I was wondering, after looking at the stance of a few trucks on the road to and from driving home from work, will the ifs from the 80's and 90's s-10's work under a 49 chevy truck's frame? Also, Ive been thoroughly reading some of the links that some of you have added to your posts on ifs's from the 77 and 79 chevy trucks. My question is this. Does anyone have a complete step by step walk-through page that gives good directions on how to measure and install the ifs from those years? Id also appreciate any suggestions on this topic. Im really considering an ifs swap. I think I may have some people I can talk to and get the parts to build up the 49's front end. michael
Before I chose to go with my '79 IFS, I was considering an S-10 swap, but thought it was too labor intensive. A guy at a shop suggested that I just do an S-10 Ifs swap. He said that he could easily graft the S-10 clip to my frame. I eventually decided that I wanted to do the work myself, so I chose to use the '79. The only links I'm aware of are the ones posted in the links you mentioned. It really is not hard to do.
It's out there I don't think you can get any more detailed than Steve Andereggen's article on this swap. The other links also add a little more detail or a little different advice.
s 10 is not very heavy duty for these trucks. he track width is a bit narrow. I highly reccommend a fatman M2 crossmember. If you insist on a clip swap, I would look into the Dakota frame, it is closer to our trucks' dimensoins and much heavier duty. The dak has 6 bolt hubs also.
I have a Mustang II IFS and am very happy with it. Mine came directly from a wrecked Mustang II in a junk yard. There are tons of IFS that are brand new that are based off the Mustang II design.
To Sweet50... Sweet50, What year of Mustang did you use? How much did you have to pay for it? Do you have any pics of the finished frame? michael
I got lucky the Mustang II front end was already welded in with the $600 purchase of the truck. From what I can tell its a late 70's. I have pictures located here http://www.theautolog.com/rednecks-2
Most trucks with S-10 front ends use the whole s-10 frame. If you are going for the "stock look" ....the S-10 is the wrong place to start (too narrow). If you are gonna slam the truck and stuff big wheels in the fenders....it is a good choice. I have 20 inch front wheels and can still turn without hitting sheetmetal. Here is mine. https://talk.classicparts.com/showthread.php?t=5845
No photos, but good description of one way to do this 1963-1987 INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION UPGRADE FOR 1947-1955 1ST. SERIES TRUCKS By Steve Andereggen Jr. The idea of using a 1963-87 independent front suspension first came to me shortly after my dad bought me my 1950 Chevrolet truck in 1991. Before I even saw the truck for the first time, I went out and purchased a book called “How to restore your Chevrolet truck” and read it cover to cover. This book is very helpful for the new-be like myself. The book is where I first pondered the idea of using this suspension. In the suspension section, the book shows a diagram of a 1962 torsion bar suspension. Looking at this picture I noticed that the cross member unbolts completely from the frame and is self contained in one unit. This is great I thought as I later learned that the 1963 through 1987? Suspension system is identical except for the fact that coil springs are used instead of torsion bars. After looking over my truck and making a list of what parts I will need or ideas of what parts I can use, I went to the wrecking yard to look and to see what just might work. Again, I went back to the wrecking yard with a measuring tape in hand to see what the frame rail width is on a mid 70’s 1/2 ton truck is compared to my 1950 truck. The difference is about 2 inches. This is great because I could put a 1 inch plate on either side and call it good. At this point I just graduated High School and was struggling my way through college. I ended up putting this project on hold for a few years as the truck was my main vehicle and needed it to commute back and fourth to college. Sometime in 1999, I became friends with a real nice guy who worked at a wrecking yard that I go too frequently to find out he has a 1949 GMC. We did some trading and I ended up with a 1963 1/2 ton front suspension unit. The suspension was set up with original manual steering components and drum brakes which I plan to change. I ordered the disc brake conversion kit from Chevy Duty for my 1963 spindles and reused the mounting bracket that came with Chevy Duty’s 1947-54 Chevy truck power steering kit, witch I used with my original stock suspension, and relocated it up front on the