Ok i have done some searches, maybe i'm using the wrong words. Just recently purchased another frame for my 1950. Now the question is..... What is the best front suspension i can bolt/weld up? i don't want to "clip" the frame , that's what i have now & it looks like sh.t. i would like to keep the original frame rails. what other options do I have? I hear the mustang 2 aftermarkets can have some strength issues. i read a thread about the fatman failures, doesn't sound too good when you drop $1600-$2000 on an "upgrade" when the suspension will fail within a few thousand miles. I plan on driving it longer than that. I want to use airbags, and would like it to sit all the way on the ground. just asking for some input from the more experienced than I. need as much knowledge as i can get before i start to hack... maybe some threads with pics of other builds. i have seen good work like "Bass" , Gambino, and a few other respectable builders here on the hamb . Just don't want to be searching and looking forever and never get to build. money and time is always an issue ,I don't have either.
i just tryed to respond to this post twice wrote a damb book ( twice)and it got erased because i got loged out while i was writing i want to help so please call me to to fn pissed to try again 408 561 5744 thanxs alex
Three obvious choices: 1. Stock front end with 51-54 brake upgrade or disc brake add-on kit 2. Mustang II kit. This is about a 3200 lb car; a Mustang II is around 2800 lbs. Odds are for normal street driving you'd be fine. 3. Clip - Camaro, Impala, Nova, whatever; they need to be narrowed to work right. Lots of work. Outside of that you're on your own, but the stock frontend does completely unbolt from the frame, so I suppose if you had the skills you could fabricate a new crossmember to hang most anything you want on there. The stock front end is not the greatest in the world; but it will get you down the road just fine. Some guys have found a way to adapt a Saginaw rack to them (it's used in some foriegn job, a Saab maybe) which does away with the center steering. Because the Corvette used it until 1962, you can find bushings and so forth that can improve the rest of the handling. 1954 spindle uprights will get an inch or so of drop, too. If nothing else it seems as though using it is the least amount of work - but if you were afraid of a lot of work, you wouldn't be contemplating a frame swap, so...
Chassis Engineering has a bolt-in front suspension kit with adjustable spring hats that give you about 2.5" of adjustment. Pretty easy to dial in the ride height you want, and even though it's based on the MII it's engineered for the 49-54 Chevy. I think you can get an airbag version too, but I'm not sure.
I think you could use a jaguar xj front end. I had one for mine but it had some damage. Then I got to looking at the price and availability of the replacement parts. You can use the stock suspension and fab up disk brakes out of junkyard parts.That is another way I had mine but then I wanted to put a small block in it so I am going to put mustang2 in it. I am planning on driving mine a lot as well as long distances so I wanted all parts that are easy to come by. You also need to keep in mind the motor you are running as well as the steering because you could have troubles with the exhaust as well as other clearance issues.
I recommend you do not put one dime in the stock front. I put disc brakes, idler arm and tie rod ends in my old 49. I should have put that money into a mustang II. if you want to be low you will be bottoming out on big bumps, and if you spend much time parking in spots made for hondas you will regret not changing over. as for the FatMan failures, unless something new has come up this was several years ago and it was some bolt that failed and these problems have since been rectified. it was a very low failure rate I can't remember the numbers. there are no strength issues, only issues of people who can't get the word pinto out of thier heads when thinking of these suspensions. the balljoints are actually larger then the camaro. the weight of the car is irrellevant in the mustang II debate. it is the weight over the wheels. not total weight. you don't even use V8 springs in a 49 -54. I have a Fatman "ultra low" crossmember in my 49. it puts the crossmember up in the frame 2" higher, making the car 2" lower without dropped spindles. my buddy drives a 48 chevy with a mustang II every day and has had no problems at all. it has been all over the western states with who knows how many thousands of miles.
there must be a least a dozen suppliers of must 11 front ends. why do you think that is. its because they work and are considered the standard just like 9" fords 350/350 and so on, people use this stuff because its works, if being different is what you want go for it. 49ratfink makes a good point about the slam/ultra low c/m this is the way to get your car low not dropped spindles which let the c/m hang down and drag.
