Enter your username:
Do you want to login or register?
  • Forgot your password?

    Login / Register



    Page 3 of 14 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 ... LastLast
    Results 41 to 60 of 273
    1. #41
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      I would do the crown vic if I wasnt already in $2k. That would be another $1500.

      So I spent a few hours researching, and making phone calls. First, I called Wilwood. They advertise a "mustang II" style dropped spindle. They said it would fit, but would NOT work with any other brakes but theirs. The geometry is the same, but the brake set up is proprietary.

      Then I called Helix. I mentioned Uncle Jimmys, and they said he is an employee of theirs and he will be "out of commission for at least a few months". Not really sure why, and I wasnt going to pry. This would explain the total lack of support from him. I hope everything is okay health wise. This led to me asking about the dropped spindles. The picture shows that they look different than the normal spindles. The tech support guy confirmed that this is the case, and that the dropped spindles will indeed fit, and I can order them directly from Helix, as it is in fact their kit. When I order the spindles, Im going to ask for any information they might have as far as replacement parts, or instructions.

      As for the sub-standard kit parts, Im going to deal with it in stages I guess. I cant afford another suspension so I have to deal with it. A lot of people are using these kits, so maybe I can get by for awhile. Ill install it as is (with the dropped spindles) and keep an eye on it. I found several forums where people had installed them, and addressed the issues with them. The cross member is weak in a few spots, requiring some additional bracing. The ball joints and tie rods are chinese garbage, so Ill look to get those replaced ASAP. When it comes time for brakes, Ill hopefully be in a position to upgrade the entire spindle/brake combo. Ill be looking for some different a-arms as well, maybe with some additional adjustment for caster. With additional bracing and reinforcement on the cross member I dont see it being an issue. We are going to box it in completely as well.

      I might wind up replacing one of the top hats also. Im going to look into it. A few guys have said they had to buy a few extras. The way you have to trim it is just stupid. Ill see if I can get the other side closer. The passenger side has some big gaps. Im not sure about the adjustable coil over upgrade. I would like to at some point, but I dont know if its a viable option.

    2. #42
      Join Date
      May 2010
      Location
      British Columbia
      Posts
      508
      I hope it all works out for you.When I ordered my kit from TCI which included GM disc brakes, I was offered a Wilwood upgrade for $200 extra. I wouldn’t be surprised if your kit was the same. Maybe contact TCI about their 2” drop spindle apparently it takes GM brakes. I don’t know if this helps at all.

    3. #43
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Thanks. I think any Mustang II suspension stuff will work, but in most cases, the brakes will have to be changed or maybe the a-arms, as most manufacturers seem to avoid making their stuff work with others. The suspension uses Mustang II geometry like most do. I should be able to replace the questionable parts later with quality aftermarket stuff, and feel better about it. I think with the additional bracing and reinforcements on the cross member, and stronger A-arms, and better spindles, I shouldnt have a problem. Some people even buy just the cross member, and add these parts from other sources.

    4. #44
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      So after sulking for a week, I borrowed a MIG welder from work to tackle a few sheet metal repairs. Ill have to get the dropped spindles before finishing the IFS, and Ill get the shocks before finishing the 4-link. But I still have a few things to do. Here are pictures from the work this weekend.

      The transmission tunnel and firewall were butchered. It looks better already. The steering column is too close to the frame, but it should be easy to adjust. The frame boxing is almost done. Im not going to go any further back for now. I might put a gas tank there in the future. The suspension will be mounted here, so this should be all thats needed.
      Attached Images Attached Images            

    5. #45
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      After some research and rest, Ive made a few decisions on the truck. I will set the truck back up to the ride height I had it at when it was too high, with the assumption it will get dropped 2 inches next spring with spindles and an adjustment on the 4-link. This will let us continue welding without having to wait on the spindles and shocks for the back.



      Moving on, this made us pull the cab again, and we got to finish the transmission tunnel repair and the firewall repair. We also did some welding on the IFS, which showed Ill have to replace the passenger side top hat. The gaps are just too big. The way the instructions tell you to get the cut dimensions is just dumb. So I cut the first one wrong, and nailed the second one.



      Stephen also bought another welder. He got a Miller 215 multimatic. Its a MIG/TIG 110/220 welder. This thing works like a champ. We are only setup for MIG right now, but this thing welds.