frame rail as described later. I’m using a 1972 Saginaw power steering box off a Chevy 1/2 ton truck. This is what I originally had when I was using the with Chevy Duty 1947-54 Chevy truck power steering kit. Before you go any farther you will need to remove a few things from the frame. These include the front and rear spring hangers, shock mounts and brake line bracket (see drawing above). I then measured and marked the frame rail starting at the leading edge back 21 inches to where the forward upper A-arm bolt goes (see photos below). This mark is my centering mark to mount the cross member. At this point I decided to bolt the cross member directly to the frame instead of using the two 1” spacers. I figure this would help in my overall track width. The original track width of the front axle is 58 ½ inches from hub to hub. The 1963 IFS track width is 63 13/16 inches, about 5 ½ inches wider than the original. Most likely if you use this set up with or without the 1” spacers, you will have to use some type of reverse offset wheel to keep the tire in the wheel well. MOUNTING THE CROSS MEMBER I took the cross member to a local machine shop and had them take out around 1 5/8" (I don’t remember the exact measurement but this is what comes to mind.) out of the center with a plasma cutter. I waited as they did this and it took about 15-20 minutes for both cuts. I then drilled a bunch of holes near the new cuts on both halves of the crossmember. Next, one of the halves was plated on the inside using a plug weld method. Once completed, the other half was shoehorn over the plated half and then installed the unit on the frame for fit. I have found that doing this step with the frame upside down is much easier than right side up. All the weight of the cross member is resting on the frame and not on jacks holding the cross member up. Once both halves are aligned on the frame rails using the 21 inch mark, you can mark and drill the mounting holes. I then bolted both halves to the frame rails and synched the halves together and plug welded the other half to the plates as before. Once both sides are welded in this manner, all of the welds were ground smooth. I then added some more plates to the outer surface for extra strength. If you do this right, it just might look like a factory job. Just a note, once you have welded the cross member back together as one piece, you will need to unbolt it from the frame rails and move it to the side so that holes can be drilled for the upper A-arm shim-bolts that connects to the A-arm shaft assembly. When both holes on either side are drilled out, the cross member can be reinstalled. MOUNTING THE STEERING BOX AND IDLER ARM If you plan to use power steering as I did, you need to use 1969 or later power steering center link, tie rods, idler arm and pitman arm as these components are heavier duty than those used in manual steering trucks. As for the steering linkage itself, I shortened the center link between both the pitman arm and idler arm so that each arm is parallel to the other. I don’t remember the exact measurement but it should be the same amount as was removed in the crossmember. Also, you will want to leave enough space for the center link to move in front of the cross member. I added about a 1/2" plate on either side of the frame to mount the steering box on one side and the idler arm on the other. NOTE: While taking some measurements for this updated article I found that there is 1 15/16” between the center of the steering box shaft and the frame on the drivers side. On the passengers side there is a 1 ½” between the idler arm bolt and the frame. I didn’t catch this but still works for me. On the driver’s side, I mounted my power steering box near the very front on the frame. I reused a mounting plate from my earlier power steering set up and made another for a spacer on the side of the frame. The upper measurement is 3 ¼ inches and is made by starting from the front of the frame to the upper bolt hole in the spacer (see drawing above). The lower measurement is 4 ¾ inches and is measured the same as before but to the lower bolt hole. You will find rough templates for the power steering box mounting plates at the end of this article. On the passenger’s side, the idler arm assembly is mounted to the frame so that the center link is parallel to the suspension cross member. The following measurements were made to mount the idler arm assembly. If you look at the front of the passenger side frame rail you will notice that the shackle mount is riveted in with five rivets (see photo below). Three horizontal rivets above the hole where the shackle mounts to and two along the bottom edge of the frame channel. I removed all castings from