Those are the tubular engine mounts from Fatman Fabrications...they go from the frame to the crossmember. The tubing is 3/8" wall stuff. I dragged the stick welder out for those welds to get full penetration into the crossmember and the frame. To those bent tubes, you weld the tubular piece that fits into the stock ford rubber engine mounts. I don't have any pics showing the details of the mounts but you can see one here....I located the engine an inch above the crossmember and the steering rack. Sometime after this pic, I added some gussets...probably unnecessary, but it makes me feel better.

 

I think I would have added gussets as well.

 

GreatNorthWoods- what fairly new car/truck is the FMX transmission in? and what did you get yours out of?

Doc- where did you get the mustang II bolt in kit?

Homade- im near evansville. do you have the other side fender?

 

I actually bought it from JPL in Pennsylvania because they offered free shipping. Chassis Engineering in Iowa actually makes it. You can also order it from them. Do an ebay search for "chassis engineering bolt in MII" if you want to see a picture of it.

 

it says it works with 49-54 chevy's, are you sure it works under a ford? and does the 302's oil pan interfere wtih the cross member?

 

That's just a generic listing covering the various makes/models they make that crossmember specifically for. Go to their website (MAKE SURE you're looking at the company in Iowa) and download their catalog. Trust me, I am very sure my crossmember was made specifically for a 48-52 Ford F-1. The crossmember itself set me back $600.

As for the 302, it wont hit the crossmember, but you'll have to do some shimming to get it to miss the steering rack. And it must have the dual sump oil pan. The older front sump pans are a no-go.

 

do you think it was worth the cost? or would it be better for me to jsut stay with the original front suspension?

 

A MII in parts alone will run you close to $2000. You said you're 16 years old. Get your dad to help you fix the brakes and make sure it's safe, then fire up that flathead and take your girlfriend out on a date. Save the money for college or a new truck someday. I will be honest, look at my signature. If it weren't for my other truck, my 49 F1, I would have already grieved myself to death over installing that MII and all of the other mods I've already done to that truck because I am so far from driving it again. Another approach is to go with a disc brake conversion on the stock front axle.

 

IMHO, A rebuilt OEM beam axle with a fresh set of springs and spring eye bushings will ride and handle 90% as well as any IFS for highway driving. You can also use a dropped axle, and/or lowering springs to lower the front end. You can use a Toyota PS box to gain power steering, it's an easy bolt in mod. Rebuilding the axle is not difficult for a novice to DIY and can be done in stages. If later on you want to go IFS, you can always sell the beam setup.

 

well me and my dad made a deal where he pays for everything right now and the truck is his instead of mine, then when i leave the house i buy it back for all the money he has in it. i would really like to have the IFS, but it is pretty costly.

 

Be very careful and think it through. Or otherwise you might owe your dad several thousand dollars before you know it. Do yourself a favor, fix any problems on the truck and just simply drive it for six months. It will "talk" to you, and you'll have a better feel for what you want to do with it.

 

Listen to your Doctor. He has good advice.

And they say doctors don't make house calls anymore.

 

Hey Noah,
I replaced the stock front end of my 1950 with a Mustang II Kit from No Limit Engineering. Parts cost alone $3,000 - Installation labor $2,000.
Personally I wouldn't go there - not worth it - you have to remove the Engine, All the Wiring, the Steering, both Front fenders, & most likely the transmission. Then you have to cut into your frame or go bolt on with Doc's set up. It's a huge amount of work - Major Surgery.

Take the existing suspension & steering & tighten it up a bit. You don't have to remove the engine & transmission & all that wiring.... Parts cost $800 maybe.. Replacing the King Pins, Bushings, etc. - It's still work but it's doable & you will learn a lot & you won't owe dad a bundle.

Ask your dad if he will pay for "Safety Items". You pay for performance modifications. Safety Items would include...
o Front Disc Kit Brakes. (Better than Drums in the rain, on hills, etc.)
o Modern Power Steering (Toyota Kit)
o Dual Chamber Master Cylinder (So your brakes don't all fail at once).
o Emergency Brake (You can pull one out of a salvage Explorer)
o New Tires
o Seat Belts
o Good Mirrors
o Rebuilt Front Suspension - So your truck doesn't wander off the road.

Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin

 

There is another big plus to rebuilding your solid axle....it'd be done a lot sooner.

Something my dad used to say to me....if you can't stop, don't start. Axracer, Doc, and a couple of the others have pointed you towards disk brakes...that is an excellent bit of advice. If you have your heart set on an IFS, then you should shop around...make a spreadsheet and list everything you'll need for the hub to hub job. Some kits are more complete than others. Some leave brakes off of the list and you end up spending another $400 after the fact...so my advice to you is to put a plan together, consider costs of various options, and make some decisions with your dad.

You haven't told us a lot about your skills (or your dad's). If we find out that your dad runs a hot rod shop for a living, maybe we'd be pointing you in a different direction!!

Dan

 

You won't find an FMX or a C4 in any fairly new car or truck. The FMX is a heavier duty transmission than the C4 but not desired by the hot rod crowd because it has a cast iron casing and is heavy. It was made from 1968 to 1982. It came in larger cars with larger engines like the 351W and 351C. The C4 was a lighter duty transmission that was physically lighter because of it's aluminum case and was mainly used behind sixes and small V8's. It was made from 1964 through 1986. Neither transmission requires a computer to operate. I don't mind a little extra weight since my truck will be a cruiser. As far as I have been able to determine, my FMX came out of a 73 Mustang...