Do i really need IFS

[dsraven]

if you decide to go with an IFS front end but are mechanically unsure of how to assemble all the parts you are best to opt for a weld in/bolt in complete crossmember. I say this because you can do a lot of it yourself to keep the costs affordable. dissassemble, clean/prep the frame, assemble the crossmember/front end parts and have a welder come for the finish or, with a bolt in, finish it yourself. there is no guess work, or at least less guess work, to figure out where the upper control arm pivots are supposed to go and no second guessing yourself if everything is where it should be. the whole front end is assembled as a unit and then bolted/welded in place. you have to get the rake angle and the frame level side to side etc, so there is prep work for sure, but as far as the front end assembly it is all one unit that suspension parts bolt to. check out the scott's hotrod page for a pic of what I mean. notice that the system is a 1 piece part that is installed as opposed to other mustangII units that need to have the upper control arm pivot locations welded on to the frame seperately from the crossmember. there is way more chance of getting something wrong, geometry wise, with that kind of set up. that second style is the style I bought, unknowing of the options or possible issues, and found out the hard way what is involved. yes, some guys have installed them with a bubble level and had them work. I am just saying that, as a first timer and with a lower skill level, a one piece style is harder to mess up if something is not exactly right on the money, fit wise. they may be more money initially but you spend less overall because you can do most of it yourself. then you will need to deal with the steering column, brake master cylinder swap and brake bias issue. possibly swap out the rear, at the same time, to something like an 8.8" ford unit from a mustang (diff pumpkin is centred side to side) or an explorer (pumpkin is offset side to side). they are cheap at the wrecker and come with big axles, posi and a decent gear ratio for highway.that will get you a decent gear ratio at the same time as rear disc brakes and a decent park brake. it will, however, need some work to fit and will also need the axles and discs drilled for your wheel bolt pattern.
if you want to swap in an LS engine and O/D trans now would be the time. you can pick up an insurance write off (usually a truck) pretty cheap usually and it will come with everything you need. you will need to swap out the oil pan, oil pick up tube, oil pan baffle and dipstick to something from a camaro. you will need to fab up some mounts for the engine, swap out the truck exh manifolds for camaro (to fit between the frame rails), do the wiring for it to run, possibly an ecm mod to get rid of unwanted accy etc. you will also need a fuel injection fuel tank, pump, filter etc and run new fuel lines. you may need an electric cooling fan as well. in the end you get a good running engine that is trouble free, usually, and will run nicely anywhere plus get decent mileage. bonus is no distributor, no carb issues etc. and you need to rebuild the existing engine anyway, right? if you want to stay with the small block profile for ease of fitment, then a fuel injected crate motor is a possibility as well, or a later model injected camaro or corvette engine. there is also the cheaper throttle body engines from cars/trucks. same mounts, exhaust manifolds etc but will require fuel tanks and lines etc. if you decide to just rebuild the old engine then go through everything before you commit because some stuff like carb throttle shafts and distributor shaft bushings etc can be worn out and cause the rebuild price to climb after you have already spent cash. get a complete check over and estimate on everything from battery to hoses to water pump to engine mounts.
just throwing that out there for ideas. just saying to do a work up of the things you will want to change, then do some pricing of different options and find out what leads to what, once you start down the road. once you decide post up your thoughts and you will probably get a flood of things you will need to do or add to the list of things to do for a quality do-over of the old truck.