the frame leaving just the rivet holes and the larger shackle mounting hole. The idler arm assembly is mounted to the frame with two bolts. If you were to have the truck frame level, the idler arm mounts at around a 45 degree angle to the horizontal frame (see photo). If you measure from the upper mounting hole on the idler arm to the first rivet hole closest to the front you should have something like 11 ¾ inches. From the lower mounting hole on the idler arm to the same rivet hole should be 10 1/8 inches. From the top of the frame to the upper mounting hole is 1 ½ inches. NOTE: These measurements should get you close to where the idler arm needs to be. Again, I eyeballed everything when I installed this on my truck. I had no measurements to go from. These measurements are from my truck and work fine for what I did. MORE TID BITS Due to moving the steering box all the way up front on the frame rail, the driver side bumper bracket needs to be modified. The stock coil springs set the front end about 3-4" higher than stock height. To correct this you can get lowering springs, dropped spindles or a combination of the two. For my truck, I put air bags in. This gives the most flexibility to choose the height you want. I used the kit from Classic Performance Products along with their Air Ride compressor kit. This kit was very simple to install and gives me 9 inches of adjustable travel. You can see photos of this in the photo gallery at the end of this article. As for mounting the engine, I used the after market universal engine and transmission mounts. I hade these installed several years before when I still had the original axle. The 1963 IFS cross member, when installed, does not interfere at all with the universal engine crossmember. The original bell housing mounting cross member will have to be removed unless original 6 cylinder engine is used. See frame photos in the photo gallery for more details. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone (541) 914-2916 or by e-mail chevy3100@clearwire.net, PHOTO GALLERY DRIVER SIDE PASSENGER SIDE
Here's the "uncut version" So your looking for the easiest and least expensive method of updating your suspension. Well here's the information required to perform this swap. Special Thanks to Jon C Peters for locating and supplying me with this Article. He States: The only article I saw on this was in American Rodder and it really wasn't a tech article...... However I've done this on 2 trucks a 51 and a 53 Chevy. The spacers I used were 1/2" thick for the saddle, idler arm and the steering sector. The 73' through 87' c10 2 wd trucks (through 89' suburban) will work. the difference between the early and the late is the steering sector (box) went metric in 81' (threads on power steering hoses). You might have to go with negative offset (AKA g10 van type) wheels. On one truck I did on the other I didn't go figure. I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE WRECKING YARD 1. Take a magnetic protractor and place it on the upper A-arm "close to where the shims are or on the cross member and take a reading so when you bolt your unit on it's in the same relationship "ANGLE" as the factory set their units to help with alignment. 2. Take reference measurements from the donor frame regarding the distance the holes for mounting the steering box and idler arm are from the cross member. What I recommend is to unbolt the steering box and idler arm, then lay some poster board over the frame in these locations so you can trace the bolt pattern onto the poster board. This way you can transfer the pattern onto the spacer blocks before mounting them to the AD frame and you'll have the exact distance they need to be from the cross member. 3. Don't forget to take a steering column home with you along with the shaft connects the column to the steering sector. Be sure to try and not disturb the rag joint or you'll have to purchase a replacement. The shaft will be short when connecting it up to the AD because the distance from the steering box to the column is greater on an AD truck but what you can do sometimes is drill out the two plastic plugs on the steering shaft and this will allow you to extend the shaft to meet the steering box. Be sure to make sure theirs adequate over-lap between the two shafts when this is done. 4. If you selected a disc brake unit, it's probably wise to update to power disc brakes and that means either a firewall unit or using the existing pedal and ordering an under the floor unit. 5. If you select a power steering box unit go ahead and take the power steering pump, hoses and brackets. I would take everything I could so that when I was home and I needed something, I already had it with me and didn't