Upgrading your front suspension to a custom independent front suspension (IFS) may seem like a pain in the rear to most, but what you get from the IFS is ride comfort plus the added performance and handling characteristics that far out weight the hassle of installation.
From the factory most ’50s trucks came with a straight-axle that was great for carrying the load of the heavy inline-six or towing the horse trailer, boat, etc. As time passed, engineers found that an IFS suspension on a truck gave a car like feel that every truck owner desired. The ability to adjust Camber, Caster, and Toe highly reduced tire wear and bumpsteer plus made the ’60s Chevy trucks handle a lot nicer than that of the strait-axle days. But the IFS of yesteryear was still lacking something that wouldn’t make it into production trucks for many years to come. I am talking about a rack-and-pinion–type steering system that takes away the sloppy feeling that used steering boxes give you. You know, the wandering wheel or sawing action from the drivers hands needed to keep the truck on the road. This does not mean steering boxes are junk but, in my opinion, the option of rack-and-pinion on a aftermarket suspension is a good one.
Lucky for gals and us classic truck guys, Fatman Fabrications figured out IFS systems a long time ago and hundreds, if not thousands, of systems have been installed to our benefit. I chose to install the Fatman IFS with 60-½ track width for the extra stability, and after all the measurements it was not all that bad to put in. I knew I wanted adjustability with ride height and to be able to tune my shocks, so I contacted Ride Tech to go over the options on the new coilover systems they just came out with. I ended up with the new Ride Tech T/A coilovers that I will be able to adjust the stance, rebound, low and high compression.
Flaming River has also released a brand new rack-and-pinion into their line. The rack features a new design that is a four-inch extended body and 12 pounds lighter than the mustang II standard rack. So if you made up your mind to install an IFS, follow along and hopefully your install goes as smooth as mine did. Good luck. CT
First things first, John Meadow...
First things first, John Meadow from Deuces Wild Hotrods Inc. used a drop center to find out where the wheel center line was. We did this at ride height. Then, I jacked the vehicle up and used jack stands to level the vehicle side to side and adjusted the jack stands to give a 2- to 3-degree forward rake as recommended by Fatman. Since my sheetmetal was already off, I simply set it back on to check if the wheels were in the wheelwells correctly. You may want to visually inspect your wheel to sheetmetal/fender alignment before getting started. If it is to far back in the wheelwell it could look off when the new IFS is installed.
Now that a wheel center is...
Now that a wheel center is determined, mark the frame all the way with a permanent marker and scribe it down the center. That way if the permanent marker gets wiped off you still have a centerline.
After marking both sides we...
After marking both sides we checked to see if the measurements were correct from side to side. These measurements can be moved forward and back to help center the wheels in the wheelwell. This line will give a baseline on where to set the crossmember.
In last month’s issue of Classic...
In last month’s issue of Classic Trucks, I showed how to box your frame in detail. Please check the tech article out before installing your Fatman IFS, cutting out crossmembers, and adding plating to your truck frame. At this point, the front suspension came off and the spring shackles were removed with a Miller plasma cutter.
I ordered the wrong rack-and-pinion...
I ordered the wrong rack-and-pinion mounts from Fatman, but that is OK because they sent me a set of the correct mounts that I could later weld on. RJ Plent, an employee of Deuces Wild, helped add the centerline for the crossmember. RJ used a yellow marker and a scribe to make it easy to see when lining the crossmember to the frame.
We prepped the cross-member...
We prepped the cross-member by removing the black paint to bare metal. Remember to prep the frame by using a sanding disc to help promote good penetration when welding.
RJ then used a giant clamp...
RJ then used a giant clamp to secure the crossmember to the frame. Line up the center marks from the crossmember to the frame and then clamp down.
RJ used a hammer to lightly...
RJ used a hammer to lightly tap the crossmember in place using a measuring tape at the same time to check to see if it was correct. Notice the crossmember has a cut out on the driver side, this cutout allows the Flaming River rack-and-pinion to clear the crossmember.
John and RJ measured from...
John and RJ measured from the crossmember to the opposite side of the frame for square then measured from the lower control arm holes to the opposite side of the frame, and moved the crossmember until all the measurements were the same from side to side. Since the frame is already raked at 2 to 3 degrees, we made sure that the crossmember was level from front to back, turns out it was perfect. These steps insured the crossmember is set in the frame correct and not twisted or off to one side.
After we set the crossmember...
After we set the crossmember and measured several times before welding, I used a Miller MIG welder to tack in the crossmember. At this point, nothing gets finished-welded until the complete kit is installed.
A one inch tack weld was all...
A one inch tack weld was all that was needed to hold in the crossmember. I tacked both the driver and passenger side framerails to the crossmember.
Since the crossmember is centered...
Since the crossmember is centered in the frame, RJ measured and marked the location of the Fatman upper control arm mounts from the crossmember centerline.