Tag: Mustang II

April 2018 Photo Sharing

Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures of how Welder Series products are being used on your projects through the month of April. Hopefully these will spark an idea that you can use on your own project! See below the gallery for links to products shown. The winner (chosen at random by random.org) has been notified and a $50 credit has been applied!

Submit your own pictures here.

Frame curves used as front crossmember.
Flat crossmember comes extra long to be used as C notch.
Trimmed and ground flush.
Neat little wings added to the back of the crossmember!
Perfect Deuce stance!
Welder Series coilover Mustang II.
Frame curves.
C005 engine mounts and Energy Suspension urethane insulators.
Holes drilled for weld-in bungs.
Held flush with a magnet.
Tacked in place!

Dear Welder Series… 1957 F100 Mustang II

Dear Welder Series…
I’m building a 1957 F100, and would like to use some of your products, but I have a few questions.

I want to use your mustang 2 crossmember with coil overs, but I’m wanting to set the ride height of the truck pretty low, so clearance for wheels in turning becomes a concern. Would I be better off using your middle width m2 crossmember, and modify my frame, to pull the wheels in a bit? I also don’t have the wheels I’m planning to use, as I’m not quite sure what to order on backspacing. Any suggestions for that?

Thanks,
Shane

Dear Shane…
Hi, Shane. Thanks for asking but I’m not sure that I’ll be much help. Back when we built customer projects, we used 60-1/2” kits and 7” wide wheels. There was always lots of clearance.

Because you don’t have the wheels/tires, I’d suggest working on other areas of the project until you have had time to check out more vehicles at events to see what’s been used and how that was managed.

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts.
Paul Horton

1956 International Pickup Mustang II

Grant Schwartz stopped in the other day to pick up a Mustang II crossmember, and I think he had it installed quicker than my kids can go through a jar of Elmira maple syrup.

Here are some pictures he took. To see more of Grant’s work, please visit and follow his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/schwartz.inc

Use a support bearing for steering systems with more than 2 U joints.
Modified Welder Series pedal mount.
Welder Series Mustang II crossmember
#2115 transmission crossmember.
C005 engine mount kit.

Parts Used:

 
 

Dear Welder Series… 1949 International kb1 Mustang II

Dear Welder Series…
I have a 1949 international kb1. I would like to use coil springs and the mustang 2. I think it would take the 60 inch track. Is this correct? What would be the total cost shipped to Winnipeg? Do you offer welding of the basic member? Thanks

Dear Paul,
Paul, There are 2 frames for KB1’s, according to my info, 28” and 30” outside width. With either of these frames, I’d widen the frame outside dimension by adding tubing so the 60” kit has more frame surface to weld to. Read through the installation sheets here and I think you’ll see what I mean. (30” frame outside doesn’t give any surface on top of the frame for the upper tower to weld to in the 60″ kit.)

Here is a link to the web store page for the Mustang II:

There are other parts there that you might need, too, and some videos.

The 60-1/2” kit, welded, including freight and sales tax would total C$346.50.  (That’s Canadian Dollars…)

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts for your project.
Paul Horton

 

D100: Rack Extensions

Here’s a quick bit of info on how we matched the rack to our 62-1/2″ Mustang II crossmember.

Theoretically, you could widen a Mustang II crossmember as much as you wanted… the key is protecting the control arm pivot points and tie rod geometry. When you’re thinking of widening a Mustang II rack, there are two ways to do it properly… outside the bushings and inside the bushings.
‘Outside the bushings’ refers to pushing the tie rod ball and socket joint towards the wheel. This has to be done the same amount as the crossmember is wider than stock – typically 2″ per side on a 4″ wider than stock configuration. Longer tie rod ends can also be used on a 58″ wide crossmember.
‘Inside the bushings’ refers to lengthening the actual rack and rack housing. For a much wider crossmember, this might be a good option… there are even racks available that are wider than stock for this purpose. Your crossmember will have to be set up or modified for a wider rack. Welder Series crossmembers are designed to use rack extenders – the ‘outside the bushing’ method.

On my 1968 D100 truck build, I used a Welder Series 62-1/2″ track width crossmember, with rack extenders from Heidts. I used two (4″ total) on the passenger side, and one (2″ total) on the driver side. Our rack mounts favor the driver side, so the steering input shaft is closer to the frame rail and will be more likely to be aimed away from your headers.

Note: the rack bushings mount with the shoulder against the crossmember, and the serrations biting in to the rack mounts. Use a bolt size washer (included in our #24410 power rack mounting kit) on the front of the bushing, and let the bushing mushroom as you tighten the nut.

Driver side ball & socket joint removed.
Rack extender threaded on (use red locktite!)
Passenger side.
2″ rack extender installed (red locktite applied).
4″ total of rack spacers. This is effectively lengthening the rack.
Install the boots which come in the rack extender kit, and crimp the band clamps.
I used these pliers from my EZ Clip A/C hoses.

Dear Welder Series… 1953 Buick Mustang II?

Dear Welder Series…
Hi! I’m building a 53 Buick Special in Memphis and was looking for some info on Mustang 2 IFS. I’d like to build my own setup but not really sure where to begin! Any info would be greatly appreciated and any parts to get me going I would definitely purchase! Thanks for your time!

Dear Mustang II In Memphis…
Thanks for looking at the Welder Series site and asking about our parts for your project.  

The easiest way (and it’s not easy…) is to cut off the stock frame at the firewall and use rectangular tubing as new front frame rails. The Mustang II crossmember and towers will mount to them. It will be necessary to fab mounts to support the rad (cradle) and front end sheet metal. There are several pictures on our website where builders have done this. See them at:

We want to help you enjoy this build.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series… what tie rod ends with 60″ MII?

Dear Welder Series…
When using the MII cross member, what tie rod ends are used on the 60″ track width?

