oh, welcome to FTE! there are a lot of good people here willing to help answer all questions concerning your truck. Put your location in your profile.

 

There are several modes of front end builds. It depends on what you wish to do with your truck ultimately. If you want a simple rebuild back to stock original, all that information is here. Like wise if you want to modify and chop cut and splice, that info is here also. What you would want to do is decide where you want to take your build and what you want to do with your truck when it is built. I would recommend starting with making it safe and driving it for a while and then it will occur to you what you want to do with it. There is nothing worse than going full tilt, ripping it all apart and then taking years to put it back together with out having even driven it. Lurk around the site, look, listen and learn. Nearly everything possible that can be done to do to these truck has been done by the folks here and the experience and wisdon is priceless.
Oh, BTW, welcome to the site. You will have a good time here.

 

Welcome to FTE! Front suspension options depend somewhat on how deep your pockets are. The Mustang II kits are nice but you will spend upwards of 2 grand on a good one. Some here have been using the Jaguar IFS which can be done for about half that. I have used Chrysler torsion bar suspensions in a couple of trucks and have been happy with them but they haven't been in production since 1989 so parts are becoming scarcer. I did both of my trucks suspensions for $500 or less...

 

I'm rebuilding the good ol straight axle with Toyota p/s and power disc brakes on my 56.

 

Hey Sam,
I've got a 1950 F1 with a Mustang II IFS from No Limit Engineering.
There is a lot of wisdom in the comments above. I started out with a totally stock front end - it wandered all over the road & the steering was really loose. It wouldn't track at all & the stock drum brakes were just about useless.

I went out & bought the No Limit Wide Ride kit - $3,000 just for the kit plus the new Master Cylinder you'll need to run Disc Brakes. I really like the disc brakes - It stops - which is a nice improvement. I'm not sold on the suspension part yet - it's not as smooth as I'd like - I'm not comfortable with it at highway speed yet - Most of these suppliers use "thunderbird racks" in their kit & they are refurbished. My $3K kit came with worn out inner tie rods - Nice.

Personally - I'd go Yamagrant's direction - Rebuilt stock front end, Toyota power steering, & a disc brake kit. I can't stress enough how disruptive "just" dropping a new Mustang kit in there is. You are doing major surgery on your frame. You will be down for months if not longer & it affects alot of other systems - Brakes, Steering, Wiring, Engine Mounts, etc & It's expensive - $5K installed unless you can do it yourself.

Good luck over there! It's all doable but don't believe it's just a "drop in" modification - it's not. I think Sam is using an IFS kit off of Ebay that comes in around $1500 plus labor. (Search for Sdetweil).

Ben in Austin

 

Sam..

first, welcome to FTE which you will find soon enough is the mecca for old ford truck guys (new truck guys too but they live in another cave over yonder)

there are several options for you depending on Visa limits... at the very top of the forum is a sticky called 48-60 forum tips, tricks and how-tos...it's full of the regular questions all newbs ask and lots of good tech info for everyone. It was accumulated and posted by several of our regulars. Buried inside it is this multi part article on front suspensions

Front Suspension Alternatives for 1948 - 1960 Ford Trucks, Part One .: Articles

good luck...keep us posted

john

 

Like mentioned above it all depends on how much money you want to spend. I have a 55 F-100 I've been with a drop axle & lowered main leaf and replace all moving parts in the front end. I've been driving my truck for ove 20 years; driven from NC to Ky, then back aging. It rides good but not like a car. All the work except for the front end alignment was done by myself. I also have the Toyota box, disc brakes, & power booster from a Ranger. Rear end has a lowered leaf kit from TCI.

 

Welcome to FTE forums. Just joined 2 days ago myself. Not sure about F250 in 53 but here's what I did. It's a lot like the Heidt's Superride at half the cost. About $1,600 including shipping. I did upgrade the rubber bushings with polyurethane (Autozone). Haven't driven it yet to be honest, but it sure looks nice. Tom

 

Tom, looks nice. Who's crossmember/kit is that?

 

Hello and welcome from California!

Depending on what you want to do and how much you want to spend, one option is to rebuild the stock king-pin setup and stock steering box.

Dan

 

Thanks for the info. the goal for the truck is to be my daily driver, able to put up with a bit, eventually i would like to drop a diesel motor in it, but for now it has a V6 in it.

 

Hey Sam,
Sounds like you got a nice truck but you know pics would be much easier to see - I picture a large truck painted orange & blue Illinois colors. Take a stab at posting pics when you get a chance.. Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin

 

Hmmm...sounds like there's an IFS in your future!!

 

Heah there Sam, welcome to the site. Youve received alot of good info so far, as for my 2cents, for me the ride of a properly restored straight axel suspension and steering set up is part of the charm of these old beauties. I dont even have a radio to take away from the driving experience. If I wanted a smooth, quiet ride with all the comforts Id drive a car. There is nothing wrong with a straight axel, heck they still run em on the brown UPS trucks dont they? It all depends on what you want, there are some verey beautiful trucks on this site with any kind of steering that you can think of. So like mentioned b4 ,take your time and figure out what you want your truck to be, its yours so build it your way and we will help you where we can. I just wanted you to know that stock steering can work good if you want it.