Does any know where or if I can buy the tubes that go through the frame that the long bolts go through on the front suspension on a crown vic?

 

Are you talking about these

 

Yes, I ordered them yesterday, I read what instructions they had on the webb page but didn't understand them, said doesn't come with instructions. Any help u can give would be appreciated.

 

... here is one of many many posts (even on here); he did not plate the inside, your kit will. You could have used some water pipe. This is on a 1965 because the CV is too wide for 53-56.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...k-build-3.html

 

The frames are both 34 inches right Old F1? I watched a video might have been last yr, this man installed this kit on a ford, can't remember who or where, If anyone saw it and knows where to view it would u let me know. Thanks

 

I did this same conversion with my '50 F5 COE and I'm very pleased.

Some suggestions: You may consider boxing in the frame around where the tubes are installed; I rotated the bushings on the mounts for the rear of the lower A-arms to match the angle that's slightly different than what the Crown Vic had. I also opted to swap the coil overs for air ride (RideTech)



I purchased a wrecked Crown Vic with only 30K miles




One of my initial in-frame bolt mach-ups you can see I boxed my frame where I had to make some mods -- you may not have to make mods on your F1 frame ... my F5 frame required a few.




cleaned everything up; replaced the upper/lower A-arms & bushings; new rotors and airbags.

I have a lot of pics if you are looking for anything in particular... just let me know.

 

Please send all the pictures that pertain to the swap, can't have to much knowledge. Thanks

 

Frame upside down... made mods so the Crown Vic subframe will mate up to my truck frame. I must have flipped the frame 10 times during the modification and test fitting.


Close up (the frame is upside down) (front pointing to the left)


with the subframe sitting in place (upside down)


this is just a pic of the other side... (frame is upside down - you're looking at the passenger side from the under side.... front is to the right.


had to weld angle onto the frame to properly mount the bushing/mount for the from the rear of the lower A-arm. It's just tacked in place in this pic.


from another view... note I removed the lower A-arm. This is where I realized the rear bushing was rotated incorrectly on the mount for my installation...


pic from the inside of the frame -- you can see I decided to box my frame - especially where I had to make some slight mods to get the subframe to sit correctly.


outside of the frame - rear mount of the lower A-arm ... the angle is just tacked in place in this pic.


Note that I had to carve out a section of the frame on the passenger side to accommodate the exhaust manifold -- I inverted the steel and welded it back in. This was not an issue on the driver's side -- the engine is technically mounted slightly shifted to the passenger side -- this is designed that way in the Crown Vic from the factory.


mounting finished -- still upside down in this pic... much easier to work on this way. I shorted the front of my frame / removed the front bumper - I closed in the frame holes / made the bottom valance all one piece.


I sandblasted everything... and painted the aluminum with a gray paint that matches the look of the aluminum so that it will not dull / corrode over time (this is before the painting)


this is a pic of one of the lower A-arm rear bushing / mounts... after I cut the bushing loose and rotated it to match my installation and re-welded. Take note not to burn the bushing.


this is what they looked like after we rotated and rewelded


this pic is after re-welding both and sand blasting just before paint.


After all the cleanup, paint and reassembly


Close up of the driver's side


This is just after my first test fit with my actual wheels/tires. I must have calculated my wheel offsets at least a dozen times to make sure and it worked out perfectly. The rear end is out of a 98' Ford Explorer which is almost 9" more narrow than the Crown Vic - just comparing the WMS width

 

I saw on an earlier post that the CV subframe worked perfectly for the '65...

I'm confirming that part of my frame modification was that I had to go back about 3' and cut my flanges -- and I made my frame wider and then cut the flanges in the front and brought the frame sections back parallel at the correct width. It's been a while and I can't remember the exact width measurements currently.



you can see in this pic that we have the subframe centered and the bolt / tube mounting area is just outside my truck frame (prior to my modifications)


This is the pic showing that we cut the flanges about 3' behind where the subframe would be mounted and spread the frame using straps etc. to hold everything in place


if you look close about 3' behind the subframe, you can see where I cut the flanges on the frame and spread the frame members. We cut the flanges again just in front of the subframe to bring the front portion back in parallel.


The F1 frames should require a lot less modification to make it work... but it definitely can be done.

Hope something in all of this helps.

thanks.

 

Thanks, it did. About what does the unit weigh without the calipers and rotors?

 

I'm not really sure... I'd guess about 150 lbs. Two of us were able to move it / carry it around.