Hi ! I decided to go for a Mustang II front suspension on my '53 pride and joy. Easy to install and I hope to take her for the very first test ride next weekend. Some pics can be seen at: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2104315
first off fatman fixed any problems they had with there MII Years ago more like ten and they beefed up thesteel gage in there whole kit. in that post yer referring too, about that failure it was NEVER clear whose MII it was, it led you to beleave it was a fatman. it looked like the cause of the problem ( to me ) might have been the result of MATNIECE NEGLECT or just plane (abuse )of the car it was installed in I don’t see a problem with MII’s when there installed CORECTLY and maintaned weve installed TCI ,Heights,and Fatman MII threw the years but when it comes to MII and air bags we perfure fatman. tci and heigts spring pockets tolerances seem to be tighter and the bags want to sit to close to the frame rail for my liking and the caliper is very close to the bag when turning and going threw its range of travel almost wants to hit the bag bolth tci and heights cross members hang down a bit far when installed in 49 – 54 chevy frames and if you are wanting your car on the ground youll end up having to Z the frame fatman makes a beefier crossmember than the otheres and they offer a altra low kit that works great in these 50’s chevys it puts the cross member right under the frame rails instead of hanging down 3 or 4”along with droped spindles youll be resting on the k member instead of the cross member in my opion any MII other than fatman for the extremest wanting there chevy on the ground WILL be disappointed because it wont be low enough unless you z the frame that cross member will be the first thing in the way of putting it on the ground. The next thing on these chevys that will keep you from DRIVING 1 ‘’ off the ground (not parking ) is the k member the k member hangs down 1 ½’’ to 2’’ below the rocker and frame rails on the fuck you 54 we caned the stock k member and fabbed a new double k member one we raised it to the top of the frame rails I wanted nothing hanging down on this car below the frame rails the second one we flipped it the other way moved it back 10”s and lowered it to the base of the rails witch leads to the next problem on these cars the up graded brake booster if you raise the k member between the rails yer gona have to put it on the fire wall, make a bump in the floor, or put it under the dash with a bell crank mount and pedal assembly like we did on the fuck you 54( I don’t like the look of a brake booster on the fire wall of a 50’s car ) on the fuck you 54 we went one step ferthere (I knew I would be driving this car fast and low) I choose to Z the frame 2” this helped a few things my crossmember and rack now sits about 4” off the ground when parked my oil pan is about 3” and trans pan about 4 or 5” parked it also helped with steering we only had to use 2 steering joints and one double d shaft (usaly on these chevys with MII’s you have to use 3 jionts and 2 double d shafts and ancor one of the shafts down with a hiems )we used the stock colume put a bearing at the bottom and (we now machine the steering shaft to double d) Z ing the frame and raising the motor allso helped me out with my motor mounts( because on these chevys and MII’s the motor mounts and the streering want to be in the same place) and also being able to use a lower alt bracket the only other thing that hangs below the rocker on my car is the liltle bump in front of the back wheel ( the chevy frames are arched upward right there) for that youd have to chanel the body in the rear it bugs me that I didn’t on the fuck you 54 I know I got off topic about the MII Bottom line is we only indorse what we run on and in our cars and we drive the shit out of them. There is a BIG diferance between a lowered car and a extreme air baged one and I don’t want to get in a pissing match here IM speaking about the later when talking about the diferances in these kits hands down fatman rules with these chevys with there altra low stag 4 MII with droped spindles combinded with the 6”HS slam bags (4ply) in the front (or ne replacement 2 ply double Kevlar) and 4ply conti tec bags out back. THERE IS NO BETTER RIDE PERIOD Now if your this far into your build theresa lot of things to think about that’s why I kept writing in this installment one thing leds to four things every thing has to work together some thing I didn’t memtion before was set your motor where YOU want it not where a kits motor mounts wants to place the motor don’t go threw all this work and wish you did it diferantly later I hope I helped some folk out here I aint no expert and don’t claim to know every thing just what ive experienced with these chevys oh ya don’t for get the gambino notch and tri link im gone
I was at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville a week ago. Chassis Engineering had a vendor display and I got a good look at their bolt on (no welding required) Mustang II based front suspensions. Very nicely done. You pay a small premium for the bolt on feature. But much less than you would pay a shop to weld it up for you. And when you are done you know the job has een done right because there is only one way the cross member can go in. We have one on order for a 40 Ford a friend is building. He is a very good welder. Even so, he went with the Chassis Engineering set up because it is a no hassel installation. Check out their web site http://chassisengineeringinc.com/ .
I bought and installed this crossmember and I am very happy with it. It even has adjustable spring pockets. CE's customer service was top notch too. It even comes with motor mounts, and they are perfect. not to far back, not to far forward. The metal is nice and thick. The only downside is that they don't make a model for a power rack, only manual. Everything came in primer so it wouldn't flash rust.
...on 49's with the ultra low you need to watch where you put your motor and how big your balancer is. I didn't want to cut the floor, so I took a piece out of the crossmemeber for oil pan clearance. I made the error of setting up my motor mounts with no balancer on the motor, when I went to put the motor in the big balancer hit the rack, so I eneded up changing the balancer to a smaller diameter one. as stated the steering shaft goes right through where the motor mount goes, so you must be creative with yout mounts another bonus for the Fatman is stainless steel tubular A-arms, and the same A-arm is used for bags as well as coils, you just change where the spring mounts. so you can do springs now and bag later, or if you ever get sick of bags you can go back to springs relativly cheap.
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