[caseyjones]

My first problem was the frame work / front suspension. We put the Nova clip on the truck without really understanding what we were doing, and it did not turn out well. The clip was set incorrectly relative to the rest of the frame, which was going to make for a higher front ride height than I wanted. That also meant that the steering linkage was not what I wanted. The Nova clip was really rough and needed everything - brakes, bushings, bearings, etc.

I tried to find a way to make it work, and even hooked up the steering column to the Nova box during one visit a couple of years ago, but I could just not get comfortable with the idea of it so I decided to start over. We still had the front part of the original frame, but instead found a complete, uncut frame to start from.

I priced out various Mustang II IFS kits and found that by piecing one together I could significantly beat the price of a complete Speedway kit. Through combination of eBay and rockauto, I was able to save a few hundred dollars over a comparable kit and didn't feel like I was sacrificing quality.

I chose 2" drop spindles, manual rack and tubular a-arms. I purchased everything I'd need to make it a roller, thinking I'd come back to finish the brakes later.

The biggest issue we ran into was a poor fit of the spring hats to the frame - they did not fit to the contour where the frame drops down toward the front. we had to cut plates to fill the gap. The other issue was a complete and total lack of instructions, since everything came from different sources. We used the TCI instructions available online as a reference and checked fit and mocked up the suspension repeatedly. I guess we'll see what happens when we finally get it on an alignment rack.

My dad and I stripped the frame and installed the MII crossmember over a few days in the shop. It may not seem like much, but for me this was a big step toward getting this thing going. I had to make the initial investment in it to commit. I had an awesome time working with my dad and I really look forward to my visit this summer to wrap up the rolling chassis.