Hey everyone I am a new member to this site and also the new owner of a 56 f100! I have wanted one of these trucks forever, so much that I went and bought one with the money that I could have used to finish my unfinished project a 68 roadrunner sitting in my garage. I am currently in Afghanistan and I am heading home in 2.5 months. The truck is currently at my father in laws sitting waiting for me to work on. My brother in law starts it for me every once in a while and he is a good mechanic so he has already pointed out what needs to be done to it.
Even before I bought this 56 I was always on this site looking at the tech articles for all the good advice. Well I need everyones' help now in getting started. Like I said I already have a project that was taken down to the body and I have no interest in doing this with my 56. My wife was gracious enough to let me buy it so I want to keep it on the road at the same time I need to make some upgrades as soon as I get home so it is street worthy and I don't plan on spending a lot of money (i.e Mustang II IFS). The 56 currently has the straight axle all drum and a chevy 283 (sorry Ford guys) with a TH400. Besides a carb job the front brakes are the only thing that is going to keep me from driving it right away and I am not going to waste my time fixing the stock drums. I have located a Volare clip for 150.00 and I think my freind and I are going to go this route. I am familiar with the templates, the how to guides, and the process of doing the Volare clip. Would anyone be able to give me the heads up on any other miscellanous parts I will need.. I am trying to figure out what u-joints and shaft I will need to connect the stock steering column to the Volare power steering box, what kind of brake booster I will need to run the front disc especially if am going to keep the stock rear end for a while and any other advice to aid in making this "quick surgery."
I am pretty comfortable with the actual grafting of the clip to the notched frame it's all the little stuff that will probably bite me in the ***. Thanks for your help guys looking forward to hearing from you all

 

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your service.
I like your screen name. Guess mine could be Choctaw man but that would be going way back.
Stick around.

 

Fix what you have if you don't want to spend alot of money, I'm against the clip, thats old school, get it on the road, drive it, it will tell you what it wants, good luck and thanks for your service!

 

Thanks guys, I was/kinda am all about driving it for a while. However considering that I need to do a brake job on it almost immediately I would hate to throw money at the straight axle if I could do an IFS for just a little bit more.

 

I highly doubt that a clip will be just a little more than a brake job. With a brake job you have the master cylinder, the brake cylinders, shoes, and hoses. With a new clip you have all of the above parts plus all the suspension bushings, steering linkage to figure out, motor mounts to figure out, radiator mounts to figure out, and all of the sheet metal attachment to figure out. The brake job is a weekend and then you are driving. The clip could be a nightmare and then you never get to drive...

 

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your service to America!

As for your 56 I think that I would forget about the Volare clip, as has already been said...that is an old school upgrade, there are many more options available today. The Mustang II setup is probably the easiest to install and the best performing, plus there are parts readily available from any parts store. It costs a little more than the junkyard IFS but in the long run it is a far better solution.

I think that when you get home and start on this project you will find (like most of us here have already found) that one thing will lead to another and pretty soon you will be doing things to the truck that you had not originally planned. If you can keep a plan in mind and stick to it you will be in good shape....especially with the wife.

Good luck and come home safe!

 

True....Except the Volare clip goes underneath the frame ( with some metal notched) so you don't have to adjust any mounts like the radiator, other then possibly making some new motor mounts. And I have all the bushings and what not with the suspension clip. But of course you guys are probably right it would still be cheaper to just do the front brakes. I have heard nothing but complaints about the stock straight axle on the f100 of course I find a lot of people are more critical then I am of certain old school parts. I do want to drive the bad boy!

 

You need to honestly evaluate the condition of the straight axle and parts. Most people who complain that the stock parts are horrible and a new IFS with new steering box are great started with worn out stock parts. Obviously comparing worn out stock parts to reconditioned replacement IFS parts the IFS will be much better! If your steering box is shot, your steering linkage is worn out, and your kingpins sloppy your truck will be miserable to drive. If all these parts are in good shape your truck should drive nicely. After all if these were miserable to drive new, Ford would not have been able to sell them!

 

I would venture to say that the majority of complaints are from folks who have a worn out truck and have expectations for it to drive like a current vintage new technology based vehicle. There is nothing wrong with the straight axle under these trucks. They do drive a bit differently. Other than the fade problems and the single hydraulic system, there is nothing wrong with the brakes. It is important to get them into shape and maintain them that way. You learn to drive WO power steering and be mindful that you have one, maybe two, good high speed stops and you better realize you no longer have full braking power until you've driven a few miles and allowed them to cool. Otherwise
As suggested, drive it.

 

You make some very valid points! Okay so I guess other then taking it out for a test drive, can anyone make any suggestions as far as brake rebuild kits and suspension rebuild kits for the straight axle that they would recommend. Of course I will evaluate what I actually need once I get home and drive her as well as look under her. I have looked on some restoration sites and there doesn't seem to be any brake rebuild kits for the f100 other then individual parts for $$. Of course I have not checked Napa, Kragen, etc.

 

MidFifty.com should become your friend.. they will have everything you could ever need. Other sites as well.. LMC, Carpenters (In NC too)..

Sam

 

Hey Blackhawkman are the pilot, mechanic, door gunner or crewchief? What unit re you in stay safe. I've been running the straight axle in my 55 for over 24 years and haven't had any issues especially since I relaced all the bushings & brackets. I've driven from NC to KY and back a few years later with speeds p to 80 mph. I drive my truck several times a week and much of that on the freeway. If you upgrade to disc brakes, PS, and replace king pins & bushings (maybe springs if worn) and you can get aprtty good ride, also good shocks.

 

I am not sure what you have been told that would lead you to make this statement...the forward crossmember on the 56 frame holds the radiator, none of the IFS systems that I have seen come close to this crossmember. The Volare crossmember is a thin metal, hydroformed assembly that is much wider than most others. That and the fact that the torsion arms are mounted forward of the crossmember make for a much larger footprint than any other IFS. As for the "underneath the frame", all crossmembers go underneath the frame...but in the case of the MII and others, there is no cutting/notching of the frame required. There are definitely pros and cons to every solution, just be sure that you have your facts straight before you decide. I am running a Volare in my 56 and it works just fine...it's in there because I bought the chassis with the clip installed and it was easier to leave it than to replace it. If I was making a choice from scratch it would not be a Volare.

 

and I have a truck where I installed a Volare, and another I ripped the volare out of and installed an MII. (haven't driven it yet)

I also wouldn't install a volare again.. still fiddling to get the ride correct..

Sam

 

I am a pilot in the 82nd Medevac....Sounds good man I will have to check out the options on the straight axle. CharlieLed I have a friend who put in his Volare clip and said he didn't have to any issues when he reattached his front sheet metal and radiator in other words his mounts were still there when he welded his Volare clip into/underneath the frame as oppose to hacking off the whole front of the f100 frame for a camaro/nova clip. That is what I was trying to get across, it would be a better alternative then a camaro or nova other then forking out the $$ for a mustang II front end.