      So, Ill replace the right side top hat, and install the 4-link. Then Im going to POR15 the frame under the cab, set the cab, and start assembly. We still have to fab some motor mounts and figure out the bell housing mounts. No biggie after all this. We are also going to re-enforce the a-arm mounts. After searching on information for this IFS, the biggest complaint was the weak a-arm mounting points. We will brace them up, and finish it off nicely. We also have to add some cross members in the back around the 4-link, but this doesnt need to be done before the cab goes on. We can move on.
      Attached Images Attached Images          

    6. #46
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      I don't know if you can spray paint or not but it would be real easy to clean the rest of the frame and spray an epoxy coating on it. I don't remember reading what your goal is but having the chassis be as good as it can be means you won't revisit it on down the road. You're doing fine.

    7. #47
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Quote Originally Posted by wfo guy View Post
      I don't know if you can spray paint or not but it would be real easy to clean the rest of the frame and spray an epoxy coating on it. I don't remember reading what your goal is but having the chassis be as good as it can be means you won't revisit it on down the road. You're doing fine.
      Thank you. Originally I wanted to sandblast the frame, but its never going to be a trailer queen or show truck. Its a driver. I dont want to worry about little chips and dents. I think Im going to skip the blasting (which would be $300) and just POR15 the frame.

    8. #48
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Small update. Looking online they want $500 for new top hats. Thats not going to happen. Its $10 worth of metal. So we are going to weld it back up. We know the a-arm mount has some strange geometry at the top, so we arent going to mess with it. We will just cut it flush where the notch is, and weld in some 3/16" plates to build the triangle shape back in. Then install an internal stiffener, just in case. It should be fine. Ill notch it again, and itll be good as new. We will also be adding some stiffeners on the lower a-arm mounts. That seems to be a common point of failure. Ill post pictures when we make it happen.

      We are toying with the idea of taking the frame to work and sand blasting it. Its a lot of work, because we would have to build a temporary tent and all, but the compressor at work will handle it, and we have a sand blaster. Ill see. Not sure if I want to go through all that.

    9. #49
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      I'm a master of redo. I understand what extra work is but later on it always seems worth it. Having the chassis be as good as it can will allow you to forget it when it's completed.

    10. #50
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Its been a while, so I have a few update points.

      I talked to Helix and asked about new top hats. On their website they are listed for $500. They sold me a pair for $150, so I got them. Great customer service. They hooked me up. Super nice and they got them right out to me.



      We got them, and cut and installed them today. We ran into a few minor issues, but Im sure itll work. I just want to warn anyone else about what we found. So, if you go to the helix website, they dont sell a kit for our trucks. Its a universal kit. The universal kit can be ordered with three different width cross members; less than 29-3/4", 29-3/4" to 33-1/4", and 33-1/4" and wider. The uncle jimmys kit is a universal helix kit with the widest cross member, at 33-1/4" and wider being the recommendation. The problem is my frame at the axle centerline measures almost 37". This causes the shocks to be very close to the frame rail, when the suspension is not compressed, because the frame rails sit to the outer most limit of the cross member. It gets slightly better when the suspension is under load, but its close. Ill post pictures. Im also going to have to c-notch the front frame where the rack and pinion passes under it. It will hit when the engine is in for sure. The picture he has on his site is not of a dodge, it looks like an f100, but the frame rails sit flush with the outer edge of the top hat at the base. On my install, the base sits in the middle of the frame rail.

      Ill re-iterate my decision to buy this kit; cost, convenience and looks.

      As far as cost, it was more than a crown vic swap, but I felt I would have fewer interference issues, and it was less than half the cost of the next closest IFS kit.
      As far as convenience, I feel its harder than a crown vic swap, but easier than the modern frame splice method. Not having done the other two methods, I could be wrong. Ive watched a ton of videos or read threads on all 3.
      As far as looks, it wins in my book. It still looks good, even with issues. Ill paint it up nicely before final install, but it looks good. Im going to modify the inner fender pieces and make them work, so it should look almost factory when done.

      If I had it to do all over again, I would do a crown vic swap. Thats what Im going to do on the 67 Ford I have after this one is on the road. The aftermarket is better than I anticipated, and it can be made to look factory. Even with the great customer service, I could not recommend this kit to anyone. Tech support is non-existent. Plus it seems the only part that will remain before I feel I can push it will be the cross member. Im going to get 2-1/2" coil overs to replace the 3" that it came with to give me more frame clearance. Im going to get better a-arms, and spindles too which will also mean replacing the brakes. Overall the entire suspension will be replaced before I really push it. It doesnt scare me enough to not drive it like it will be when finished, but I wont feel comfortable enough to test it.

