what suspension replaces the Mustang II

My son recently purchased a 51 Chevrolet pickup and we had planned on putting a mustang II under the truck. Unfortunately these seem to be hard to find, at least they are here in Wisconsin.

Is their another inexpensive suspensiuon I should be looking at?

Has another surfaced to replace thi now 30 year old suspension?

Thanks
Mike

 

If you want to go old school put a 53/54 chevy car front end under it....lowers it 8 inches...MII kits are easy to find.....Heits (sp)is a good one

 

Good question. I'll be watching this one.

 

Anyone ever use a complete S-10 chassis

 

a pinto suspension is supposodely just about identical to a mustang 2 suspension..
i cut up a few pintos for scrap a while back and someone i know kept making me save the front ends and he would buy them all from me because they were cheaper than the mustang 2

 

Must be 20 posts on using the S10 chassis on these.

As for the Mustang-II, there must also be 20 different aftermarket kits to put those on other cars, that's what people use these days.

 

Let me clearify the issue here. The purchase of a new Mustang II for 1795.00 or a Hiedts for 2k up is out of the question. Waaaaaaaay to pricey for this project
.
The truck is being built by my 15 year old son. Recall the amount of time vs the money you had at 15 and I think you understand this issue. We need a suspension for a few hundred bucks. Pinto's are basically the same only a lighter version of the same supension. ( I must have purchased half a dozen Mustang II front ends for 100.00 over the years, can't find one today, the salvage metal rush seems to have absorbed them all here).

S-10 would require a frame swap, he would rather install a suspension and keep the original frame. If some one has experience with a cheap subframe install cool, share it with me , even if it was an S-10 . I am all ears.

 

See if you can find a Jag front end. They are suppose to be easier than the Mustang II to install.........

 

If you have friends, family, or neighbors headed my way, I can help out a 15yr old with a free California rust free stock M2.. Too far for a hamb relay I'd guess.

 

X2 yep

 

Front clip off 80's GM or graft an s-10 to it. Or Dodge dakota ?

Later, Mark

 

I wonder if the later model (70's, 80's) chevy/gmc 1/2 ton truck front suspension would work, if I remember it's 4 bolts, and the suspension/crossmember is off the frame, but would the track width be off too much for the 51?

 

Here's a neat idea. Restore the stock suspension.

They work great and the cool factor of an unmolested undercarriage is tops. Disc brakes are easy. The value of the truck isn't diminished. It costs a lot less.

 

i can get you comlete camaro clips for 100 bucks a piece

 

Take a look at Welder Series.


jerry

 

Thanks for the replies so far... Thought you might like some picture's of the project as we purchased it. The last is a piucture of my son in the 5 window cab that came with the truck.

 

Do it IMCA Modified style.

Find you a front stub off of a 68-72 Chevelle, or if you don't mind fabricating the lower mounts and cross member, you just need the lower control arms.

Find some Pinto spindles (Speedway sells DirtWorks IMCA spec spindles that are brand new and strong as hell) and borrow a reamer to match the old Chrysler screw-in ball joints. Speedway sells a dandy 10" hub/rotor for these spindles, which isn't real costly (like $60 a piece, IIRC).

Alternately, you can use the spindles and rotors from an 80-90 Impala or full size GM car. It's a taller spindle, a little different geometry, works real good though. Come wearing a nice 11" rotor too. Everything else is the same.

The uppers can come from damned near anywhere. I'd go with some cheap fabricated uppers and a set of mounts from Speedway or other similar circle track racing supplier.

Ball joints are Chrysler screw in type, K772 Uppers, K727 Lowers, buy Moog. Speedway sells weld-in collars to modify the lower control arms with. Buy the uppers that already take these joints (standard stuff for circle track cars).

Steering box you can use from pretty much any full size GM car from about 1968 up to about 1988. Boxes from Z28 Camaros will be faster (1:8) than the rest (1:12). You will need a pitman arm, idler arm, tie rods, and drag link from a 68-72 Chevelle.

Ream the spindles until all the tapers in it fit all the various ball joints and tie rod ends we're using.

It's a little more complex to put together, but a damned sight cheaper than buying a ready made kit.

You can also take the whole front stub off an 80-90 GM full size (generally called the later "metric" full size chassis). You'll want to keep and use the lower control arms, spindles, hubs, and all the steering gear. You can use the uppers that come with it, but I would replace the upper control arms with tube type to so you can set your caster/camber without a lot of hassle.

The metric stub is an easier deal than adapting all the parts off of the older Chevelle stub, 'cause it's just a whack and weld kind of thing, and the Metric stub is a lot easier to find.

Look for mid-80's Monte Carlos, they're everywhere, and this is about all they're good for.

 

try speedway motors i think they offer one for 1300 hub to hub

 

What year camaro?

 

Here are some suggestions. They are for the Ford truck of the same vintage but should work equally well in a Chevy.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...n-alternatives-for-1948-1960-ford-trucks.html

 

speedway has one stock arms 999.00

 

Wander through your local junk yard and see what cars have a front suspension package that is mostly a bolt-in affair. Chryslers of various models have used this style for decades (Volare/Aspen, Cordoba)and check the Dakota/Durango. Late Crown Vics have something similar. If you are not hung up on brand then there must be something that will work and not cost a fortune. Check them out with a tape measure and compare to your existing frame. Your son probably has more time than money so get creative.



.

 

Welder series?

 

2nd gen f-body. the later years are cheep and usualy have the motor mounts. 100-200 buck around here. Just need a tape measure and a welder.

 

Stick with the Mustang 11 in this truck. Alternatives are '74 and later pinto and Mercury bobcats. There are other good suggestions on this post, but most are to wide for this truck. The pinto and mustang 11 are the same, not a lighter version, as long as it's '74 and later. You need to get the front crossmember as well as arms and rack. The cross member takes a bit of notching, but fits like a glove. I've done lots of these over the past 20 years or so , and nothing else fits or works as well. It is worth the scrounging to find one.

 

Yep what he said, my buddy and I just put one under my 50 chevy this weekend we notched the front frame out and it slid right up its real low and its narrow enough to turn with no rubbing. Found a used mustang from junk yard for 125.00

 

Great .... so do they have another?

 

you can purchase the fatman fab crossmember for under 350 and then use salvage arms and components to finish the kit. Will simplify the installation and in my opinion be a better final product than a hacked in MII crossmember. I've seen a few that were just plain scary.

 

does chassis eng. still sell a mounting kit for a pacer front end in these pickups?

riverrat

 

I would do as Scotty said and rebuild the stock axle. I had a 51 with a stock axle, new kingpin kit, and passenger car drums for the five hole pattern, put a 327 and a powerglide in it and drove it for 7 years. Even drove it during the heat wave of 80 in Dallas and never had a problem.