who has best mustang ll front crossmember

I have done a search, but this systems sucks the big one.. it only searches the first word. I have tried running the words into one. I have asked moderators.??? but what the heck, eh.! Now for the important part....I am going to put the must.ll in my 49 Chev car.. have it all, just want a good, weld in or bolt in.. crossmember.. thanks, RR

 

Who has the best Mustang II crossmember ... easy answer, "I do" and I bought it from Welder Series back when they were Horton Street Rods.

 

I searched Mustang II and came up with lots o stuff:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=13518311

Now the bad news, Mustang II stuff ain't exactly traditional Hot Rod fare and yes, I know there are plenty on the HAMB. If you go to a street rod website you would get a lot more info, I'm sure.
I've used TCI, Heidts, Chassis Eng., Welder Series Fat Man, and made my own. What do you mean "the best"? Price? Ride? Ease of installation? Original parts? Air? Coils? Coilovers? Dropped Spindles? Fab'd control arms? Manual/Power? OEM discs? Not so simple Grasshopper.

 

by best, I mean one that FITS properly. heard so many different stories...

 

I have a 52 chevy with a mustang 2 front. Its from Chassis Engineering. I Bought it with the front already done but if I were to do it over again I would definatly go with the wide lower arms that dont need the strut rods. Just my personal opinion.

 

FATMAN has the ultra low crossmember for these cars. not sure if anyone else does, but that would be something I'd be looking for. drops it 2" or so more than a regular one.

when I did mine I got a bunch of catalogs. ended up talking to FATMAN at the Goodguys show and bought that one.

 

Chassis Engineering for me! It bolts in to original holes to get it all lined up and then you just drill out the rest. I have CE front suspension, Trans Mount and Lowrider Springs and I do not have one complaint. I have seen other kits and the CE seems to be the easiest to install and it is high quality for sure. I forgot to mention that I have a 52 Chevy DeLuxe

Hope this helps,
Sam Navarro

 

'51 Styleline - CE crossmember here too. Fit perfectly... keep in mind, that these are 61+ year old cars... so you're going to need to work a bit on the fitment, but even still the CE crossmember went in without any issues at all.

 

By the way, I blogged the install....

http://1951chevy.blogspot.com/2010/03/isnt-it-amazing-how-few-hours-turns.html

 

I got my crossmember for my mustang II frontend from speedwaymotors.com. It was a weld on version, but it worked just fine.

 

Chassis Engineering for bolt on, Welder Series for weld in, for that car.

 

Here are some search tips. type your words in quotes like this "Mustang Crossmember" OR like this with a plus symbol Mustang+crossmember. It will make your searches much more precise.

 

For that car-Chassis Engineering. Bolt in is a real plus on the Chevys.
They fit too, at least as well as any thing is gonna fit a 60 yr old car.

 

no, not "hot rod fare" but they've never been looked down upon here on a full fender'd car...

 

I thought you meant who had the best one. I was going to say that I have one out of a wrecked GT that's pretty damned good and doubt that anyone else's is any better.

 

Not an easy question to answer. The big players make good equipment, but all systems do not fit all cars equally.

What separates the rest from the best fit for your car is more a question of what performance you want out of your suspension, what your budget is, and what the weight of engine, transmission, and other componets you plan to install.

For my situation, the Fatman's crosssmember and control arms were the choice. My car is a 47 ford Sedan coupe, with a 700R4 and fuel injected 350.
And I am using power rack and pinion steering accompanied with an air conditining system.

I would weld in any crossmember, regardless which I chose.
But, that is me. After I located crossmember, I did not want it moving.
for, it is the backbone of the front suspension and frame strength.

For a smaller car, such as an early 30 or late 20's car, Heidt's fit those cars well.
For middle 30's and early lighter 40's cars most systems are adequate.
The truth is how the suspension componets are installed and the care in locating all parts is more critical than what brand is chozen.

 

I used Fatman's. I have pictures on my profile page of the installation. My friends, the Gustafson brothers have installed several and have never had a problem. The crossmember is made for your frame.

 

I used a Heidt's on the 40 Ford. I also used stock Mustang 2 control arms and spindles. I upgraded the brakes to Granada discs which have 5 lugs. Simple install and looks good on a fat fender car.

 

I have Chassis Eng in my 37 Chev ,also has tubular lower/upper arms, been bulletproof for over a decade

 

The bolt on Chassis Engineering unit is great for the guy with a Chevy like yours if you don't mind the bolt on look and who is ever going to see it under that car? Chevs of the 40's also shows one that I am not sure is the same but has adjustable spring pads in the top to get the ride height dialed in.
The other thing is, are you just looking at the crossmember and planning on running the stock MII suspension pieces or are you planning on buying the whole kit rotor to rotor?

I went cheap and bought one off Ebay but it is a "universal" unit and I will have to spend a full day and maybe more fitting it to my frame once the weather decides to cooperate. It is a long way from the best but it was very inexpensive. The unit is heavy duty though and made out of 1/4 inch steel.

One thing to consider is that sometime back there was a big discussion among the BC guys on the board that one of the guys had up there about the local rules concerning welding on suspension or frames. I'm not sure that would affect you but the bolt on might be looked at as a remove and replace rather than something that was modified or altered by your local inspectors if the car needed inspection.

 

I have a heidts system for mine.They cost a little more,but I think it worth it.The airride arms look great and fit really good.The cross member is really easy to install also.It welds in with very little trimming.Just my 2 cents

 

hey guys, thanks for all your help.. exactly what I was after... will get the CE, bolt on kit.. be back on the road, real soon.. RR

 

You'll be very happy with the CE kit. If you have any questions about ours, please give us a call or email.

dw

 

you guys and your "kits". . .

The best one is the El Polacko special recipie. . . that can be found right here on the hamb. You get to build it to your own specs and learn all about the geometry of it in the process. I know where my rack sits in relation to my arms, why the crossmember meets the frame "right there" how low my car will drop and what ride hieght is. .. super fun shit!

Why pay someone else and miss all of the fun of building your car?

Kits? . . .we don't need no stinking kits?

 

Fatman.

 

Is there a thread on it?,I would love to read through it...

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70073

I want to update it again, just no time.

Quite a bit has happened since then, I think I can do some drawings that would make it easier to understand now. I could also provide a spec sheet with some simple frame dimensions and then cut you the raw materials needed to do the job yourself.

 

I have a Fatman in my 41 lincoln.Very nice piece and was as advertised.

 

Staying in the loop

 

i might as well toss this in as well... i installed a fatman kit in my willys and its a good kit if you install it right.