Ok I know this is getting old but what if I want to keep my stock suspension and upgrade only the components. Is there a source for disc brakes, power steering and power brakes out there other then after market. I mean is there a donor vehicle out there that will not reuire much modification on my part. I have read until I can no longer read but still cannot find this answer. Is it possible to go out there and find a toyata truck and rob its power steering componenets and put them in my truck? 54 f-100 BTW. and no BTW does not stand for Big Tiddy Woman although my wife thinks I am talking to her. Ed

 

Ed, the toy PS conversion is a subject that arises fairly often. I believe the dodor is a mid 80's 4 x 4 only. You'll still need a conversion pittman arm. Do not drive the pitman arm down on the splines and try to get by. The life you take might be mine !! LOL


The disc brake thing has been done too but you still will require conversion parts, then use late model stuff.

Good luck


Bubba

 

Fordication,

You're all over the place on this front suspension thingie. You seem a litttle confused. And that's understandable but why don't you take this one from the top again before a decision gets made that's not really right for YOU.

What's the intended use of this truck when finished?

How much money ya got? Does your wife love you enough to get a second job? (For the record, mine apparently does not)

How much experience do you have with auto mechanics, welding, fabricating and such?

 

fatfenders
No I am an engineer so that should tell you I know nothing. Actuallly I have rebuilt about a half dozen motorcycles, one ranchero, one camaro and many many friends cars. 2 complete overahauls and a collection of tools for 20+ years. I have access to several friends with welding abilities and even a big back yard to do it all in. I have a sand blaster and and 6 HP 40gallon craftsman air compressor and all of the air tools to go with it. Yes I am trully blessed but on a serious budget. Wife told me to buy the truck cause she got tired of me bitching every time I got rained on on my bike (no cage to drive in the rain) My choice was to buy a cheap vehicle and pay cash. This is it. Problem is that I am not sure I need to do the IFS but I too like PS and PB so I was wondering if it was easy to add these things without having to pay such rediculous aftermarket prices. I was wanting a list of items to look for (salvage cars) so that I could go to one of Houston's hundreds of salvage yards and find the parts, rebuild them, paint them and install them. Honestly I do not know if I need to intall a IFS suspension but you guys have years of experience and I only want to do this one time and I want to do it right. For instance this Volare front end. I see there are several donor vehicles but I cannot imagine that all are the same and are equally as good. What is the most common Steering coloumn that you guys use and what is the best solution(cheapest) for PS and PB's. Ok so now I have spilled my guts. Guys get used to it, I ususally stick to an issue until it is resoloved and this is one of those I need help with so I come to you vets and I say .....help or ayuda me. Ed

 

I got my IFS from a 1977 Aspen wagon. With it came the power steering, and brake booster. I got everything, already pulled and ready to go for $300. Putting it in has been a different story. I managed to tear everything down, but my buddy that welds is really hard to hook up with. Im basically at the same stage as I am in my gallery, and its been 6 months. This is my first project, and rebuilding what was there was fairly easy, but IFS entails fabrication, and some REAL work. I suggest you do your job during the dry months, because its gonna be a bit of work. I dream of the day mine is done. If you search the threads, you will find a topic on all the donor vehicles for the Volare. Just search around the threads, there are TONS of goodies to be found.

55forder

 

"For instance this Volare front end. I see there are several donor vehicles but I cannot imagine that all are the same and are equally as good"

Ed (Not Special LOL)

Yes, the donors are truly belly buttons. Chrysler used the setup in literally millions of cars. 99+ percent are identical. Very minor differences in sway bar diameter did exist. If you can find a squad car or station wagon. You "might" get one with a slightly larger sway bar, but there is no guarantee. The diferences are insignificant. Spend your efforts looking for a donor that isn't all rusted through with every wear component shot.

Whether you need a Volare or not is your call. I won't recite the pro's and con's again. They are well documented in the suspension thread.

You can definitely get the modernization upgrades for your straight axle. You can make it steer easily, ride better etc. Will it be easier than a Volare switch. Yes it probably will. Will it be cheaper than a Volare install? I highly doubt it. The straight axle upgrades are quite expensive if you give it a full make over. PWR Disks, PS, New leaf springs etc. Will a straight axle ever be as comfortable to drive than a a Volare or most other IFS? Not in my opinion. I have never driven any straight axle vehicles that are as comfy as my Volare.

If I was going to use my truck for serious work, the straight axle would get the nod. A straight axle is bullet proof. Do you want to drive an old truck? Or a mid-sized car dressed like a truck. (I desired the latter)

Sometimes engineers have a tough time with this decision. We have no equation for you to poke the variables into. A multi-million dollar R&D has not occured (Nor will it). The subjectivity is unavoidable. Our experience is all you have. Sorry if I am just adding to the confusion. I'm trying to help. And we'll be here for the Volare install, or the straight axle upgrade. As long as you don't do anything real weird, we got you covered. Somebody here has done it before.

 

Ed,

In my humble opinion. the two most important things you have to do first is decide how you want to use this truck and what kind of ride do you want from it. Only after those questions are answered can you proceed with a plan. In my own case, I wanted a truck that I can drive daily, take it on a long trip (within reason) if I want, and use it for light hauling. Like fenders, I want a smooth driving truck that drives more like a car than an old truck. I've owned quite a few rods over the years and at my age I've decided that driving comfort is more important than it used to be. Unfortunately, there is no magic donor vehicle out there that you can pull the disc brakes and power steering off of for these old trucks. Yes, you can go the Toyota steering route and get an aftermarket disc brake kit and make the old truck steer and stop better, but it will still ride like a buckboard. You can soften the ride some by removing leaf springs, but it's still nowhere near the ride you would get by changing the suspension to an IFS.

 

I you want front discs ECI offers a kit that I have installed on a 1960 F-100. It is simple and straightforward, and it works very well. I see you're in Richwood, I'm in lLake Jackson,call me if you want to talk or see the truck. I'm in the book.Bob Johnson on Willenberg.

Bob
1960 F-100
1995 F-150
Ski Nautique( 351W )

 

Just to help a little on the issue of front disc brakes, i had mine installed last year. I got them from Sacramento Vintage Ford and they work great. I live on a steep hill here in San Francisco and i like them very much.

Skates