Front axle set up.

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blacksheep

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
956
Location
Ludowici, GA
Ok, I have read some threads here about setting up a front suicide axle. My plan is this. I plan to attach my spring to the bones up front. I think they need to be mounted as close to where the bones attach to the axle as possible. One idea was to weld a plate to the bottom of the bone on each side for strength and also give me something to attach my spring pivot to. But, it is a little spooky thinking about something equivelant to a bolt holding my whole front end up. Should I drill a hole through my bones attach the pivots that way, or like I had planned and running a stud type pivot through a 3/8" reinforced plat at the bottom? Also, I have reads some threads about front steering and how some folks hate it. I do know that I need to figure my angle at 5-7* , but is steering really as hard as some folks make it sound by moving the steering rod up front? My search yielded no real definitive answer.
 
I've got the same concerns...main reason I signed up here to try to figure it out. Something I came accross yesterday at the junk yard. The front suspension on the '03 and up Ford Crown Vic is an aluminum bolt in assembly that is only held in with 8 bolts. It's a big chunk of rectangular cast aluminum...about 5X8 and would need some trimming with a grinder and something to pretty it up once you get it bolted on, but sure would be a strong and simple install. Also, the cop car version has a positrac with a 3:55 gear ratio and four bar link that looks like it was "made" to fit a T bucket. I think Mustang wheels will fit the bolt pattern, so aftermarket is pretty good. I don't know enough yet to recommend any of this....just looking and thinking. Bill.
 
I found a Ford pickup site that talks about this Crown Vic swap a little and shows a few pictures: www.ford-trucks.com/forums/716058 . You seem way smarter than me...figure out if this will work on our rides and how we could "pretty it up". Bill. I can't make this link work on here but if you type it into google it does??? Sorry, I'm so ignorant with computers. Bill.
 
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Something like this. Caster should be more like 7*-10* but ir really varies from vehicle to vehicle.

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I set up my 23 exactly like what DMW shows, and had no problems at all. In fact, I just bought a new set of the wishbones Speedway is selling, and they come with a 1/2 inch threaded section so you can screw in a perch and mount the spring that way. As long as you use a FORGED perch you won't have any problems, but I have seen some cheapie perches where they weld a bolt head to the tube and call that a perch. :eek:

Here is how I did my 23.

Don

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bones

If you have orignal bones, there is a seam on one side, that normaly go's down, I dont think it would hurt anything if you mounted them upside down, just have to clean up that seam so it would look better.
 
Hey DMW 25 , I flipped the bones upside down to where the offset is pointed down, then welded a 3/16 x 1 1/2 bar along the bottom like you show there in the photos. I will need to weld another late beside it to make it thicker, but that is the idead I had.Thanks for the photos.And, impala I appreciate the input as well as Donsrods.
 

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