      Also, I know the wheels are cambered and toed in in these pictures. Nothing has been set up, all the bolts are hand tightened at this point. But we are getting closer now.

      Picture 1; rack clearance with no weight on suspension. We will c-notch this to avoid hitting. I can bounce it and make it hit.
      Picture 2; Passenger side coil over clearance. It gets better when the suspension is compressed, but Im going to get 2-1/2" coil overs later to replace these, which are 3". Should give me more room.
      Picture 3; driver side. Even closer. We missed by about 1/8" installing the cross member. Some of the factory rivets and suspension components were almost 3/4" off. Either way, I think the smaller coil overs will fix this.
      Picture 4 and 5; On it own weight. Itll sit lower when the engine and cab go in. It should look good with the factory inner fender covers. Im going to modify them and re-install.
      Attached Images Attached Images          


    11. #51
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Its been awhile since I got to post progress. I havent been able to work on the truck. Life keeps finding other things to occupy my time and money. My oldest daughter is getting married next month, my middle daughter is having surgery about the same time, my church has asked me to oversee updating/relocating the sound equipment and we are trying to get a Creation seminar together for the spring. Im a little busy and stretched thin.

      I started this morning by moving the cab off the jack stands. I needed them for the frame. We leveled the frame and set it at ride height +2" for now. Im still on the fence about taking that last 2" out. Im not as concerned about ride height as I am fender gap. Even at the lower height, its still higher than my Charger, and has a shorter wheel base. I get around fine in the Charger, with only a few places I cannot go for fear of high centering it. But the fender gap is a little big with the raised height. I dont know...we will see. Lowering it more will probably require a rear c-notch.

      I set the engine and bellhousing in place, and centered and levelled it. With the carb base at 3 degrees nose down, the bellhousing is at 90 degrees. So now I can set my rear end up. We started the motor mounts also. Hopefully we can finish them Monday. We will make some transmission mounts as well. And we got the steering rack mounted and welded in for good. We will have to c-notch the frame for the tie-rod ends. After we get the motor mounts and transmission mounts made, Ill paint the frame under the cab and set it. This will let me start the re-wire as well as the steering.
      Attached Images Attached Images        

    12. #52
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      I hope you are enjoying the learning process. For me, that's always a plus.

    13. #53
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Quote Originally Posted by wfo guy View Post
      I hope you are enjoying the learning process. For me, that's always a plus.

      I am. I love figuring this stuff out. And making things look the way I want them to look. Dont like that there? Move it. Dont like the way that sits? Change it. I love it. I am overwhelmed sometimes by just how much needs to be done. I work for an aircraft completion center, and we typically refurbish and upgrade helicopters. To me its almost easier, because I have more people to help figure things out, and volumes of information to stear me in the right direction. So many dead set rules. Here its just me and my family, and they are waiting for me to figure it out. If I order the wrong part or get one that wont work with something else, its all my fault. There is some pressure, for sure.

    14. #54
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      No new pictures yet. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks, Ill get back on this and have some progress. Ive spent the last few months working on everything in the yard, except this truck. I have spent close to $1000 getting the 67 ford f100 running and working right. All new brakes, hoses and tires, etc. It sat for 15 years, so it needed a little TLC. I still have some wiring issues, so no tail lights, but the ford has made 3 trips around the block now. Ill be driving it to work in a few more weeks.

      I do have some questions.
      1) The upper bars on the triangulated 4-link have not been tacked in yet. Would it be acceptable, if the layout works better, to turn these bars inward to a center point? I typically see them installed with the pumpkin side inboard, and the frame side out board (or the aft mount is in the center, the forward is outboard). But I have seen a few turned opposite, where the forward point is inboard, and the aft mount is outboard. Would this be okay?

      2) I still havent figured out what Im going to do with the rear shock mounts. The lower bar mount that welds to the rearend housing has a shock mount built in. But I have seen shock mounts that are stand alone, which would allow me to mount the shock inboard, which would be easier also. Would this create a problem? The lower bar will remain outside the frame rails, as wide as I felt I could put them, as instructed here on pro-touring.com. But if I use the built in shock mount, I either need to lean the shock in at the top, which will diminish its effectiveness, or the upper shock mount will be a little more difficult to install. Am I better off just dealing with it this way, or does it matter? Ive seen it both ways.

      I did order the motor mounts today, so hopefully in the next two weeks, we can mount the engine, which will let me set the cab for good. Then I have work to do. But I also have the f100 to deal with. Wish me luck.

