just getting started on redoing my 54 f100. in searching for a must2 ifs i've got this question. when the ifs is an actual system out of a real mustang what do i have to change and modify to work under my truck. it will have a 302 motor. would i be better off buying an old st police car or an old t-bird (80's) to salvage those parts and others to make it an all ford project? thanks for any help

0k, i'm underweigh. i just bought a doner car for my 54 f-100. its a 95 mark 8 in near drivable condition. i/m hoping to harvest....

ifs including steering gear and tilt & disc brakes
irs w/disc brakes & diff.
p.window motors & switching
p. lock mech & tracks
new radiator
a.c. complete
seats to reapolster
all new 18" chrome spoked mags w/ 50 searies tires
4 very good tires on stock rims


i know there are other things and they will become self evident as i go. the 4.6 32 valve motor( that may need head gaskets) and tranny i/m not going to use cuz its so complicated. i know its a good set up but i don't want to get that involved. the late 60's 302 and c-4 will do me just fine. any further heads up you guys can thro my way that will help, i'm all ears!!!

 

The suspension out of a mustang won't fit in these Trucks without major dangerous modifications that will compromise the system
The Mustang II suspensions that are being sold are designed after the original suspensions and are engineered to fit various Cars and Trucks - Some or the original parts from the mustangs will fit on the suspension being sold however that weren't engineered for the weight or geometry of the older vehicles.

 

What you get from the real Mustang is junk if you are swapping it into your truck, go with an aftermarket that is using the geometry of the mustang but built for strength that your truck needs.

Dick said it better than me and was quicker too

 

As others have said the original MII suspension is too weak and too narrow for a truck. As for your other question some have used the front suspension from older Ford cars like the Crown Vic and LTD. These might be an option if you have welding skills...

 

hey guys....thanks for the quick replies! it took me a while to find my own tread but finally got here. anyway, if i buy like an older police special i think i'm more likely to get the heft, geometry, width, and other things like ac brackets, fr and rear disc brakes,power booster unit, and other ford stuff ....has anyone done that or think its a good idea?

 

Sounds like a plan. I have not personally built a truck with Crown Vic components but there are some on here that have. The front suspension, rear end, engine and transmission are all usable in your truck. Hopefully, someone will chime in that can tell you what year Crown Vic application is the easiest to work with...

 

Check out the treads on here for the Jag front end - I am a novice at welding and doing things like this but with the help of a bunch of great people from here helping when ever you have a question it is easy to do. Mine took a couple of weekends- just be extra careful pulling the old seals out of the rack & pinion near the steering if they leak. Great 4 pod disk brakes and the ones that fit are FORD - they owned Jag at the time. You can bolt it in or weld it and plenty of help here to tell you how. Have fun dave s

 

again...great info. i use to own an 82 and a 91 jag xjs's. too bad i still don't. anyway, in the interest of staying" all ford" maybe some jag front end parts will be a good way toi go. the best thing about those cars is the way they steered and held the road. so, i'll keep looking out on this site for a while and see what other members might have to say about this tact. one things for sure, NO CHEVY PARTS! in my ford

 

hey guys....anybody out there adapted older crown vic suspension, steering, tilt column and other running gear items to a 53-56 f100 lately. don't need motor & tranny but lots of other things like 4 wheel disc brakes, ac brackets, brake power booster & related things. i'm all ears...quentin in syracuse, my direct e mail is nutuqu@yahoo.com. anxious as all hell!!!

 

I can understand the No Chevy to some extent - Some of the easiest upgrades to the brakes use chevy calipers - People have gone insane trying to get around this - Unless someone is an expert on eyeballing different make parts and crawls under you truck noone will know unless you tell them.

 

Dick, just the disk conversions for the beam axle use GM calipers.

Gmanconfused:
First, why do you want to put an IFS under your truck? Sounds like you do not have any/much experience with fabrication, welding etc.? Since you want to stay all Ford, why don't you stick with the stock style leaf springs and beam axle? When rebuilt it will ride and handle more than 90% as well as the best IFS. Way too many novice builders want to immediately rip out the suspension, pull the body off, etc. without having a clue why. Next thing they have a pile of parts, are in way over their head for their skills and equipment, have way overspent their budget for stuff they really didn't need and the truck ties up their garage for the next ten years. Finally they or the parents/wife decides they are tired of falling over the thing and it gets hauled off to the junkyard. Instead they could have done a more conservative/practical build, changing only the things that actually improves the truck for their purpose, have a drivable good looking truck that is fun to drive and attracts a lot of attention in only a couple years, built within their skill level with standard mechanics tools in their home shop, and at an affordable expense.

AFA the late model suspension from under a Crown Vic, they are way too wide! They are even too wide for the vic, they have to use a funky reversed offset wheel to get the tires under the fenders. Aftermarket wheels are impossible to find.

 

Ax racer is correct, I am a prime example, but I didn't have the stock suspension anyways. I am almost done with my heidts MII. and I had a guy that was a great welder. In my novice opinion, I would stick to an aftermarket kit unless you have some serious skills. They are pretty easy to install if you ask about 100 questions to guys that have done it before because the instructions suck...

 

The kits instructions do suck. Though my stepdad and I got mine put together in about 20 hours of work plus however much time we spend on the springs and alignment when my truck is closer to being done.

I dont know about the other guys but I have spent an enormous amount of time analyzing my suspension. Maybe a pain for some but I enjoy it. You mess up. Its just part of it. But it can demolish your effort if you just want to get the truck running.

 

the newer crown vics are too wide in track width for our trucks . it has been done but requires compromises and high offset wheels to clear the fenders if i remember right . now i had a 87 box style vic i parted out . me cousin came over and i had already measured it out , and we cut the whole front frame section off it for his 53 ( he never did use it though ) . it was the right track width , but used a conventional steering box instead of the later rack and pinion arrangement of the newer cars . you could try to stab the whole clip into your frame or make the pieces fit onto your frame if you like fabbing parts up . an aftermarket mustang II is a whole lot simpler and more cost effective , and as asked why do you need ifs ? i'm going back and forth on my plans for my 53 whether too keep the flathead or swap the 4.6 and trans out of my broken 95 bird into it , either way i kept the straight axle and solid diff . no fancy shmancy stuff there despite thinking about it as you change one little thing 100 more things have to be altered afterwards to compensate for the first change . also i figure it's sufficed for 60 years of abuse and many modern suspensions will not tolerate that so it's proven and it can be made to ride decent . now handling ... well if that's what your after get a sports car and go beat the snot outta it and enjoy your truck as the cool cruiser !!

 

you guys are the best. i haven't laughed so hard in a long time! to begin with, i'm not exactly a beginner. my i.q.is up there and i'm very mechanical and i'm 66 years old so i've got more miles on me than my 54. but, please believe me, my ego is no wheres near as big as my 44" waist........you gave me just what i needed. the reason i was looking at cr. vic's is that i could use a lot of other parts from the same car....o.k. thats history. i'm currently got my feelers out to find a must2 that someone else doesn't need any more. you know, i'm picking the bones of those that have fallen to the wayside. those poor soles that have new children now or a monster of a mortgage. we all change our minds sometimes. o.k., is there a specific ford product that i could look for that will work? i/m not welded in to this direction but if something poped up that covered a lot of bases....why not!!!

well' it happened. look at my first entry at the top of this page.