Dan,
I run FoMoCos' Twin I set up with progressive coil springs & shocks under my 460. I turn mid 12' @120+ I would not run 120+ T-Ends then ever try stopping on Fat Man Fab M2 (Pinto) front end with Chevy calipers & 2nd thought re-pop rotors as suspension you mention uses. Nope it "ain't gonna happen with me at the wheel if I have anything to say about it. . .
My 66 also cruises sweet now that I put an F-250 Anti Sway Bar up front & F-350 in the rear, again using sensatrack progressive shocks.
Pintos (M2s) were a tad over 100" WB and 2800 lbs with a 2.0 or 2.4L 4 banger. Their geometry and design IMHO is way too small & light for the 118" - 124" WB, 3500 -4500 lb, Slicks with a 600 lb 460 +C-6 A/T that run over 100mph and may need to stop.
Nayway, It's what my TI Scientfic calculator would show as "OVERLOAD"
But that's only my prejudiced opinion on that product
I AGREE WITH FORDBOYPETE TWIN I's FOR ME WITH THE UPGRADES HE MENTIONED. PLUS FOR DRAG RACING I WOULD BE MORE INCLINED TO WORRY ABOUT SPRING WIND UP AND WHEEL HOP IN THE REAR. THATS MY 2 CENTS WORTH.
Personnally speaking, a single I or Twin I are the most rugged suspensions out there. Ford ran 'em from the beginning up to 65 and then the twins from 65 to 97 when they went to IFS. With some tweaking here and there you can make them do about anything you want. You can even put power steering on the old single I axles. Disc brake kits bolt on the single I's with late model (93) Ford pickup Rotors. Big Rotors designed for Ford Trucks. We put 'em on my boys 63. You want a soft ride, then IFS is what it takes. But Fatmans ain't the only game in town either. I installed one of their setups some years ago and can only say, I hope they got better. From what I have been seeing, the aftermarket has been going full tilt trying to build some really nice coilover and airbag setups with 12 and 13 inch rotors and 4 and 6 piston calipers to work with them. Also the upper and lower control arms can now be had in tubular stainless with screw in ball joints.
I am a firm believer in good brakes, cuz all the horsepower in the world ain't gonna do you squat if you can't stop the thing. As someone else mentioned, with rear discs on, you probably won't notice a difference in stopping, but I hate working on drum brakes. So with me it is a personal thing. They have always been nasty boogers and always will be.
I don't recall seeing you mention the year of the truck this poll is for, but for myself, I have a 460 and C6 in a 56 Effie with a clapped out steering box and king pins. That was the way it came to me. Steering is a nightmare, forget parallel parking, it ain't gonna happen. Running down the freeway is an experience you don't want either. Its like trying to herd cows. I am going to watch this poll with interest and see what the outcome is. I would be pleased to know what you decide to do.
TR
twin I beam all the way considering we only have 4 choices. I have a 65 f100 with a 390. Sure you can't lower it past 3-4 inches. I personally wouldn't want to go past that any way. Twin I beams are proven strong enough for big block power. Sure lots of people have used the MII clip, I just think that the design is not strong enough for BOTH street driving and Drag racing. I firmly beleive that any truck with a big block and MII clip sees more time on a trailor than of the road. If you want to USE your truck stick with a supspension designed for a truck. If I wanted to swap the front clip, I would prolly use a Dodge Dakota front end. That one was not on the poll
I drive my 66 F100 SWB with 466 and C6. I drive it every friggen day in Atlanta traffic. I use eatonsprings.com progressive springs and a good set of gas shocks on smoothies with radial tires up front. Need a sway bar but thats a project for another day. Rear is stock newer Eaton springs and gas shocks stock as a box of rocks. Even with power steering this truck is a handful at anything over 70MPH. I don't race but admire those that do! That Symanski (Industrial Chassis) Dakota crossmember is likley better then our twin-I's but sadly it is no longer available due to excessive production costs and low demand. Thats really to bad it was IMO, the better solution.
