53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

I'm looking for recommendations for mustang ii front ends including cross member. I see them all over eBay but I'm not sure if those kits are worth a damn. Any ones to stay away from?

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

-I would say try to stick with a bolt in because you can install yourself. -inquire about thickness of steel and tubing wall for control arms, also if control arm pivots have through length tubing or just at the ends of the pivot points (so, do the pivot bolts slide through a tube welded into the cross member or do they slide through a thickened part of the cross member, like a weld on washer or the like).
-inquire about the quality of the components such as ball joints and tie rod ends. some ball joints have slip on rubber seals which try to leave a gap where dirt can enter. some have a sealed rubber boot which keeps dirt out no matter what operating angle. some ball joints screw in, some press in, etc.
-inquire about exactly what will be in the box and how assembled will it be
-inquire about what is stock and what is an upgrade. what parts were used, eg, stock brake rotor from a 78 ford car etc. custom parts equals big dollar to replace or obsolete part if company moves on, is sold or goes under etc. stock parts equals easy to get at a parts store near you
-plan on getting the proper tools to do the job. eg, proper frame stands to support front and rear. you don't want the frame to move once it is properly set for rake angle and side to side level. use a digital level to get your angles correct, even if used on top of a longer bubble level. know what you are doing before attempting the job, that is, research front end geometry so you know WHY the angles are important. watch a few youtube examples but don't believe everything you see as how it should be done. understand that the front end alignment guys work on tenths of a degree so a bubble level is not good enough. take pics before and during disassembly for you to reference later. when done assembly mock up install some wheels tires of the size you will use in the end. this will show how the tires will fit in the wheel openings.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

I apologize, I should have clarified some goals and skills. We aren't afraid of a weld in kit. We are planning on using a explorer rear end and then a kit similar to the one below with a Ford bolt pattern. I am not sure if others have used similar kits or what their experiences may have been. I assume the shocks and brakes won't be the gold standard but something to get him rolling and upgrade as the years progress.
https://www.ebay.com/i/323011450896?...3D323011450896

Tks.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

You can check out flat out engineering crossmember...it uses vett suspension a little more than a m2 but I think well worth the extra...http://flatout-engineering.com/products.html

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

A cheap, and better then most M2 systems is Jag IFS. Also if your interested you can do Jag IRS.

I bought a rusted Jag for $90, and been waiting for a project to use the parts on.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

Looking more at the mustang ii with the 5x4.5 bolt pattern.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

I would avoid that specific kit you are looking at on Ebay. I bought my crossmember from them and it had the wrong upper arm mounts, but i didn't know it till way too late to do anything about it.

Doing it again, i'd buy a Speedway kit. We called them after we realized that we had bad parts from the original ebay kit, and they referred us to their supplier. Speedway is gonna be around if there's a problem, too.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

Bro Speed is a back door outlet for Hoffman group junk. Meaning it is Helix suspension. You can do a search and find page upon page of complaints about them.

I have one of their "universal" crossmembers tossed out in the weeds out behind the garage as it is too suspect to use as it is. My son and I will fix it one of these days as most of the issue is very sloppy welds and the welds for assembling it being ground though in places when they ground it to clean up the welds.

I was going to buy a crossmember that used Dodge Dakota pieces made by a guy in Phoenix but he decided that he didn't like the repetition of making the same part over and over again even though there had to be pretty good money in it when you knocked out several a day. That thing was built like a bridge and you could swap big Chrysler rotors to have big brakes and your 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern .

I've got a Jag XJS front end that I will probably use. I got it cheap from a guy in Bend Oregon and drove my Geo Prism GSI down and stuck it in the trunk and drove back. It is pretty well trimmed away to get the rig low but you could easily install one to have what ever ride height you wanted and have a good ride and good handling and even with a rebuild of the suspension wouldn't be in it that deep. It does have a Chevy bolt pattern though.

It seems that guys used to complain about one particular kit that was well made but rode way too high for most of our tastes. That would be the one to get.

That Universal crossmember I have could be trimmed to set at any ride height you want high or low but it does need a lot of work to make it into a decent crossmember. It's not going to be a hold it in place and weld it up unit as a guy would have to do a lot of measuring and fitting to get it all right.

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

I'm going to recommend either CPP or Full Tilt if you're on a budget. They have plenty of options and for their customer service. I've actually called CPP and gotten a real person.

http://www.classicperform.com/MustangII.htm

https://www.fulltiltstreetrods.com/m...o-hub-ifs.html

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

how about this, if you like welding and setting stuff up to your own liking? from Canada so the dollar value compared to USD would be in your favour. these guys also have a bunch of other hotrod fabrication stuff

https://www.welderseries.com/Mustang...ings-p51209443

Re: 53 front suspension recommendations keeping original chassis
 

I used a mustang II front end kit on my 54. It’s from TCI. Excellent quality and they offer in 5x4.75 and 5x4.5. Click on my build link below, there is over 200 pictures of the build and you can see the front end install.