We have a 55 F100 that we are making plans for. The kits you can get sure look sharp and well done. But taking everything into consideration, which way do most of you who have done it go?
My fear with getting a doner is that I end up replacing all the wear parts and end up a stone's throw away from kit price. And.....the kits really look nicer to me. I have seen some that end up cutting off part of the frame to install. With a doner that sure would save time.
What kind of cost difference do you usually see? Are the kits all that much better?
What about the rear? What are the options for back there? We are looking at making this one kind of a hot rod. Not terribly low. In fact my wife would like only a little lower than stock. Level front to back more or less.

 

I haven't installed a doner IFS set up but I've installed two IFS kits. If you decide on a kit then don't buy a cheap one. I've installed a Heidt's kit on my last '51 and everything was pre-cut and ready to install. Pretty straight forward, remove the old, plate the frame, measure twice, weld once, and bolt the rest into place. I just finished installing a Helix IFS and it sucks. They said it would be precut (for my specific vehicle) and it wasn't. They sent me a precut crossmember and it looked like a seven year old with a cutting wheel did the job. After we cut the crossmember correctly (wthe actual crossmember was not as beefy as the Heidt's) we welded the shock towers into place and then even the bolt up parts were cheap. It was missing a few parts here and there too. You won't save a nickel if you buy one of these crappy IFS kits. The other problem with buying a kit is that vendors buy the heidts crossmembers but put together the remainder of the kit with their parts. Partial shipments, back ordered parts, etc. nothing worse than waiting to finish the job because the vendor didn't have something ready to roll when you ordered it. For these reasons, donors might be a better alternative but your fabrication skills have to be better if you're going to do it correctly.


Wally

 

Heidt's is top on my list, but they aren't cheap. And they are doing a redesign for the ford kit. Probably be more expensive yet I bet. But the close I come to doing this, and what I see for resale value on these trucks, the more I know I have to do this smartly when it comes to money. So now I am trying to educate a little on the Mustang deal. So bring on the education! LOL.

 

I like Wally have installed a Heidts in my '55 and really like it. I believe I ordered it from CPP, so I had everything at once, no backordered items, etc and everything fit as it was supposed to. I went with coils and shocks vice the bags since bags run more in the kit. I guess all preference, but you mentioned resale value. Not to say these old trucks will sell, but like mine I am pretty sure I will never get out of it what I have in it. Just reality or maybe I overspent. Ha!

 

Your options are Many. Depending on your budget also.. kits are great, all new, engineering already done, and can range from mild to wild. You can start with just a crossmember from Heidt's or any of the other manufacturers, and build it as you go. Options are almost limitless, stock a arms, ,tubular, coil-overs, Air bags,. Of course there are many trucks running around with clips from various donors, The Volare clip is popular, but requires cutting and modifying the frame, and you may start running into parts availability issues. Early crown vics, but those require a frame graft, Late model Crown Vics are gaining popularity, but with our trucks, you can run into width issues. Some make them work by running wheels from a mustang or something with required offset. With that, you do get power steering, big brakes, ifs, sway bars, and all the latest goodies for about the cost of a new crossmember. Do a search, there are lots of posts as to the good and bad of that swap, There is also a ford Aerostar that is almost a bolt in affair, and is the same width as our frames. Those can be had cheap from the local parts yard, found several around here in az. for 2-300.00. Figure about 400 for the late model crown vic (03-07). I myself went with a lexus front ifs. Same width as our trucks. and basically a bolt in. I am starting this as we speak.
As far as the rear goes, solid axle, irs, again lots of options. Depending on horsepower, You can find a 9" ford from a 57-72 ford truck. That is a bolt in. Same width, bigger brakes, spring perches in same spot. Just will need different u bolts as the housing is a larger diameter. Those can be had cheap, and are available everywhere. You can use a explorer 8.8 and those will come with the same bolt pattern to match the newer ford front hubs, and some will have traction lok and discs. You can also use a thunderbird irs, and with minor fab work, makes for a straight forward install. Team 321 makes a bracket/mount kit that requires a little welding, but nothing major.
Lots of options based on budgets and use of truck..Good luck and let me know if you need any help.. I along with all others on here will try to help all we can..Curt

