Thread: '51 binder project - just started

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That lil' Cummins is a heavy little beast, especially with that trans, I wouldn't put MII stuff under it. I'm no fan of Pinto's anyway. but your truck, and the forward position of the engine compartment compared to most rods, will overload the suspension. A Camaro or S10 clip would be safer. I can see a lot of flak coming my way for this, but what the heck, you did ask!

Thanks, i've heard mixed information regarding the Mustang II susp. Some say it will work fine, others say it's only suitable for a smaller street rod. Logic tells me the latter is probably true, especially for a daily vehicle.

I hadn't thought about looking at an S-10 or Camaro. Do these have a removable sub-frame, or would more major surgery be involved. Maybe I should take a trip to the junkyard and have a look.

Thanks for the lead on the book. I'm going to order it today!

Chad
I don't know about the weight of a cummings diesel, but I do know that about 20 different companies sell the mustang 2 front clip conversions for both old Chevys and Ford trucks. Just about any truck I've read on line has this settup, with some pretty hefty big block gas engines under the hood. I'm staying stock right now, just converted front to disc brakes, with a 460 under the hood. Here is one web site that sells front suspension set ups. I'm not familiar with the international front end enough to know pro or con on the mustang conversion, but the above mentioned brands use them all the time!
Zig's Street Rod - Truck Components

Considering the weight of a diesel I don't necessarily disagree with borther Pope. As for the other comments you've heard there's a lot of misinformed belief out there on MII/Pinto suspensions. The heaviest of MIIs were upwards of 3400 pounds, with a roughly 55% front weight bias, remember their engines were near centered over the axle centerline. So calculate accordingly. Also, many of the aftermarket suppliers of these designs have upped the strength of the control arms and anchor points, so if you check with them on recommended weight limits for their specific construction you may find a suitable setup. Additionally, if you look at the vendors in some of the Custom/Rod truck magazines you'll see there are kits for both Volare suspension systems which are bolt in, and Dakota adaption kits that mount Dakota components on a fabbed crossmember. Not tuned in enough to that market to know if they build for corn binders.

The Pinto was designed for a four cylinder engine. The MII was beefed up a tad to carry a small V8, but did you ever drive one down a bad road? They are a pig! A buddy was nearly killed when his V6 MII flipped end-over-end on a straight gravel road. If you never go out of town, you might make it work, but drive carefully, the life you save might be mine!
The "suppliers" make kits for a lot of setups that are iffy, to say the least. I've seen guys replace much better front ends with a swap, just to be able to put MII on their list of mods at shows, things like '65 Coronets and '64 Galaxies.

Above all, I want something solid ,durable and safe. I don't plan to autocross the truck, and I don't mind if it rides like a....truck. My main thoughts behind an IFS swap is that it would facilitate disk brakes and a small (2"+/-) drop.

My biggest issue with the stock front end is that no-one is making "hot-rod" parts for it. If I had a Ford/Chevy, I could just get drop spindles with disk mounts and be done.

Maybe a custom dropped beam up front that uses more common spindles is a better option for me. This, along with a big-arse sway-bar, disk brakes and decent tires seems like a more practical route. Like I say, I'm still in the planning stages, and sort of learning as I go.