Hey yeah I know Mark real well. I was out to his house last weekend looking at the AC unit he bought at the nationals for his Vette Frame truck. I tried to talk him into going EFI on his motor but he said he is going to run the carb. Maybe AJ will talk him into it. Tell him you talked to Donald on the internet on this site. There is a lot of great information in this forum.

 

Been trying to get him to go EFI for a while myself. Let's keep the pressure on. I haven't even talked to him in weeks and didn't know he picked up the AC. I'll call him later. Maybe we'll meet in person some day. Great hearing back.

 

i just thought of something....why can you not graft on the LTD suspension like the volare??

 

Not a big problem, a friend of mine just finished doing that on my 56 M100. A little more work but it will be all Ford/Mercury in the end. We used an 80 Mercury car front clip which comes out very close. Hope this helps you to decide on a Ford type front suspension.

 

[QUOTE]Yes, the Volare is easy to do and very cheap, but gosh that Cordoba system sure looks purdy (and it's reasonably priced as well, plus easy to do)

RMF,

I saw the cordoba system on a friends truck in Tampa, It uses existing holes from the straight axle setup. He had to trim maybe a quarter inch near the steering box to make everything work. The welding on the crossmember was top notch and the whole thing looks factory natural. I'm going to go that way. The $595 cost from Gibons is fairly reasonable.

Bubba

 

Bubba,

You're preaching to the choir, brother.

 

so what the main differance from a mustang ii setup? after reading this post it makes me want to change mine?

 

Others far more learned than I can answer better but here's my take.

Mustang II is welded in and at the risk of being flamed, flogged and beaten, came on a lighter vehicle than our trucks. It may be as beefy and able to carry the weight. The Gibbons Cordoba swap uses existing frame holes that were utilized for the straight axle. A minor trim is needed to clear the power steering box, maybe 1/4 inch or so. With the MII you need some skill as a welder and alignment is crucial. With the cordoba, the alignment issue is already taken care of. When my time or $ allows, I'm gonna go cordoba.


Hope this helps

 

i think i am gonna stick with the LTD suspension cause i can get the WHOLE car for $175

 

This site (in general and this forum especially) trys a lot harder than most to promote itself as a friendly place where people respect each other and their right to different opinions without flaming others. The sticky on IFS was written to try to give a fairly evenhanded view of each of the alternatives without offending fans of any particular choice. If you want to see more meaty discussion of the various alternatives, go back to the original threads that were used as background for the sticky article. There you'll find more detialed discussion of the various alternatives. Most of these threads date from around sept of 2003 and have titles like "Pros and cons of ..."

Later,

 

Doesn't seem like you should pick your suspension based on the price of the parts. I would be concerned with the results as well. I only called one junk yard today searching for a Dakota front end and they gave a quick estimate of $400, but if I come in and talk to them then they will give me a better price. I am guessing that I might get everything I need for $300.

I am sure the LTD will work but I wouldn't use it just because it was dropped there infront of you.

 

Unfortunately, there are some of us who must work within a budget. If that means picking a suspension based on the price of the parts as opposed to not having a running truck, I'll take the suspension based on price of the parts any day. I've been retired for 10 years and living on the same income now that I was 10 years ago, so the the option of a Mustang II, Cordoba, or Dakota which all require aftermarket crossmembers in addition to salvage yard parts just isn't possible on my income. The Chrysler torsion bar suspension I selected for my 48 F-3 was based not only on price and availability, but on reliability also. This suspension has been installed on these old trucks so many times that the installation is routine, so there is no reason why it would not yield great results. BTW, if you get your Dakota parts for even $300, you still face the cost of the crossmember kit which is going to be over $600. I paid a total of $150 for my Chrysler 5th Avenue donor and will be using not only the front suspension, but the rear end, brake pedal assembly, master cylinder and booster, steering column, gas pedal assembly, and wiring...

Vern

 

Vern has a wonderful point concerning finances. I think very few of us here can afford everthing all new. I know I have struggled with what to do and which way to go. I purchased a crossmember from Dewayne but just recently picked up a great 272. My reasoning was the cost of motor mounts plus, some type of shifter (Lokar was calling my name) and then having the drive shaft cut and the electric fan and..and.. and..

So when this y block became available for a good price, my decision was made to go restomod. Money was an issue. I have my own credit card for my truck with a modest credit limit. When the card is full, I don't buy. Any purchases I make , I have to be able to pay the payment on my discretionary money. Tends to keep the wife fairly happy.

Another concern is lack of equipment or inability to correctly do the welding required to install some of the suspension alternatives. I can and do some stick or mig welding but don't trust my life or my brides with my level of expertise. That's why the cordoba interests me and the $ is why right now it will be straight axle city until I get through with the engine swap and the complete brake overhaul and....

Hope I haven't stepped on any toes..just wanted to clarify my posts

From the outhouse, up to page 8 of the catalog

Bubba

 

yup i already read it probably 5 times

 

I have talked to several people that have Volare front ends and they were having big time problems finding replacement bushings and rebuild parts... They aint making any more Volares, and while the torsion bar front end has advantages, if you can't find parts or spend $600 to rebuild the front end, my MII setup seems to be a better deal.