 

Great point, I may have saved about five hundred dollars on the helix IFS kit but then again I spent any savings on something else anyway. When I bought my last '51, the PO found it in a barn and dragged it home. By the time he sold it, he had over $20K in parts, paint, etc. (not including his time). I paid $11,500. for it and dumped another $6K into it (not including labor), then I sold it for $17,500. The new owner did the same thing (there's always something that could be better). So that truck has over $30K worth of parts (including the purchase of the vehicle) and countless hours of free labor into it yet it won't sell for more than $22K tops unless they spend another fistfull of cash into it again. The best way to buy one of these trucks is to let someone buy it, spend all their time and money on it, then wait until they run into money problems. Somewhere in the middle is where most of us end up. As far as IFS kits I can tell you to pass on the helix garbage (Johnny Law sold it and the phone service guy was down right abusive to me, even my wife couldn't figure out why the guy went off on me when I was being very nice to him) but even with a heidt's be clear what your getting since most ebay Heidts sellers use only the crossmembers (and maybe the upper and lower control arms) and sub the other parts with aftermarket parts. That's not a horrible thing as long as you don't have to wait two weeks for a set of calipers.

Wally

ps. I've heard good things about the fatman IFS kits but I only know one person who has one.

 

My 53 has a clip from a 87 Town Car, same as all of the large Ford cars of the era, and I love it! Clips are not for the faint of heart, cutting and welding the frame rails is a major step for a novice. My truck rides and drives very well, but I goofed a little on the install and have the clip tilted slightly forward, while it drives fine it tends to wear the outside of the RH tire more than the other. (this could also be due to my driving habits) If I had started with a good frame I probably would have gone with a different suspension, it's just that the PO had destroyed the front rails trying to install a Volare suspension.
I looked at several of the "kits" and decided that my money could be spent better on other parts of the truck.
I have over 70K miles on my truck, part of that on some very rough roads, and have no regrets for installing the clip.

 

Man what great information here!!!
More details about the Aerostar deal please.. How is the ride height compared to stock? Any particular years?

 

On the lexis ifs, how is the ride height with the stock springs? What about bolt pattern for the wheels?
Again, I don't want it in the weeds, but I do want it a bit lower than stock.

 

the aerostar i believe is a good deal wider in front track width than our oe trucks and as such i wouldn't really consider it as you could have some fender clearance issues as well as other issues due to the wider track . hades for a reasonable price you can get a m2 kit from speedway for i think 1200 bucks , and as jeff pointed out the square body full size fords are a great source for a clip . had an 87 vic i cut up and kept the clip from it { the car was a freebie , i.e. no driveline get it outta my yard ! } and eventually my cuz took it for his 53 . don't think he's used it yet though . it measured out at dain near the same track width and the frame rails were even close to ours widths so ................

 

The jag swap seems interesting and plausible.
The crown vic great at first look, but it really drops the height and the track width sounds like there will be some wheel problems. Not insurmountable, but I also don't want too much drop. I'm liking all the information. Saw a nice jag swap thread.

 

The Lexus ifs I'm using with 17 inch wheels will set the bottom of the fender opening just above the top of the tire. As long as you use the sc 400 springs and not the 300 springs. Although they were both alloy motors, the 400 was an 8 and the 300 was a 6. You can use either front end as they are the same minus the springs. Bolt pattern is the same as the ford mustang, cv, explorer .. Only difference being the Lexus is metric, but you can change studs to match .

