Hey all, I need a hand. I've got a beef, and I know the darkies will just shake their heads, but gosh darn it I'm a blue oval fan, not a bowtie fan!

I'm trying to plan out an IFS install with PS and PB for next winter (which is when I should have the necessary funds assuming something horrible doesn't happen). In any event I keep running into a problem, and that's a bowtie invasion. I know that some people think this is a stupid thing to care about but my signature says Ford Purist, because I don't want anything but Ford on/in my Ford. Every IFS package on the aftermarket, and every column, and every brake system upgrade I can find has some sort of GM taint! MII IFS have GM rotors and calipers, columns have GM wiring and switches, and PBB's have corvette MC's!

So here's where I need some help, particularly from those not so darkside inclined...

Does ANYBODY know of a true blue IFS, PB, and/or Column source(s) on the aftermarket today?

I say aftermarket, because the U-Wrench-It's around here have all died out, and I don't know of a decent place to find a MII or even a Jag set up. (no, Jag doesn't bother me, neither does Merc, Linc, etc. I figure they're part of the Ford family, even if some of them are only distant relatives, it's better than bowtie)

It churns my stomach to think that I might have to resign to relying on GM engineering while enjoying my 50Ford...it'd make it a Forvy, or a Chevord (I'm not sure which).

 

well im looking at a borgeson steering column. but its non tilt and has no internal wiring.

 

Well I have installed a Jag XJ6 IFS (no GM parts- it does use a saginaw PS pump) and my tilt column is a modified 76 T Bird column and the rear is 9 inch. Am I doing ok so far? Well I lost it on the Engine and trans with a 350 Vortec and 700R4. There is no reason however why you can't stay all Ford with the Jag IFS. You just have to do the oil pan trick to clear the Jag crossmember.

 

I bleed Ford Blue as much as anyone, but have you compared Ford vs. Chevy prices on parts? Those guys have it made. I needed a parking brake lever for my Explorer rear end, cost $47 (for one!) and had to go to the next town over to get it from Ford. I know it sucks, but if you get stranded in BFE, chances are they will have the replacement parts you need.
I just grin and bear it, that's kind of the point of rodding anyway. Take something that no one would think work and make it work.

 

Digger, If you deal with FTE sponsor y2kfordparts, you won't pay list, or list +20 or even 30. All FTE members get a discount from y2k. Most dealers today add 10-30% to the list price, so Chevy parts ain't any cheaper. It all depends on the individual dealer. There's no limit on what they can charge. The sky's the limit.

 

Just because some parts come on GM cars doesn't necessarily mean they are exclusively GM. Saginaw makes PS pumps for Chrysler too. Many brake parts like master cylinders and rotors made for GM cars are also made for other makes by the same company. Personally, as long is they make my truck drivable I could not care less about what make the parts came from or for where they were originally destined. Just because my truck has some GM parts on it does not mean I'm a big bowtie fan.

However, if you insist on such madness you can avoid the GM brake stuff with a Ford IFS like from a Crown Vic or an older Ford LTD, etc., and you can always use a Ford steering column instead of an aftermarket. If you are willing to put in the time to search and the extra money for the parts I'm sure you can avoid using GM parts if it is that important to you.

 

Saginaw is a Division of GM and has been for decades. GM also owns: Bendix, Harrison Radiators, DELCO, Allison, AC Sparkplugs, Rochester Carburetors, Packard Electric, Muncie, and many more. William Crapo Durant, the founder of GM started buying these companies shorty after GM was formed in 1908.


The AC in AC Sparkplugs stands for Albert Champion. After GM bought his company, he started another one: Champion Sparkplugs.

Packard Electric was founded by brothers James Ward and William Dowd Packard in Warren, Ohio. When the car they developed in 1899 became more profitable than the electrical parts. They sold the electric company to GM.


DELCO = Dayton Electric Laboratories Co was founded by Charles Kettering in Dayton, Ohio. When GM bought DELCO, Kettering became GM's Chief Engineer. Kettering gets the credit for putting women behind the steering wheel. It was he who developed the self starter motor first used by Cadillac in 1912. Prior to the self starter, vehicles had to be cranked by hand. Not an easy job for man or woman.

 

Exactly my point. Parts from Saginaw and Bendix are made not only for GM cars and trucks but for other makes also.

 

You can get a Mustang II setup and put Baer or Wilwood aftermarket disc brakes on it? That'd fix that part form being GM in any way. Depending where you want to put your master cylinder, you could pull one from a Ford car/truck on the dash or buy an aftermarket under floor mount version. Not positive, but I THINK - CPP makes their master cylinders, but they are based on a Corvette unit. So that might rule that out??? As for the aftermarket columns: They have GM wiring plugs. Some internal switches or parts used might be from a GM application, but you'll still be 99.9% NON-GM. Cut off the plug and you're mostly good. Wire it up yourself. Might want to make sure you know where all of those wires go before you cut it. : )

 

i dont know but im planning on using a new venture 4500 5 speed tranny in my 59. this tranny comes in dodge trucks but as long as it donsent say dodge across it in big letters im cool with it. as far as allison transmissions go we used to have a ford 8000 tandem axel flatbed with a cat deisel and allison tranny. that was a great old truck.

 

Thats Why I'm Doing Ti The Hard Way And Putting It On { The 55 } A 74 1/2 Ton Frame . I Too See All These Parts Based On Or Using Gm Components And Desired To Keep Her As Pure As Humanly Possible . Cut The Front End Out Of A Early 70's Truck And Splice Her In If You Aren't Crazy Like Me , Or Another Alternative I've Seen And I Just Acquired A 74 Ltd With A Disc 9 Inch And A 400m , Is To Cut The Front Frame Section Off Of One Of These Big Cars And Use It . After That Just Get Inventive Or You Have To Deal With Whats Available .

 

Yeah, I don't know what I'll do. Not having a welder, or somebody who can do it for me really puts me in a bind. My father welds, but he's 10hrs away, and it's hard to work on a project that's 10hrs away. I may just have to bite the bullet, but at least if I do go aftermarket I can claim it as "Brand X" part, and not "Brand GM" part. Right?

*rationalizing*

BTW, I like the borgeson columns, my column's got no wiring in it either.