have to make another trip. CHECK LIST BEFORE I LEAVE THE WRECKING YARD * 2 patterns on poster board paper of bolt spacing for steering box and idler arm. * 1 note page with angles and distances of components * 2 upper shock mounting studs * 1 steering box with steering shaft, rag joint ( be sure to save the bolts that connect the rag joint to the steering box shaft) * 1 steering column with all wiring connectors and switches * 1 power brake unit with proportioning valve unit * 1 unbolted suspension cross member complete * 1 sway bar with frame bushing clamps ****** REMEMBER THIS SUSPENSION IS A 5 LUG TRUCK BOLT PATTERN AND YOU'LL BE WANTING TO UPGRADE THE REAR END TO THE SAME PATTERN AND NOW'S THE TIME TO PICK ONE UP ******** BEGINNING THE INSTALLATION 1. Place the truck on a level working surface. 2. Level the truck and place it on jack stands. 3. Remove the front suspension by unbolting the springs from the hangers and other items so you can roll it out complete. 4. Remove the spring hangers, shock and brake line brackets and the original engine mounting bracket. 5. Mark the outside of the frame with a vertical line 20 3/4" measured from the front of the frame. This distance is not set in stone and can be adjusted forward or back a little to place the tire within the fender opening at the desired amount. 6. Mark the donor suspension axle centerline. The axle centerline is the centerline of the axle when looking down it from the side. 6. Line up the two centerlines to install the cross member. Install the spacer plates for the cross member. 7. You can use the shock upper mounts from the donor truck to install the new shocks or the stock brackets. 8. Use the patterns to make the mounting plates for the steering box and Idler arm. 9. Trial fit the front clip and modify the wheel well to clear steering shaft with an oblong hole. 10. Mount the sway bar for proper suspension operation. If your changing over the rear end at this time refer to my rear end information section to determine how to set the rear end pinion angle and install the perches. The rear end section also has the information to measure for a new drive line. Back to Topics
Fat man is the only way to go. It is all figured out for you. I can put one in in a weekend. They have great customer service and tech. help. Brent knows his stuff. I have installed 2 of them....one superlow air bag with 2" spindles on mine, and a coilover one on a '50. Strip the sheetmetal from your truck. Mark and score the axle center line on your frame, then remove all front suspension parts. Plate the frame from the firewall foreward. Line up the lower crossmember, measure diagonals, tack in place. Clamp uppers at reccommended spacing to a steel channel., then line up on frame, measure diagonals, then tack. Measure again, then weld completely. Bolt all hardware to frame, run steering linkage and brake lines. If you are going to switch the engine, use his tubular mounts...I wish I had on mine.
Need Help Hi everyone, my name is Roberto I?m in Denver, Co. How do I start? Ok I hope I?ll do this right. First I know you all like to see pictures, I?ll try to upload some I am very shame because I don?t have a good shots of the truck and also I?m new on the new technology. That?s why took me so long to introduce myself, because am afraid to do this wrong. I have been reading a lot on your forums about how to swap the 73 to 87 c10 pickup front end suspension, which sound very easy to do it. Well I went ahead and print the uncut step by step version by Zig I believe, so far everything was working fine until I get to the steering box sector. I was so sure that I can do it myself but I guess not without more of your help. So my questions on this are. They anybody have pictures or explanations of how to mount that steering box, what kind of metal plate to use because the steer box is taller than the stock frame also have a little belly, means is not flat on the base where it seat on the frame also do I need u joints on the steering column, do I need another cross member by the steering box to prevent splitting the frame, and what about the bracket for the front bumper. After all this swap really works? By the way it?s a 1950 Chevy 3600. I am planing to drop a 350 engine with a 350 turbo transmission. I'll thanks in advance to everyone look forward to hear from you all.
Welcome Hi Roberto. Is that truck from an "Old Navy" store. Looks the same color as none that used to be a display piece in one of the stores. Andy
Make me wonder Hey Andy thanks for look my truck, you know now you make me wonder. I have own my baby blue for a little over of two years. Do you know anything about my question? Once again thanks for looking let me know.