 

To decide, a couple of questions need to be considered:
What are your fabrication/welding skills? How much building experience do you have? How much dedicated shop space do you have available and for how long?, How big of a budget do you have? How much time do you want to allocate to just this part of the build? And finally,but probably most importantly, what reason(s) do you have for wanting to install an IFS?
If you have mad skills, a very well equipped shop that does not have a time limit, a large budget, time to complete the truck is of no concern, and you mostly want an IFS to impress people with all of the above, then I'd recommend buying one of the top quality kits like Heidts, TCI or Art Morrison. With everything that will need changing and/or modifying that doesn't come in the kit (quite a lot) is is going to cost 3- 4.5K and take ~ 6 months to install. Just avoid the cheap kits that are Chinese clones (like the Helix or no name ebay offerings or semi-kits that use salvage yard parts you have to source yourself.) A donor unit will require even more skills since they must be modified to fit and parts need to be fabricated. Clips are even worse and are fraught with ways to screw them up. They are cheaper than a kit, in the 1.5 -2.5K range completed depending on donor unit cost and condition, but will likely take twice as long to complete, ~1+ year. Some donor units/clips are way outdated (i.e. Volare, GM clip,) or really unsuited for use (anything that uses original OEM Mustang II assemblies or components) Clips can cause complications with DMV when attempting to register the vehicle.Donor units and clips can also be a risk to your life and those of your loved ones if not extremely well done or ill advised modifications are made.
If you do not have a well equipped shop you can dedicate for an extended period of time, extensive skills, a large budget or if you enjoy driving more than building, and your answer to the final why? question above is something on the order of "I've been told it's needed", "They do it all the time in the magazines", "Isn't it better?", "I want disk brakes and/or power steering (for a valid reason)" Then you might give serious consideration to retaining the beam axle/leaf spring front suspension. Truth be told, a rebuilt beam axle setup can ride and handle as well as most any IFS, aftermarket or donor, and as well as or better than any new pickup on the market. There is nothing inherently superior about IFS in a truck, it's mostly done for bragging rights than for legitimate improvement (most of the claimed improvement is anecdotal, perceived, or wishful thinking i.e I did all this work, spent all this money, it's GOT to be better!). The only real major advantage to the IFS is if you are building a show truck that will be equipped with airbags so you can "lay frame" when parked. The beam axle can be easily rebuilt with basic hand tools by a novice mechanic in the driveway or backyard in a couple weekends for 1 -1.5K including disk brakes and power steering or for <1K over a long holiday weekend with stock brakes and steering.. It's all bolt together, including any/all modifications, no fab or welding required.

 

AX....could you discuss getting the drop you want in the front while maintaining the original type axle. Some people want a pretty decent drop (not to the ground just low). I'd be interested in the options for that. So for example a 2 or 3 inch drop for some...that's ok. I would like a little lower. Maybe let's say equivalent to an IFS. Possible? And how? Thanks for the info. Good thread!

 

My hobby is drag racing. I do all of my own engine work, and much of my chassis work. I have a well equiped 40x40 shop with a lift and it is heated. I have mig and tig at my shop and a mill and lathe. While I am not a great welder, I do some welding and have never had anything fall apart at 165 mph thank goodness. By education I am an engineer.
The budget is the reason I am considering the doners. While we can spend more, we have other things to spend money on, and see no sense in spending money for no extra benefit.
Time: We always have projects going on, and we need to move them along quickly. If I spent a year intalling a front suspension on a vehicle I may end up shooting myself. I tend to push through projects so that we can move on to the next one.
The intention of this project is not perfection, but rather a really fun, competant driver. A 400 hp ls motor with od trans is what we are looking to do. I would prefer to have a sway bar as part of at least the front suspension, and power steering is important because this is actually my wife's truck. My son and I get the rail dragsters and if she wants an old truck hotrod, she will get it. She likes a moderate ride height and good handling and power.
The crown vic and the jag both look completely doable for me. Not that I would know what I am doing, but I generally figure it out and sometimes with a good deal of advice.
I didn't realize that the mustang stuff was frowned upon for these trucks. Good to know.