Thread: 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon - Crown Vic suspension/Coyote 5.0 engine swap

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Originally Posted by rspears

Since he's narrowing the Crown Vic front end, can't he set the width to run the offset/backspace that he wants?

I'd assume so. Not sure what numbers he's dealing with. Narrowing by an inch.... you could probably still use all the stock suspension parts, just change the adjusters for the steering by a few turns of the threads.

Originally Posted by 34_40

I'd assume so. Not sure what numbers he's dealing with. Narrowing by an inch.... you could probably still use all the stock suspension parts, just change the adjusters for the steering by a few turns of the threads.

With the wheels mounted on the stock Ranch Wagon then the Crown Vic, the CV is 8" wider. The rack from a Mustang II is 5" narrower than the CV. Im hoping this would cure the wheel selection issue. It will affect the sway bar. Maybe that will be the only issue.

Originally Posted by Chicken Legs

With the wheels mounted on the stock Ranch Wagon then the Crown Vic, the CV is 8" wider. The rack from a Mustang II is 5" narrower than the CV. Im hoping this would cure the wheel selection issue. It will affect the sway bar. Maybe that will be the only issue.

Thinking that narrowing ~8" is going to affect the Ackerman angle and can cause some funky steering response. You may have to heat & bend your spindle arms a bit to fix it, but that's not too tough. Sounds like you've thought it through for a good plan.

Originally Posted by rspears

Thinking that narrowing ~8" is going to affect the Ackerman angle and can cause some funky steering response. You may have to heat & bend your spindle arms a bit to fix it, but that's not too tough. Sounds like you've thought it through for a good plan.

Whats the ideal angle with Ackerman?

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Originally Posted by Chicken Legs

Whats the ideal angle with Ackerman?

Ackermann steering is what sets the angle of the front wheels for no scrub/slip, outside wheel at a different angle than the inside wheel. I took a picture of the diagram in Pete & Jakes catalog that describes the process. You'd use the line through the upper & lower ball joint instead of the kingpin location, through the tie rod ends to the center of the rear axle. Racers/Drifters play with the Ackermann angle to change their handling, especially circle track guys.