1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Hey guys, looking for good advice on a new IFS. looking at all the different manuf. I can't seem to compare apples to apples
thanks

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Rebuild the original front end.
They work just fine.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

^^^^That's the best advice^^^^

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

if you really want ifs call fat mans and order the complete mustang 2 front suspension, expensive but every thing is engineered to fit, others out there but fat mans is the best

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Mustang II is the way to go. If you figure the price of a disk brake conversion kit, replace the king pins, rebuild the shackles, replace the drag link, the tie rod, the tie rod ends, rebuild the steering sector, replace the shocks and the pitman arm, and the steering stabilizer, you are close to the price of a Mustang II suspension.
Are your spindles and springs are reusable? If not, add even more money. After all this, you still have a 60-plus year old suspension that might not ride, handle and sit at the ride height you want. Too high or low? add more money for spindles and/or springs. Sell your old stuff on the barn or EBAY and upgrade your truck. The new stuff even weighs less.
I rest my case...jack

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Stay original, there's enough hot rods out there.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Amen to that.:D

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I put a Mustang II IFS under my 55 f-100.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I go with the leave it original crowd... But each to his own... (I wish that I had left my 1952 Harley in original trim...)
It's only original once, after that it's hard to go back... Lots of projects out there that get 1/2 done.
Karl

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Spindle kit - $40. Tie rod ends (2) $32. Drag link repair kits (2) - $30. Gasket and seal kit - $5. Total $107, and my F1 drives as nice as any car or truck out there.
Cheapest Fatman kit - $2795 plus shipping. ???????????????

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

If I wanted to drive a Mustang two, I would buy one. These conversions come and go. Corvair was the the cool thing at one time. I stay away from trendy things. A straight axle will never go out of style. Most people regret they did the conversion and most of them create some other problem. You can usually walk through a show and shine and spot the mustang conversions from the side of car without looking under the car.

I love the way the old Fords handle and the ride. Most conversions are done because the owner has some kind of ego problem, read to much advertising, wants to impress his buddies (that bad mouth the straight axle)or like a friend said the other day he is non functional.

They sell a lot of kits because of advertising and marketing. Hardwood floors are a good example. People could not wait to get wall to wall carpeting. Now those fake hardwood floors are the trendy thing to have. They are cold and alot of work to keep clean. Then the wife wants area rugs because the floors are cold. Now you have to mop and vacuum.

Stay with the straight axle.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

my 50 f1 is original and id have it no other way.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I swear by straight axles. If their rebuilt,they are just as good as an IFS.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

If your not going to stay "original" then get a front clip off a newer P/U with disc brakes. Weld it on and your done.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Look at the "bolt-in" Mustang II front end from Chassis Engineering. I put one in a friend's 52 F-1 and it drives,rides, and steers wonderful. Simple to install and you get disc brakes, etc.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

$2795 plus shipping? Not so. Try $1795 w/free shipping...jack

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

They must be having trouble getting rid of them.

I would not buy a car or truck with a mustang two kit. A lot of them are not installed correctly and they lower the resale price.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

The question and answer to stock vs IFS is... What is the intended use of the vehicle?
If the engine power is going to be increased and the vehicle is going to be driven at "speed" on the highway/freeway... By all means upgrade the front end to a new aftermarket system.. The rear springs suspension should also be upgraded.
Don't mess around with the front suspension from a donner car. ie., Mustang, Camario, Volare, etc.. For my money FatMan makes the best units,, His units are fabricated to fit the vehicle you order it for..
I like FatMans Stage II, power rack/pinion.. Order it with a roll stablizer bar.. I have FatMan's Stage II under my 39 Plym conv cpe and my '49 Olds 88. The Plym has 11" disk brakes, the Olds has 12".
The units I used mated up to the original frames perfectly.. When it came time to hang the sheet metal, bumpers, etc., everything went right together.
Friends of mine that used other brands of front clips had to add various tabs, etc., when they started to add the sheet metal to the chassis..
Another thing I like about FatMan is that when I was spec'ing my Olds out, I was told that I would have to replace my rear end and suspension.. The tec people at FatMan said do not replace the rear end/suspension. Upgrade the bushings, replace the springs, rebuild the hydraulic shocks to the Olds 98 level and install Olds 98 2-1/4" rear brakes on the 88 axle unit.. The 88 & 98 units are the same just smaller brakes.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Kinda funny....those front ends the rodders call "Mustang ll" were put under Pintos first.
You want a Pinto front end under your PU?
Nyet!

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

A 39 Plymouth and 49 Olds are disposable cars. They have not been cut up like old Fords. Old Fords need to be preserved more than the Horned Owl. Plymouths, Dodges and Chevys. I would even stick an s-10 frame under one of those puppies and I hate s-10s conversions more than mustang toos.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

If you're leaving a flathead in your pickup, then putting an IFS under it is just plain WRONG! Flatheads are nostalgic; IFS isn't. It's that simple. I don't know if anyone makes or drops F-1 axles, but that would seem to be the way to go. Disc brake conversions are certainly plentiful enough.

If you're not leaving the flathead in, then it's an open field. The next thing that's just plain wrong is clipping the truck. Remember, sooner or later you're probably going to want to sell the thing, no matter how much you love it now. Nothing is uglier or more often done wrong than a front end clip. That trend died 20 years ago, for a good reason....and good riddance.

