48 front end help
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New User
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Gilroy
48 front end help
What year exactly do I need the Mustang II to be in order to do this swap? And I need some serious chat time with one of you experts. Seems the more I study the 48 the more I try to think.... that's where I get in trouble. Please help. I have access to a huge inventory of cars at a wrecking yard, however I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing. I'm learning quire a bit though and having lots of fun.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 895
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From: OK
Welcome to the site. If you get a chance, put some pictures of your truck in your gallery, if you don't mind. I'm not really sure what you mean by what year of Mustang II you need for the swap. Your best bet would be to buy a pre-made crossmember and then you could go buy the the upper and lower control arm, spindles, etc at your local salvage yard (I think, I may be wrong, but all Mustang II's were the same). Maybe some experts will chime in, because I have not did this to my 48. Good luck and welcome once again. 
hotrod48
hotrod48
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
Mustang II IFS has become a generic name for the kits a number of suppliers sell, but in fact use very few off the shelf or out of the salvage yard parts any more, i.e. spindles, brakes, hubs, rack centersection. Everything else is custom fabbed by the supplier. That's all for the better since the actual MII front suspension is both too narrow and too light duty for our trucks, as well as of a poor design. Even the brakes and hubs are of marginal value, the OEM 9" rotors and the 4 bolt hubs are also too light IMHO. Remember the MII chassis was "borrowed" from the Pinto econobox.
If you are looking for a salvage yard IFS, without doing a frame clip, the popular choices are outlined in the alternate front suspension tech article.
If you are looking for a salvage yard IFS, without doing a frame clip, the popular choices are outlined in the alternate front suspension tech article.
Last edited by AXracer; Nov 23, 2005 at 12:45 PM.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: San Jose, CA
Originally Posted by Project48
What year exactly do I need the Mustang II to be in order to do this swap? And I need some serious chat time with one of you experts. Seems the more I study the 48 the more I try to think.... that's where I get in trouble. Please help. I have access to a huge inventory of cars at a wrecking yard, however I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing. I'm learning quire a bit though and having lots of fun.
By the way, I see that you are in CA. Where? I'm in North CA. I have the complete MII front w/rack and pinion and hydraulic hoses that I was going to use for my truck, but ended up buying a parts truck with a complete MII clip already installed. I'd like to sell the '74 MII suspension ASAP as it's taking up a lot of room.
Let me know if you are interested and we can work out a deal.
Ilya
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 628
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From: Batavia Oh
I have Chassis Engineering Mll cross member in my 48 project.They said to use 74-78 mustang parts.I would not use salvage yard parts.The parts are not that expensive to purchase new.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,858
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From: Friendswood, Texas
Originally Posted by 51PanelMan
I bought a MII front suspension clip from a '74 Mustang II. I forget the first year that the Mustang II hit the market. I think that it was in 1970. You can also use a front suspension clip from the Pinto/Bobcat and the Mercury version of the MII.
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Gilroy
Thank's for all the help. I'm in northern cali. Sand blast or sand? I've started working on my truck today... yes Thanksgiving. My wife is pissed. Gotta love it... I've read up several articles about the 48. I'm still struggling.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
You should go over to the Jag IFS topic, that's as close to a bolt in junkyard swap as you can get on the 48. Sandblast or sand? that depends on a lot of factors. If the cab and bed is off the frame, you have a large capacity compressor (at least 5 HP 230V) and use real blasting media NOT builder's sand (unless you want to die before finishing the truck) or can afford the sevices of a pro sandblaster then blasting is the way to go. If you go to a pro, be sure to use one that other rodders recommend, not all understand or care about doing a good job. Do power wash it before taking it to a pro or blasting it yourself, media does an excellent job on dry surfaces but isn't as good at taking off grease and gunk.
PS: be sure to take lots of pix and post them in your gallery, we love seeing them.
PS: be sure to take lots of pix and post them in your gallery, we love seeing them.
Last edited by AXracer; Nov 24, 2005 at 09:06 PM.
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From: Gilroy
My gallery should be up by the time you read this. Honestly I don't think I know what I got myself in to. I'm counting on your help with this. Did you read my intro... the only I've restore/rebuilt was a 4.5 B&S lawn mower engine. It did start for the fair... ha ha I sure hope I can do most of the work myself. I will be taking more pictures daily. So sand from the park won't work huh? What about airplane stripper? Is there anyway to deal with the rust? Should I pay $90 an hour on sand blasting for the frame? I could go on... I'll wait to hear from you. How do I check the 302 that came with the truck to see if it's worth keeping? Help with the engine please.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,231
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From: Near Fresno, California
You have a nice looking truck to start with. It already has the 9" rear end. What sort of brakes does it have in front? Has someone converted them to disks?
I would not do the front conversion yet - it is not a good thing for a beginer to start with. I would try to get what I already had running and on the road.
The way I would tackle this project would be to start small and build up to what I wanted as my skills increased. I would fix the glass, and then make it into a dependable driver. Then I would do what ever interior work that is needed and then do the body work.
Only after I had driven it a bit would I decide just what I wanted in the way of suspension changes. This way instead of a long two or three year project you can break it up into several smaller projects, and be driving the truck as you improve it.
Please take some pictures of the interior and the engine compartment. We wil be able to give better advice if we can see what sort of modifications have been made under the hood and to the front brakes.
I think you have a solid start of a great truck.
I would not do the front conversion yet - it is not a good thing for a beginer to start with. I would try to get what I already had running and on the road.
The way I would tackle this project would be to start small and build up to what I wanted as my skills increased. I would fix the glass, and then make it into a dependable driver. Then I would do what ever interior work that is needed and then do the body work.
Only after I had driven it a bit would I decide just what I wanted in the way of suspension changes. This way instead of a long two or three year project you can break it up into several smaller projects, and be driving the truck as you improve it.
Please take some pictures of the interior and the engine compartment. We wil be able to give better advice if we can see what sort of modifications have been made under the hood and to the front brakes.
I think you have a solid start of a great truck.
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From: Gilroy
Okay you asked for it... I'm going to put the pics of the inside and brakes in my gallery. The pictures you've seen are very deceiving. It's not black paint... it's some type of rust stopper. There is nothing inside. The engine is not wired nor do I have a drive line. 12 bolts (the shinny ones) are the only thing holding the entire chassis together. My theroy is do the suspension now while it's simple. I already have the entire front [art of the chassis off, except for the hood. I'll have it all apart by the end of today. I might just get lucky with a complete Mustang II IFS from 51Panelman. I hope to hear from him soon. I understand you reasoning regarding taking it slow however I'm not sure which would take me longer.... getting the truck started or re-building the entire thing. The 302 under the hood has rust coming out of the exhaust ports. I'm thinking I'm going to tear that apart this month as well. I figure I'll learn something even if I have to buy one. I'm uploading those pics right now