Front suspension kit?


IHC in the early to mid-fifties.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Post Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:30 am

Re: Front suspension kit?

Such a hard choice great handling vs that cool look of giant leaf spring packs with a giant front I beam axle
1952 L-112 Long Bed BD220 3 speed, 4x4.
1962 Dodge Dart 330, 392 Hemi, T56 6 speed manual.
1986 GMC K1500 Jimmy, 396 V8, 700R4, 208C, 4x4.

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:24 am

Re: Front suspension kit?

yet another choice would be to keep the beam axle and upgrade to disc brakes and power steering.

john
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Golden Jubilee
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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:39 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

I have one of each, one with IFS and one with the stock I-beam with disc brakes. They both drive and ride nice and stop good. The IFS with sway bars handles corners better though. Red one has IFS, the yellow one has the stock axle and springs.
Bill
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KB owner since 1972 and still loving it.
Retired Lineman, mechanic, fabricator, retired motorcycle racer.
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:38 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

if you upgraded to stiffer shocks and a thicker swaybar would that sort of make up for the roll in the corners?
1952 L-112 Long Bed BD220 3 speed, 4x4.
1962 Dodge Dart 330, 392 Hemi, T56 6 speed manual.
1986 GMC K1500 Jimmy, 396 V8, 700R4, 208C, 4x4.

Golden Jubilee
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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:14 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

These are awkwardly shaped trucks with a high centre of gravity and great handling was never a priority. Unless you are going to do auto slalom one suspension might be just a little better than the other. If either suspension is not installed correctly, the best option could become your worst handling. If you want go fast and corner hard, buy a sports car. My R1120 weighed 5577 pounds and it had an 1150 pound 6.9 Diesel powering it. The R was a slightly lifted 4X4 to clear the DANA axles. My son did some drifting with it, just for fun. There was lots of smoke from the cheap import tires and it came around like a big turd pile. It handled just OK for what it was and probably much better than the original lump.
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:29 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

Well I have a really bad habbit of taking 35mph corners at 60.. alot of times without even thinking about it
1952 L-112 Long Bed BD220 3 speed, 4x4.
1962 Dodge Dart 330, 392 Hemi, T56 6 speed manual.
1986 GMC K1500 Jimmy, 396 V8, 700R4, 208C, 4x4.
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Golden Jubilee
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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:01 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

Here's a link for the mfr.
http://www.streetrodengineering.com/index.htm

Click "Products" then "Mustang II Independent Front Suspension Crossmember Kits"
More options under "hub-to-hub kit" and they can custom build kits too.
12 yrs.exp. in IH dealer parts dept.
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Golden Jubilee
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Post Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:01 pm

Re: Front suspension kit?

Do those kits come with all the springs shocks and such?
1952 L-112 Long Bed BD220 3 speed, 4x4.
1962 Dodge Dart 330, 392 Hemi, T56 6 speed manual.
1986 GMC K1500 Jimmy, 396 V8, 700R4, 208C, 4x4.

Rookie
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Post Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:31 am

Re: Front suspension kit?

The article in Classic Trucks using the Street Rod Engineering IFS was my 1950 L-120. Tom Pierce is the SRE owner and was very accommodating in providing what I wanted. I examined and talked to Fatman, Heidts etc (four or five) but they wouldn't offer me an IFS kit with the 60" track that I wanted. Tom made the crossmember (very stout) to suit my frame and provided the track I was looking for. We kept in touch during the installation and Tom was very quick to respond to my queries. The kit was complete; can't think of anything that I needed to add. The kit required the frame to be boxed so I took care of that. Others that I spoke to who used this kit took out the front frame 45 degree angle gussets and boxed all the way to the front of the frame. I chose to keep the angled bits and everything works like a charm. So far we've got about 10k miles on and still happy motoring. The original solid axle and I got along well but this IFS is such a big improvement in handling and ride. With the power rack, my wife uses it, whereas she didn't with the original armstrong steering. If you choose one of these types of kits, the only issue you may need to address is the choice of coil spring. Mine came in too low for my liking (prairie pot holes come to mind) so I changed to a higher spring rate, but Tom was willing to help with that too. I've gone on enough. Cheers.
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Golden Jubilee
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Post Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:36 am

Re: Front suspension kit?

Thanks for sharing that, Dan!
My posts contain my own opinions...your mileage may vary, void where prohibited, objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear, and alcohol may intensify any side effects.
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