Front suspension ? Crown Vic vs Mustang II

[Primed67]

Just wanted to get some opinions. Lately I've been seeing more people use 03-11 crown Vic front ends on their builds. Just wanted to get some opinions on them vs mustang II's. Thanks!

[mr48chev]

The consensus is that for many "builds" the Crown Vic front end is far too wide.
The main crossmember is aluminum and for 99.9% of us that makes any real modifications to it such as narrowing it out of the question. Most guys are going to find that the rims they want to run on their truck just flat aren't going to work with that suspension as it ends up looking like a mid 80's redneck 4x4 setup with half the tire sticking outside the fenders.

It's another band wagon that guys see links to someone doing it and all the sudden think that they can hang one under anything..

Carcrafter22 over on the Ford truck forum did one of the first ones that I know of and maybe the first one. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/71...o-67-f100.html

I'd suggest you read what he wrote word for word and it may help you visualize what one is up against.

As for aftermarket Mustang II "style" suspensions you can have your pick from a number of vendors including Scott who posts on here and makes one of the nicest ones around if it fits in your budget. The good part about the MII aftermarket setups is that you can get one that is designed for the truck you are building and you don't have to do a bit of fitting up to get it to work.

A number of guys are going to Jag XJ 6 or XJS suspenson and there are a couple of builds with them in the build section. They are pretty complete and aren't that expensive to buy and are fairly easy to set up on a truck frame. The only rub I have found so far is that some of the parts such as shocks are a bit on the spendy side.

[Primed67]

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I actually was leaning towards the Mustang II kit. You referred to Scott, is that his user name? I'd like to get a hold of him. Thanks again for the help!

Originally Posted by mr48chev

The consensus is that for many "builds" the Crown Vic front end is far too wide.
The main crossmember is aluminum and for 99.9% of us that makes any real modifications to it such as narrowing it out of the question. Most guys are going to find that the rims they want to run on their truck just flat aren't going to work with that suspension as it ends up looking like a mid 80's redneck 4x4 setup with half the tire sticking outside the fenders.

It's another band wagon that guys see links to someone doing it and all the sudden think that they can hang one under anything..

Carcrafter22 over on the Ford truck forum did one of the first ones that I know of and maybe the first one. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/71...o-67-f100.html

I'd suggest you read what he wrote word for word and it may help you visualize what one is up against.

As for aftermarket Mustang II "style" suspensions you can have your pick from a number of vendors including Scott who posts on here and makes one of the nicest ones around if it fits in your budget. The good part about the MII aftermarket setups is that you can get one that is designed for the truck you are building and you don't have to do a bit of fitting up to get it to work.

A number of guys are going to Jag XJ 6 or XJS suspenson and there are a couple of builds with them in the build section. They are pretty complete and aren't that expensive to buy and are fairly easy to set up on a truck frame. The only rub I have found so far is that some of the parts such as shocks are a bit on the spendy side.

[_Ogre]

when your looking at build threads; focus on the finished build threads.
anyone can put anything on their truck, making it driveable is another thing entirely.

[semn49]

I am actually one of the ones in process of installing a Crown Vic front end under my '49. It's still in process because, number one, I have a life to live and responsibilities.

That being said when I started my "build" I didn't see it on any forum or read it in a magazine. I simply saw a frontend in a salvage yard near me and thought hmmmmm.

Now I'll be the first to say it is not for the faint of heart, nor the amateur hammer mechanic. Not that I know anything but I have built a truck or two.

All I can say is that given what I know (not much), I would go with a reputable manufacturers kit and leave the engineering to them.