When you have 90% of what you want, think twice about insisting on the other 10%! Thomas Sowell
I don't see where to vote but I say MII. Are you nah sayers stuck in time? These suspensions are not Pinto/ Mustang front ends. They are styled after that type. We need to look at the whole picture.
This is like saying that my single axle uni uses a 32 Model A front end!!!
1000 lb car with a 4 banger flathead----that can't work!
For front end travel at the track and comfortable street use, an a-arm suspension can't be beat --well maybe McPherson Struts.
But come on----I-beams!?!
I will now bow out because of the ....everyone has one syndrome.
Tim---Fanatic
INEPTOCRACY: (in-ep'-toc-ra-cy) : a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
I vote MII or Twin I Beam. Thing I don't like about the Twin I Beam is the bolt pattern and brakes and adjustability for lowering, etc. 3 inches for lowered I Beams at over 500 bucks for it complete and put under isn't worth it to me. I am going to be calling Fat Mans tomarrow to see if he can help me choose or find a rotor or some kind of adapter to run different rotors with a different bolt pattern.
Now on the MII.... I used to HATE them and think they were way too expensive and weak and cheap. Now I have a different view on them since I have used one and looked at them, studied them a little, etc. People compaire these to the "Pinto's" but they are different. The metal is much thicker than an original MII so you cannot compare them together. Also the control arms are pretty fair. You will need heavy duty springs though, stock ones are WAY too skinny, etc. I went into Fat Mans a few days ago and there was a 70 F100 in there I think it was and it had the MII front end under it and looked great and supposedly handles better and smoother. I think the MII has more to offer such as dropped sprindles, Air bags, coil overs, etc that the Twin I doesn't offer and you can lower it more than a measly 3 inches.
I like both though but it all depends what you want to do with it. I have seen people with 460's and bigger in their slicks with an MII and they did fine. You can also brace the member up some if you felt un-comfortable about it. I have seen a lot of old pro streets with MII's and huge big blocks in them. Now if your going to drag race this thing, etc then the little 9 inch brake rotors wont be safe, you will need some upgraded rotors and calipers and a plain disk brake in the back just to be safe.
Call Fat Mans and tell them what you want to do and they will point you in the right direction.
If these front ends didn't work and had a lot of problems then Fat Man's would not be in business anymore so think about that as well...
Oh yes, do not forget about a Dakota front end either. They are supposed to be great front ends. I'd look into that as well. You may be able to get by cheaper with that.
What Tim said about IFS is true. MII is for lightweight street rods, not heavy trucks with big heavy engines. Aftermarket IFS has gone way past that. I have been researching a lot of the manufacturers in business now who make some setups a lot nicer than what was offered 10 years ago.
With the new stuff, you can go coilovers or air bags, Aluminum tubular A
arms, polished stainless steel A arms, or just stay with coils setup for the sprung weight of your truck. Yeah Fatman makes a lot of stuff, and if you go past the basic MII IFS, He has some nice stuff to offer for trucks like ours. Its like this, You wouldn't buy the cheapest tire they make for your truck that you are going to drive, or the cheapest brakes that are available, so why go cheap on something that is going to suspend and steer your truck to where ever you desire to drive it. I wouldn't.
TR
Shawn F. wrote:Oh yes, do not forget about a Dakota front end either. They are supposed to be great front ends. I'd look into that as well. You may be able to get by cheaper with that.
You will find that "Elpolacko" on this board is the owner of one such "Industrial Chassis", which used to make those. I don't believe they do any more. One of our other members is moving out to Phoenix to work with him in Sept., building rods.
I intentionally am going to refrain from voting in this poll, even though I have one truck with an Aerostar and one with a Volare. I have never had the Aerostar truck running to compare them, and I am not wild about the wallowing and quick-steering characteristics of the Volare. I know twin I trucks handle great, and that I personally am not a fan of a straight axle on a washboardy road or train tracks, but some guys want their trucks lowered, so they'd have to pick their own application to suit their needs more than my needs.
It's a race.. Will hell freeze over or will JC finish his truck first. Stay tuned..
