Mustang 2 Front End Conversion?

65fastbackresto · Nov 7, 2013

I just got a 78 mustang 2 car with v-6 motor and power rack and pinion steering, is it possible to remove the cross member and put it under my 65 fastback? And with the mustang 2 being 4 lug wheels, what all will need to be changed to make it 5 lug?

I got a great deal on the mustang 2, and if I have to destroy the car to get the cross member..well it`s going to a good cause.

Rusty67 · Nov 14, 2013

Stop. Don't do anything.... seriously.

What are you trying to accomplish by puting a MII front end on your 65 ? I'm sure there are better ways to get what you want without butchering the front end.

rbohm · Nov 15, 2013

there are good reasons to go to a mustang ll style front suspension;

1: its more modern

2: you can cut out the shock towers for more room in the engine bay

3: properly set up you actually do get better handling and a better ride at the same time

4: you get rack and pinion steering that was designed for the suspension.

Rusty67 · Nov 15, 2013

rbohm, I agree there are things about the MII setup that CAN be an advantage but I think this guy should evaluate his goals with the car before going and bolting in a stock MII setup.

Also, he is looking at using a STOCK MII setup, not a nice aftermarket unit with a bunch of upgrades/redesigns to actually get better handling. The factory suspension with some minor upgrades will work far better than the stock MII being grafted into a classic.

Also, don't forget the factory MII setup has a strut rod in there. The aftermarket units remove the strut rod and modify the lower arm for extra support. The factory MII setup is kinda junky by todays standards.

My opinion is that if you are going to do all that work, why not put something really good in there ? I'd rather spend the same amount of money upgrading the stock suspension and end up with something good instead of putting a stock MII setup under my car and then having to upgrade that.

For me, I wouldn't use the MII setup at all unless I absolutely had to have the space in the engine bay.

rbohm · Nov 15, 2013

ok, now tall me something i DONT know. you do realize that he is going to use an AFTERMARKET cross member, probably the one from fatman fabrications, which has updated mounting angles which corrects the factory angles. it is also set up to use either stock mustang ll arms for a budget set up, but one that is also upgradeable to using tubular arms with revised suspension geometry. budget are what they are, and while you might have unlimited amounts of money to just do what you want the first time, most people dont have that luxury. i for instance cannot drop $5000 on a heidts front suspension kit for any of my cars, if i wanted a mustang ll style suspension, but i could scrape together $400 for a fatman fab cross member and then another $300 for the bits that are needed including the mustang ll arms, spindles, etc. and have a working front suspension that is upgradeable for less than $1000, including a brake up grade, and the same amount of sweat equity that i would have in the heidts kit.

so while the suspension would be stock for the time being, it would still be an improvement over the original mustang/falcon front suspension in many ways. and by the way, even if he were to upgrade later on, he would still have LESS than HALF the amount invested in his way of doing it than just dropping one large sum of cash on a complete aftermarket kit.

Rusty67 · Nov 15, 2013

65fastbackresto said:
I just got a 78 mustang 2 car with v-6 motor and power rack and pinion steering, is it possible to remove the cross member and put it under my 65 fastback? And with the mustang 2 being 4 lug wheels, what all will need to be changed to make it 5 lug?

I got a great deal on the mustang 2, and if I have to destroy the car to get the cross member..well it`s going to a good cause.

rbohm said:
ok, now tall me something i DONT know. you do realize that he is going to use an AFTERMARKET cross member,

Where in the OP does it say he is going to use an aftermarket cross member ?

In the last 5 years my budget has admittedly gotten a lot larger (yay for having a career and being single with no kids) but I still very much remember what it is like to have virtually no money to do an upgrade. That being said, I always just saved up for what I wanted to do until I had enough money to do what I wanted and only spend the money once. I hear what you are saying. I don't know his plans or desires so how can I help him plan for the best solution unless he responds with more info ?

What I'm reading is that he is planning on cutting out the MII cross member and grafting it into the 65. Your plan of laying out 400 dollars for a fatman fabs cross member is likely the EXACT info he was looking for. That is why I told him to put the brakes on it until after we got a little more info from him so we could give him great feedback like you just gave me.

rbohm · Nov 15, 2013

Rusty67 said:
Where in the OP does it say he is going to use an aftermarket cross member ?

In the last 5 years my budget has admittedly gotten a lot larger (yay for having a career and being single with no kids) but I still very much remember what it is like to have virtually no money to do an upgrade. That being said, I always just saved up for what I wanted to do until I had enough money to do what I wanted and only spend the money once. I hear what you are saying. I don't know his plans or desires so how can I help him plan for the best solution unless he responds with more info ?

What I'm reading is that he is planning on cutting out the MII cross member and grafting it into the 65. Your plan of laying out 400 dollars for a fatman fabs cross member is likely the EXACT info he was looking for. That is why I told him to put the brakes on it until after we got a little more info from him so we could give him great feedback like you just gave me.

try reading his other thread on this very subject;

I found just the crossmember and necessary parts to install for $300 to $400 online last night, so that will keep me from gutting the mustang 2. I`ll still use the power rack and pinion and stuff, but it`s good to know my granada stuff will fit it, I already have that upgrade. I guess I have a good winter project on my hands again....never done...

and here it is;

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/78-mustang-2-parts-car-maybe.873054/

Rusty67 · Nov 15, 2013

Great, he had another thread I didn't know about. Big deal. I don't see why you are beating me over the head for no reason. The OP still has yet to reply to the thread.

The whole point is to get information and help the OP make the best decision for his needs. Am I missing something else ?

65fastbackresto · Nov 15, 2013

Sorry guys, been rough week at work. I have decided not to tear apart my 65 again, i just don`t have the energy for one, and for 2, the 51 Ford truck could use the mustang 2 suspension (with aftermarket cross member) a lot more than the car. And being as this is my first major attempt at fabrication, it better be on the truck, that way if i mess something up....its not my car that's worth lot of money.

rbohm · Nov 15, 2013

a better choice overall.

Mustang 2 Front End Conversion?

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