    15. #55
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      I ordered motor mounts from Paul Hortons welder series, the chrysler motor mounts, p/n 254318. They are nice. So we got them tacked in, and set the motor. Itll be in the original location. The mounts have an upper tie plate we will install, and then Ill make some boxing plates. We also need to c-notch for the tie-rods, and add a support for the lower a-arm mount. Then Ill clean and paint it all.

      Im going to go with the QA1 coilovers. The shocks included in the kit are just cheap and sketchy. The QA1s are pretty nice, and they come in a bunch of sizes. Plus the springs are 2-1/2" diameter on the QA1s, but they are about 3-1/4" on the cheapo shocks in the kit. That will solve my frame clearance issue up front. The QA1s are about $250 each, for the single adjustable, but they should be great. I still need to figure out what to do about the upper shock mounts on the 4-link. Im going to call QA1 and see if they have any suggestions.

      Ill try and get the cross members in soon too. Im going to add a trailer hitch to the back one. The truck has a light duty bumper, and Im not drilling holes in it. The bumpers are sort of hard to find.

      First picture shows the suspension removed, and the IFS. We will finish welding it up, and paint it all. Should look good.
      Second picture is a little hard to see, but it shows the clearance between the steering rack and motor.
      Third picture shows the motor mounts. Itll have a tie plate on top, and we will box it in also.
      Attached Images Attached Images      

    16. #56
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      Good decision on the QA1's.

    17. #57
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      We got a bit done since my last post. We installed the front c-notch for the tie rod ends. Stephen wants to go over them again, and then Ill clean them up and finish painting the chassis. I set the cab on, and temporarily bolted on the fenders, a door and set the hood in place. I wanted to see if my math was good on the height of the front end. I love it. It is low, and it might have to come up an inch, but its still higher than my daily driver. We will see. Im still going with the QA1s, but with all this virus stuff, Im waiting to spend the $1200. Ill make some set-up rods and use those for now. Next is to set the bed, and finalize the 4-link. Then we need to fabricate some bed mounts, and it can go back together. Im going to set it on some 12" stands after the 4-link gets welded, so we can start running lines.

      I also brought the f100 home over the winter. We have had a horrible time trying to stay ahead of the car situation, with me maintaining 5 cars, all with over 150k miles. Its costing a fortune, and Im always working on something. I brought it home, and put some brakes, and a tune-up on it trying to make it a backup. It runs and drives, but not too well. Its a work in progress. It will get a 5.0HO, and an auto, with a crown vic front end swap, and probably a rear-disc conversion. The goal for right now is just make it dependable. It sat for 15 years, so thats not too easy.
      Attached Images Attached Images          

    18. #58
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      We have been working on the truck. We are just taking it slow. The country has lost its mind over a virus, so Im a little scared to spend money on something thats not a necessity. So we are just cruising through right now.

      We finished the front c-notch. I sanded the frame to get ready for the final coat of frame paint. I also installed the brake booster and master cylinder. Ill paint the frame, install the front suspension, install the engine. Ill make some setup shocks, and hopefully itll be on its own weight soon. Then ill jack it up and run all the lines and mount the brake parts.

      1st picture. C-notch. It gets paint next.
      2nd picture. Brake master and booster
      3rd picture. Brake goodies. Line lock, pressure switch, adjustable prop valve, and a combination valve.
      4th picture. Upper shock mount. Im just checking it out. Its not going in right now.
      Name:  20200508_173630 - Edited.jpg
Views: 1114
Size:  108.2 KBName:  20200508_173637 (1) - Edited.jpg
Views: 1070
Size:  102.1 KBName:  20200508_173647 - Edited.jpg
Views: 1130
Size:  79.1 KBName:  20200508_173821 - Edited.jpg
Views: 1230
Size:  87.5 KB

    19. #59
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      You're doing fine. There's a lot of uncertainty in the future so I agree with your conservative approach. I'm sure you are knowledgeable about the c.v. conversions but if you want to see what I did without buying a kit, I have a project video on the 72 that I did. I'd be happy to send you a link to it.

    20. #60
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      I would appreciate the link. Ive seen dozens of videos on the swap, but Im always seeing new things that help. On this truck Im going to try and keep the IFS it has, and upgrade parts later. But I have the 67 f100 that will get a CV swap later. It will be a much less involved conversion.

    Page 3 of 14 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 ... LastLast




    Advertise on Pro-Touring.com