Right up the road from you is a man who's on his second F-1 street rod. He's an experienced fabricator, having built more than a few first rate cars. He's in the process of putting a Fatman under the second F-1 because Fatman's kits fit. With the tubular A-arms, they also make a clean looking installation opposed to clunky factor components in a Detroit factory front end. If the crossmember isn't installed correctly you'll never get the caster correct and the truck will steer.......well, worse than a truck. Fatman kits are almost foolproof, though we all know there's a world of very creative fools out there. The other positive thing about a Fatman kit (or any good one versus a clip) is that the conversion is reversable. You can save all your front end pieces, make a couple of cuts to get the Fatman conversion out, then re-install the original axle.

By the way, the first IFS conversion rides well and steers great. The other good thing is I get to scavenge all his discarded front end stuff for things like brakes and steering boxes, not to mention engines and transmissions.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Guys - probably not worth wasting keyboard time - the OP has not replied after his initial post.

Mart.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

It is still good to vent. He might be reading them and is afraid to say he is clipping a 68 Camero right now.

There is a guy in the neighboring town that has been trying to sell a 39 Ford Standard Coupe for about a year. It has some kind of GM clip. I called him and asked about the car. The seller mentioned all the good stuff and then mentioned the clip after I asked If it had a dropped axle. I lost interest real fast.

He could be a HAMBer and is laughing at the up rising he started. You have to watch those people that visit the HAMB site.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

[QUOTE=sturgis 39;488108.
There is a guy in the neighboring town that has been trying to sell a 39 Ford Standard Coupe for about a year. It has some kind of GM clip. I called him and asked about the car. The seller mentioned all the good stuff and then mentioned the clip after I asked If it had a dropped axle. I lost interest real fast.[/QUOTE]

It might be the deal of the century. Make a lowball offer and then change it to what you want it to be. Good luck...jack

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Back in the eighties two friends clipped their cars. One was a painter and one was a steel stud and dry wall contractor. I thought about it and they bragged about their clips. One car was a 40 Ford coupe and the other was a 41 Ford two door. They would make fun about my straight axle. After they converted the front ends , they did not drive them much. I think the geometry was wrong.

They both went back to the original suspension in the last five years and spent a ton of money.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I don't have some kind of ego problem ,didn't read too much advertising ,don't want to impress my buddies or anyone else .I put the IFS under my truck because it's what I wanted to do .It rides and handles perfect .Also took the 6 cylinder out and put in a flathead ,cause I wanted to ..Changed it to 12 volts also ,cause ,well you get the idea .It depends on what you want to do .By the way ,we got hardwood floors also .JMHO.Would be one hell of a boring world if we all done and liked the samething .By the way ,I'm not pissed .

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I am glad you are not mad. I think I struck a nerve though.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I do agree if it can't be fixed with blasting wire ,jb weld or duct tape ,it can't be fixed .:D

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

i will add a little info here, some one earlier said the mustang 2 was used in the ointo first( do you want a pinto front suspension) what he didnt add is the ones sold are not pinto or mustang 2 suspensions, maybe he doesnt know that, they are mustang type suspensions, made specially for your car, looks like them but are so far from the originals its laughable to think they are, stronger spindles, disk brakes, shocks tie rods and every thing else, its just the name that is the same (mustang 2 front suspension)

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I have gone the mustang fat man route once but not again. The ride and handling was not much better than a rebuilt stock I-beam. But the fat man cross member is hardly comparable to the pinto tin member as the fat man is made from 5/16Th steel.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I am going to buy a Shay Replica Model "A". They come with pinto steering already installed. They also have an over head valve engine and maybe an automatic transmission. I will be the envy of everybody at the next show and shine.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

ok.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

:):rolleyes:

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

I had to replace my front springs in my 48 F1 anyways, so I put Posie Super Slide springs up front with a disk brake conversion. Left the rear stock. It drives like a dream and sits just right.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

. Sorry. I stand corrected. So gabdog can spend $1795 and be on the road in no time. Well, maybe a small installation fee, but who's counting. Why not buy a Mustang II, cut the back off and put an F1 bed on it? All problems solved.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Its obvious the stock axle lovers have never driven a mustang !!, they work great in a modified car or truck. If you are going stock then stay stock.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Gabdog still has not replied to all of the suggestions. He might have given up on the Camero front clip and now is looking for an s-10 frame. He could be driving a Mustang too. He could be looking at a dual master cylinder for brakes.

I still think he is a HAMBer.

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Gabdog don't forget to put in the ugly GM tilt steering column with the tiny steering wheel. That really sets the truck off!!!

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

The above statement has all the markings of a person who has a closed mind to a couple of vehicles that are icons of engineering and success in sales and performance...

Re: 1950 F1 needs new IFS
 

Blucar

They are both good cars. I think 49 Olds had the fist Old's v/8 and they were a highly sought after engine. The Plymouth had some kind of automatic transmission that was one of the first ones. I think I am right or at least close. My friends in high school had both cars. The Ford and Chevy battle did not exist back in high school. We all appreciated everybody's car and we worked on each others car. Now you hear, "He is a Ford guy" or "He is a Chevy Guy". We never classified people in high school. We were not prejudice and we appreciated a persons talent. Those were the good days.

I would not put an s-10 or Mustang front end on either of your cars, if they were mine. They are to precious. If you are happy, that is the main thing.