Dear Robert…
Robert, it’s best to use rack extenders, but Fairmont tie rod ends can be used. The rack extenders are available from street rod companies that sell racks. They extend the center of the rack at each end. There are different thread pitches on Mustang racks, so I suggest getting the rack and extenders from the same company at the same time. Have 2″ extenders put on each end of the rack.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series…
Question on the triangulated 4 link. I will be ordering the triangulated kit to us on my 8.8 going in my 57 F100. I’m going to order the rear first to see what kind of stance the truck has with a straight axle. I would like to do the MII front end but the vin # is stamped right where the upper brackets would go and I can’t cover that. My question is, do all 4 bars have to be level? Ride height is an unknown till the axle is in. Will anything be affected by having the bars angled?

Dear Robert…
Robert, the installation tips are at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26254738/Instructions/318500IN.pdf . These are the instructions for the regular and 8.8 4-link. If your 8.8 is from a Mustang, order the 8.8 kit. If your 8.8 is from a leaf spring vehicle, order the regular kit. The bars do not have to be level. There is some tolerance with the mounting points, too.

A comment regarding ride height: We always build so the finished project is at the ride height we want. This is easier to do with coil-overs or air bags than with leaf springs. Ride height clearance over the rear end can be 3″. It might be necessary to c-notch the frame if the ride height you want puts the bottom of the stock rail too close above the axle tube. Make sure there is clearance between the top of the differential housing and the bed floor when the suspension is fully compressed.

The ride height with the stock front suspension should be fairly easy to establish. Then you can stand back and see if the truck is sitting the way you want. If it isn’t, make changes so it will. This will take more time, and maybe more money up front, but you will be happier with the finished product.

I hope this helps with your planning.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series… 1950 Chev Pickup Mustang II?

Dear Welder Series…
Hi! I have a 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup. I decided that I want to run with the mustang II ifs. I won’t be able to buy everything all at once, so I want to start with the crossmember. I want to run bags, so it will sit on the ground. Can you tell me what crossmember is best? Thank you.

Dear Juan…
If you are planning to use conventional bags, use this version: 

 

The airbag people have mounting brackets to fit in the upper towers.

If you plan to use ShockWaves, use this version:

 

If you click on the product you can view some pictures of airbags being used with this crossmember.

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts for your pickup, Juan.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series… 1976 Datsun 260Z Mustang II

Dear Welder Series… 
I’m customizing a 1976 Datsun 260Z for a client. It has an all aluminum Mustang Cobra 32V V8 up front and a narrowed 9″ triangulated 4 link setup in the rear. I want to put something like your Mustang II IFS kit on the front and get rid of the struts so that I can mount a wider torque thrust II wheel to match that back.

The frame rails have a lip that sticks out a little on the bottom facing out, and the width from that outside edge to outside edge is 32″. They are smooth on the inside.

Do you have something that will work for me? If you do, can you send me other dimensions so that I can measure up to make sure everything will fit under the original fenders?

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks.

Brett

Dear Brett…
Our Mustang II coil spring kits are designed to be installed in almost any frame. What measurement do you want between the wheel mounting surfaces? (Where the wheels are against the rotors…)

What diameter tire will you use on the front?

With the frame at ride height, what is the distance from the ground to the bottom of the frame at the spindle location?

As above to the top of the frame?

With this info, I’ll be able to tell you about installation issues you might run into and suggest ways around them, if necessary.

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts.

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series…
Thanks for getting back to me.

There are a lot of questions there that I don’t have the answers to yet.

I’ve just finished the back end of the car, so let me measure the front up this weekend and I will get back to you.

Cheers,

Brett.

Dear Brett…
Thanks, Brett. I might be slower getting back to you for the next week or so… There will be days when I’m out of internet access. I’ll try not to keep you off the road too long…

Paul Horton

Dear Welder Series…
Here are those numbers!

What measurement do you want between the wheel mounting surfaces? 54″

What diameter tire will you use on the front? Don’t know yet, but to match the rear the center of the front spindle will need to be 12 3/8″ from the ground.

With the frame at ride height, what is the distance from the ground to the bottom of the frame at the spindle location? 11″

As above to the top of the frame? 14″

This car is pretty low, so if we need to go up or down a little, I would prefer to go up a little on the ride height. We have a tri-4-link with coil overs on the back so we can always adjust the back up or down to match whatever the front ends up being.

Cheers,

Brett.

To Be Continued…

1934 Plymouth Mustang II Installed

I recently made the front clip for my project (1934 Plymouth 2 door sedan). It was a pleasure using your Mustang II crossmember kit! My job was easy because the rails are level, square and plumb but the directions were a great help and easy to follow. Thanks for a great product!

Jeff

You can also see how Jeff made a mock-up coil over using a tube with two tubes welded on the ends. This is always a good thing to have around to keep your car at ride height during the build. Remember, you use the coil over spring to support the car at the designed ride height.

Do you have some Welder Series parts on your car? Please consider sharing them; it’s always helpful to see other people’s work.

Thanks for using our parts, Jeff. Enjoy your Plymouth!

DW

Dear Welder Series… JeepRod Mustang II?

Dear Welder Series…
I am building an army willys jeeprod and I plan to put a mustang II suspension in front of grill. 30 1/2″ outside frame to outside frame. Money is limited so what would a complete kit cost me. I could not find any complete kits on your site.

Thanks and God bless.

Dear Pastor Ron…
Ron, we sell only the crossmember kit and a disc brake kit, not a hub-to-hub kit. Several of our dealers offer complete kits using our crossmember. They are listed at http://welderseries.com/more/dealers-builders/. The 56″ kit will likely need some frame trimming for coil spring clearance.

Thanks for looking at Welder Series parts for your project.

Paul Horton