Crown Vic IFS Questions

[luke-ao]

So what year mustangs would be viable?

[BlueOvalDave]

What I'm trying to say is that once you go Crown Vic, you cant run 15 in wheels. It's the one drawback in my opinion. Lots of guys like the big rim little rubber stuff but I'm not one of them. Plus the offset is huge, and to me the lack of a dish of any kind on the fronts looks wrong. To me anyway. It's why I'm seriously considering putting a mustang II suspension clip on, right after I cut the long bed down to a shorty

It was a fun project and the Vic clip does handle well, but unless you or I can find different control arms/spindles/brakes were gonna have to settle for the big rim stuff.

[luke-ao]

OK, I got the part about the CV front, it's not an option for me either, so, I'm assuming you are eluding to the idea that the Mustang II front end will work with 15 in wheels? If so, which years are the best option?

[elgemcdlf]

OK, I got the part about the CV front, it's not an option for me either, so, I'm assuming you are eluding to the idea that the Mustang II front end will work with 15 in wheels? If so, which years are the best option?

It's not years. The M II has been modified across the years for usage in just about everything. You would be buying a kit from a supplier. They have come down considerably in the years. Cost will vary depending on what options you go with. A good place to start would be Fatman Fabrications.

[BlueOvalDave]

I put a Stang II kit in my 70 Torino which I purchased from RC Motorsports. They were the most economical. Heidts, Fat Man etc all offer good kits but are way pricey. I dont know if RC Motorsports offer something for our trucks, but Willie and his brother were quite helpful, really good customer service. IIRC they're located down south, in the Carolinas maybe?

Someone here on the forum used a front suspension clip out of a C-3 or C-4 vette which worked really well. If I could find one of those I'd be all over it.

[luke-ao]

I'm looking for a junkyard option...

[elgemcdlf]

I'm looking for a junkyard option...

The original M II is way too weak for a truck. There are many possibilities out there. Aerostar and Dakota are a couple that come to mind.

[luke-ao]

Why is it so difficult to find a Mustang II frontend for the 67-72 F100, really makes no sense...
Every time I visit Fatmans website it pisses me off, really difficult trying to navigate around, I can't seem to nail down a complete kit for the '68, as always I tend to just give up on it.
Can anyone provide a link to one of these s-called affordable frontends for a 68 F100?

[elgemcdlf]

Why is it so difficult to find a Mustang II frontend for the 67-72 F100, really makes no sense...
Every time I visit Fatmans website it pisses me off, really difficult trying to navigate around, I can't seem to nail down a complete kit for the '68, as always I tend to just give up on it.
Can anyone provide a link to one of these s-called affordable frontends for a 68 F100?

Just do a search for F100 suppliers. I do not remember the name but when I was looking there is a place in CA. I think it was Bob's ...

https://www.google.com/search?output=se ... +IFS&btnG=

Since the '53-'56 frame is 34" wide (want to guess how wide your frame is?) I would assume almost any kit for them should work with minor modifications if need be. Straight axle trucks are usually curved in the rails above the axle. Your frame is flat. Anyway I would bet almost any MII supplier can help.

[robbuyscarz]

So as I read these posts, it sounds to me like I should be looking for an 03 mustang cobra rear end (I have noticed that the axles are bigger than the Mark VIII)
I currently have the MarkVIII rear end sitting in the garage, waiting on the right crown vic to come along. For the front end and motor.

Has anyone used the rear end out of a crown vic ( four link I assume )? At this point I am considering that option.

thanks

[elgemcdlf]

So as I read these posts, it sounds to me like I should be looking for an 03 mustang cobra rear end (I have noticed that the axles are bigger than the Mark VIII)
I currently have the MarkVIII rear end sitting in the garage, waiting on the right crown vic to come along. For the front end and motor.

Has anyone used the rear end out of a crown vic ( four link I assume )? At this point I am considering that option.

thanks

I wouldn't be so quick to ditch the FN-10 for a Cobra IRS. First point being many (possibly almost all) of the Cobra pieces will work on the MN/FN IRS units. Secondly when I went to looking for a Cobra IRS I found 1 for $1500. You can spend quite a bit on the FN-10 with that money. I was originally going to go with the Cobra axles BUT IIRC while you can get the 31 spline inner joint the outer is still 28. There are 35 spline inner & outer joints available but best have a fat wallet. The question is what are you planning on pushing to it? I am running a basically stock MN-12 IRS with a Trac Loc & 3.55 gears & a 460 out front. I have pushed it fairly hard for a street truck. You can also buy larger axle shafts for what you have but again what is the gain if the ends remain the same? I read something some time back about a German company that makes heavy axle shafts with much heavier joints.

[robbuyscarz]

the front and rear will both come down about 6". you will end up building motor mounts and there is a couple of inches of available adjustment height on the mounts depending on the motor you install. If you use a 4.6 or the 5.0 crate engines, they will bolt up to the crown vic mounts.
I dont think you will be still using it as a truck,(unless you bag the rear suspension) easy to do since thats how the MarkVIII comes anyway.

The nice thing is you will now have 12" front rotors and 10" rear rotors, built in sway suspension, IRS rear end, blah blah blah

The P71 (service vehicle) Crown vics are fairly easy to find without going to a junkyard, they are usually posted on craigslist by people who have purchased them out of the fleets. $1500 to $3000 will get you the whole car (you can use engine, radiator, brake syustem trans, front and rear suspension) sell offthe rest.
I dont know how far you want to go, you can find parts the same way CRAIGSLIST tons of these parts flying around.. Good luck if you decide to persue.

[robbuyscarz]

Thanks for the advice elgemcdlf.
I think I will keep my Mark VIII and wait to see if there is a failure, I hope to have the Boss 302 crate motor and the AOD from the P71 Donor, I am trying to get to the point of no return and shoving $12,000 worth of motor in there should do it. I am not going to paint or do much interior work. I hope to have a survivor looking restomod that can cruise well but I dont want to get lost in the shuffle either.

[ultraranger]

Thanks for the advice elgemcdlf.
I think I will keep my Mark VIII and wait to see if there is a failure, I hope to have the Boss 302 crate motor and the AOD from the P71 Donor, I am trying to get to the point of no return and shoving $12,000 worth of motor in there should do it. I am not going to paint or do much interior work. I hope to have a survivor looking restomod that can cruise well but I dont want to get lost in the shuffle either.

A 2003-2011 P71 Crown Vic wouldn't have an AOD transmission. They were dropped from production around '92 in the Crown Vics and replaced with the AODE (electronic shift transmission). By the mid '90s, the AODE was replaced by the 4R70W (electronic shift) in the Crown Vics.

The 4R70W evolved from the AOD but is a much better transmission than the AOD and AODE transmissions. The 4R70W will require a factory engine control module with a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) to control the shifting of the transmission or, shifting can be controlled by an aftermarket stand-alone shift controller, separate from the ECM.

[mdbaker42]

I have a friend who just installed this conversion and he's having trouble with the placement of the steering shaft under the hood. Any advice?