Mustang II front suspension

[D94R]

I've decided to go M-II front suspension :hehe:

The DIY welder cross member kits out there are ~$200 for a coil over setup. Add arms, coil overs, drop spindles and misc other stuff and I'm thinking I can put this together for less than a grand. Not sure if that price can cover most, all, or part of the brakes yet though.

I just need to research Ranger track width in the front and then see what "kit" would fit best. They are offered in 56,58, and 60" widths. This could be an easy way to widen the front track width to match the rear Expo axle!


Welder Series coil over xmember (http://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/21906/)
http://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/images/5060/ws21906+cover+%28Small%29.JPG/




Look for all my front suspension to be up for sale at some point ;)








ETA:
Ford Ranger track width (http://www.ford.com/trucks/ranger/compare/)
2011 Ranger track width is listed as 58.5". I would imagine it's been the same since 94 at least. Going with the 60" kit would move out the wheels .75" on each side... just about perfect.

[splatranger95]

I guess its a good thing I brought it up then! HAHA

I would probably be up for some 2" drop springs if you have them....

Im looking forward to seeing all this go together. I would like to do this as well when I graduate in December. Truck will be going down for a makeover (sorta like yours, but probably not as in depth)

[Cutlass327]

I'm reading these posts about you folks wanting to replace the twin I-beams and I'm thinking that's a lot of work.. then I think of what I've done with my Cj, and plan t o do, and lok at these trucks as your "Jeep".. If Rangers didn't rot out up here so much, it would be fun to continue mine as a project toy, I just can't see putting $$ into something that rusts away as you put more $ in it..

Looks like a cool project. Make sure you do a build thread on it, with lots of pics!

[D94R]

Splat, my front suspension parts are listed here (http://turborangerforums.com/showthread.php?t=3835).

Cutlass, I have a build thread going on already for the truck, the M-II suspension would be included in that, though I'd like to do a thread on its own when time comes.

With what I've done to the Ranger with the resto-modding, rust won't be an issue and I expect the Ranger to live out another 15-20 years without issues. If I have to drop 5 grand or so into it it's cheaper than buying a new vehicle!

[Riddle_Rob]

Paul does AMAZING work. I KNOW because I live litterally 5 mins from his shop.
These kits are made extremely well. I'm actually looking at buying a custom 4 link from him. His notches are really awesome too. They box in the frame and everything.

[fordnut71]

welder series was used on trucks a while ago now.

[D94R]

Trucks is where I learned about these kits, and the amazing price for DIY members is awesome. Makes this type of swap affordable.

[fordnut71]

ya, an that its Canadian design an made also. oh an its 5 min from robs house also is a plus

[jareeb]

Trucks is where I learned about these kits, and the amazing price for DIY members is awesome. Makes this type of swap affordable.

right i watch powerblock every weekend, learned alot from thos shows!

[D94R]

Rob, get buddy buddy with him. Get discount on parts. Pass along savings to me. Ok?????

[jareeb]

Rob, get buddy buddy with him. Get discount on parts. Pass along savings to me. Ok?????

haha

[TURBO Ranger]

One thing to consider also is akerman principles. A m2 has like a 96" wheelbase, and a ranger short is 108 and long is 114 i believe, culd be off. Anyway, the geometry will be off and expect tire wear and handling issues if you leave it unaddressed. It shouldnt be too big of a problem, but just thought id give you a heads up. I plan on using an original m2 front xmember on my tube truck, it will have the same issues tho lol

[Ron83ranger]

i would assume it would be a problem if you copied the M2 setup exactly, but if you made some adjustments you could tune it out. maybe use a quick ratio rack(15:1) instead of the factory 20:1 or worse. you could heat and bend the ends where the tie rods attach to gain some ackerman, tricky but doable. or get aftermarket spindles that solve the problems of the factory setup. i would adjust it regardless because ford didnt have enough antidive built into the setup from the start let alone using it on a longer wheel base with different weight bias.

what about crown vic spindles? they have a longer wheelbase of 114.4" and new ones (98+) are plentiful in junkyards everywhere. they also can come with 12" brakes stock.

[TURBO Ranger]

Idk about a crown vic, hadnt ever even considerd that. That would be nice tho, because you could use cvpi brakes which are bigger i believe. On my tube truck, its going to be more straight line, so its not as big a deal. I had tossed around the idea of using a late model cvpi front subrame that has rack and pinion with the aluminum x member, but i think they are about 3-4" too wide. How would you go about adjusting anti dive tho? wouldnt you have to change the roll center?

[Ron83ranger]

you could adjust it when you would set up your arms. the roll center is determined by the front view swing arm length and how the upper arm is placed in relation the lower. but anti-dive is determined by the side view swing arm length from the spindle and the height of the instant center. they can be adjusted independently of each other.

to adjust for more anti-dive, you could make the side view swing arm length longer, or make the arms closer to parallel to the ground and each other. all without affecting your front roll center.

[D94R]

You guys are bumming me out here.

MII is still on my super duper long list of things to do. But for now, I don't have the time to work, much less think about the truck.

I need to relearn what ackerman angles effect, and what effect them.

[TURBO Ranger]

Sorry lol, just wanted you to be aware of some other factors to think about. Usually youre the most informed tho lol

[rangergt]

Yeah mustang II stuff is out of date for all out handling in comparison to other stuff available today but you can`t beat the aftermarket support and bang for the buck for it. Plus it sure improves your options for BRAKES, springs and shocks.

[D94R]

What other stuff might there be that is 'easily' adaptable for the Ranger. Short of using a 98+ front stub.

[splatranger95]

what if you looked into a dirt track type front setup? They use similar front setups as the MII, but with the aftermarket support for dirt track, you may be able to get some answers there.