The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop IFS bolt-on for 1949 1 Tons

Do these exist?

I’ve noticed The Mustang ii IFS says it’s for 1/2 t and 3/4 t only. I just thought I’d save hassle and get a prefab if possible instead of finding a donor, but I’m obviously open to suggestions and stories of other 1 ton front end solutions.

Looking for coils, not bags.

Anyone have any insights into this? Thanks!

Putting a M-II suspension setup on a 1 ton is sending a boy to do a man's job. I'd suggest putting a front crossmember and suspension system from a mid-1980's Chevy 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck- - - - -control arms, spindles, hubs, brakes and all. It's a bolt-on assembly that should be very simple to adapt to the stovebolt frame, and it's out of a real truck- - - -not a subcompact car. It will also have the right 8 lug wheel bolt pattern to match the 1 ton rear axle, and brakes that actually work for a full grown truck.
Jerry

Jerry: it is going in with an S10 rear end, so the whole truck will be limited to light duty use anyway.

Which is fine, if that is the direction he wants to go. I would rather see an old truck get modern upgrades and be driven than rot into the ground bone stock.

EffDubya: As I recall, the large truck frames are a different width than 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks and they will not work off the shelf.

Looks like we need a LoPo Forum if this fella wants to put in a sub-compact car IFS, and a sup-compact truck rear axle in a 1 ton truck.
Those S-10 rear ends are too narrow for a 1/2 ton. I can only imagine how that will look a 1 ton.
But then, what do I know? I am an old man, set in his ways. Maybe the low to the ground, skinny rear end, 1 ton trucks will become the new rage.
When that happens, everyone will have seen it here first and will forever remember that fella, FW (who spells it different).

You do realize that the WMS/WMS on the 4WD S10 axle is actually slightly wider than the stock 1/2 ton one right?

And that what is called a mustang 2 kit these days bears only the vaguest resemblance to what the csrs actually had? That defines a standard geometry and mounting brackets.

I will also point you toward this sticky. You don't have to like what other people are doing, but sarcasm and mockery is not helpful.

Oh I don’t mind; Sarcasm with solutions is totally acceptable, I appreciate you all for taking the time.

You know sometimes, you see a truck, it winks at ya, and boom! it’s in your garage the next day. Please understand that this IS the research phase. You good people are who I am asking before I buy stuff (the s-10 rear I bought may have been impulsive, I admit) that will weaken or wimp-ify my truck. I don’t know the available trim lines from that far back so I’m kinda learning as I go, ya know? folks who know these trucks better and who can save me some headache are kind of the whole point here right?

Anyhow, I’ll go Jerry’s Route and get into an 80’s 3/4 or 1 ton, that sounds like fun. As for the rear end, I’ll trade load capacity and torque for highway top end if I can get it because in its life, this truck will carry the load of my motorcycle in the back of it and maybe, just maybe one day pull a little camp trailer with it. Its days of plowing fields are over. I have an Eaton HO thread going for that!

I bought it not really knowing much about its aftermarket limitations relative to the 1/2 ton and 3/4 thus the mustang ii inquiry, this is why I was asking if there was a beefier option for 1 tons. It’s got ownership and I can’t sell it, so I gotta stick to what I’ve got to work with and bend it to my creative ambitions and usage plans.

So, got it. No bolt on front end kits for a 1 ton ‘49, thanks all! I really do appreciate your feedback

Edit: there IS a bolt on, just not a mustang ii

No matter what size your truck is your wallet and fabricating skills often determine what’s possible or not.

The trucks with the squared-off front fenders (late 70's through mid-80's, IIRC) all have bolt-in front crossmembers that not only have the complete front suspension, but also the front motor mounts. With just a little creative bracket fabrication, they can be adapted to the straight axle frame in a pretty flexible fore-aft position to center the wheels in the fender openings. It will be necessary to do a little fabrication to mount the steering gear and idler arm on opposite sides of the frame to keep the steering geometry correct, or it might be possible to go with a power rack & pinion setup from a full grown truck like a RAM 2500 or something similar.

In the rear, look into installing a Dana Type 70 from a dual wheel 1 ton chassis of several different makes- - - -Chevy, GMC, Ford, MOPAR and International all used various models of the Dana 70, and there are a bunch of ring and pinion ratios available. That gear set and its little brother, the type 60 is heavy enough to live happily in a lot of drag race vehicles. I ran a Type 70 under a pull truck with a 700+ HP MOPAR 440.
Jerry

I used an '88 k2500 for the torsion bar front end. The entire frame, engine, transmission included. Set the cab to the front wheels, no modification to engine location. Rear axle was moved back about 5". The ride height is stock, and the tires do not go out from the fenders.

And THAT is the best, most succinct bit of wisdom I've seen in a while.

Well put, Sir! We need to do something with that.

"There's no substitute for cubic dollars!" I'm probably about to re-learn that old adage with the big bolt I just bought! It's finally going to leave north Alabama for the first time since it was bought for Redstone Arsenal in 1951, but it's only going a few miles north to south central Tennessee!
Jerry

I do realize that a 4WD S-10 axle is wider than the 2WD rear axle. It is still a sub-compact truck axle and I felt that was a helpful thing to point out,
As far as "sarcasm and mockery" are concerned, I certainly offered neither of those in my post. My message was "Do whatever floats your boat", so to speak, but beware of what rough seas may do to your boat if you put sub-compact car and truck parts on a 1 ton truck.
Seems that Effdubya gets me, and that's good enough for me, and I hope that is now good enough for you, kind, helpful, caring sir.

No problem just bring cash. Pic of 37 1/2T with slight suspension up grade.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/7bYFFBL1/IMG-5233.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/bD2tr0ym/IMG-5234.jpg[/img]

Have you ever towed a trailer with that truck?

Alrighty, so I’m shopping for the Dana 70 which seems like a good avenue but᠁.Is the Dana 80 (pictured here) too much? I’m kinda into the idea of a dually (not married to it so a single wheel is fine too) and the disc brakes are appealing too. This is out of an ‘02 ford f350 super duty. Pros and Cons for this? Thoughts?

Have you measured the width on it? That is going to be the biggest pain going forward. I would recommend measuring the width on the axle you have. Pick a measurement point you like (tread center, WMS/WMS, tread outer) and decide if you want to change it. If so, which way and by how much? From there, you can downselect to axles that are reasonable for you.

WMS/WMS (wheel mounting surface) is one of the most common measurements, but you have to remove the wheels to measure it and the rim offset you use will have a significant impact on the final appearance.

What is your long term use? Is this primarily a cruiser? Hauler? Tow rig? Depending on what you are going to do with it, you might specifically want a lighter or heavier axle. Your use case will also affect what gearing you need and certain axles will only permit certain ratio ranges.

Based on some of your other posts, I assuming this was a cruiser but I realize that was an assumption.

If you're planning to run a flat bed in the rear, the track width of a dually axle will be less of an issue than if you're running fenders. Up front, a little creative metal butchery can widen the fenders a couple of inches by splitting the fender and grafting in a piece of sheet metal between the headlight and the outer edge of the fender. It takes a pretty sharp eye to tell the difference if your body man knows his stuff.
Jerry

Ya it’s a cruiser. I’m looking for 3:73 gears or close to it so I can run a higher top end mph between 70-90mph if I need it on the highway. I’m measuring all those suggested before I buy anything.