Anyone seen this? Crown Vic front suspension to F frame?

[85lebaront2]

The Crown Vic swap has been done on a Bullnose, but you have to basically drop the truck to the ground and tuck the wheels. The ones I've seen are driving around with no inner fender liners because the wheels are tucked in there so far. It's not my thing at all, but dropping them to the ground is all the craze these days. I'm more of a stock ride height guy...I don't even like the levelling kits that everybody installs, but again, to each their own. We can't all like the same things.

The suspension is one thing...and it doesn't bother me at all in the Bullnose, it's the steering that gets on everybody's nerves. If somebody made a kit to install a nice rack and pinion steering system on a Bullnose, I would have done that years ago.

Darth's steering isn't bad at all (a) he's a one ton, 22 ft long dual rear wheel load hauler (b) still has the original king pins, just greased regularly. The second fact is why there is a slight tendency to wander due to friction.

Biggest issue is very few shops can or will correctly set these trucks up, especially the heavier ones with king pins as the only way to change the caster and camber is to actually bend the twin I-beams. Properly done they will hold a setting indefinitely, Darth's last full alignment was in 1994 not long after I bought him. Proof is the front tires wear dead even.

[rcarlisle]

Darth's steering isn't bad at all (a) he's a one ton, 22 ft long dual rear wheel load hauler (b) still has the original king pins, just greased regularly. The second fact is why there is a slight tendency to wander due to friction.

Biggest issue is very few shops can or will correctly set these trucks up, especially the heavier ones with king pins as the only way to change the caster and camber is to actually bend the twin I-beams. Properly done they will hold a setting indefinitely, Darth's last full alignment was in 1994 not long after I bought him. Proof is the front tires wear dead even.

I haven't put enugh miles on Walter's new tires to know if it's out. Other than it's not way out because they still look good after 1000 miles. Mine is stable in a straight line. Turns fairly precisely. Only thing it really doesn't do well is return to center. Wants to stay turned. Or wherever you input. I would like the feel of IFS in that regard - that it return to center and not want to just stay turned. HOWEVER, I have not had it aligned since I bought it. My favored shop closed and I haven't taken time to find a new shop. It might be fixable.

I need to go look up the steering a little more. I understand that these TIBs have fewer adjustments. OR at least fewer EASY adjustments.

 

[FuzzFace2]

I haven't put enugh miles on Walter's new tires to know if it's out. Other than it's not way out because they still look good after 1000 miles. Mine is stable in a straight line. Turns fairly precisely. Only thing it really doesn't do well is return to center. Wants to stay turned. Or wherever you input. I would like the feel of IFS in that regard - that it return to center and not want to just stay turned. HOWEVER, I have not had it aligned since I bought it. My favored shop closed and I haven't taken time to find a new shop. It might be fixable.

I need to go look up the steering a little more. I understand that these TIBs have fewer adjustments. OR at least fewer EASY adjustments.

Being you have an 81 it has kingpins that come in 2 different sizes.

I will take a little work but you need to disconnect the tie rod at the wheel end at each side and with the wheels off the ground try and turn the wheels by hand.

Each side should turn easy and if not the kingpins could be frozen.

If they turn easy then I would say it needs more caster as it helps keep the tires pointing forward but can make it a little harder to turn the steering wheel.

My 81 had frozen pins and on the test drive I almost ended up in a ditch as it would not return to center.

The shop that pressed the bushings in and reamed did not do it right and they are to tight.

It dose wonder some but the front end checked out ok on the rack.

The shop said because the pins are so tight is why it does not return to center.

It still will not return to center but it has gotten better over the almost 2 years on the road.

Dave ----

[Frank Wyatt]

I haven't put enugh miles on Walter's new tires to know if it's out. Other than it's not way out because they still look good after 1000 miles. Mine is stable in a straight line. Turns fairly precisely. Only thing it really doesn't do well is return to center. Wants to stay turned. Or wherever you input. I would like the feel of IFS in that regard - that it return to center and not want to just stay turned. HOWEVER, I have not had it aligned since I bought it. My favored shop closed and I haven't taken time to find a new shop. It might be fixable.

I need to go look up the steering a little more. I understand that these TIBs have fewer adjustments. OR at least fewer EASY adjustments.

Being you have an 81 it has kingpins that come in 2 different sizes.

I will take a little work but you need to disconnect the tie rod at the wheel end at each side and with the wheels off the ground try and turn the wheels by hand.

Each side should turn easy and if not the kingpins could be frozen.

If they turn easy then I would say it needs more caster as it helps keep the tires pointing forward but can make it a little harder to turn the steering wheel.

My 81 had frozen pins and on the test drive I almost ended up in a ditch as it would not return to center.

The shop that pressed the bushings in and reamed did not do it right and they are to tight.

It dose wonder some but the front end checked out ok on the rack.

The shop said because the pins are so tight is why it does not return to center.

It still will not return to center but it has gotten better over the almost 2 years on the road.

Dave ----

My '81 returns to center just fine like it's supposed to do.

[FuzzFace2]

My '81 returns to center just fine like it's supposed to do.

Yea but you did not have a machine shop that you were told by 3 different places could do the job mess it up by reaming the bushings 1 at a time from each side so you could not install the pins!

I had to hone them out and "drive" the pins in just to get the spindles on.

This made them really tight. They have gotten better the more I drive it but still not like it should be.

Dave ----

[351FUN]

Yea but you did not have a machine shop that you were told by 3 different places could do the job mess it up by reaming the bushings 1 at a time from each side so you could not install the pins!

I had to hone them out and "drive" the pins in just to get the spindles on.

This made them really tight. They have gotten better the more I drive it but still not like it should be.

Dave ----

The crown vic swap is pretty common, there's a facebook group about it that is a ton of help. I always recommend the swap to people looking to lower their truck.

[rcarlisle]

The crown vic swap is pretty common, there's a facebook group about it that is a ton of help. I always recommend the swap to people looking to lower their truck.

Cool. I'll probably never do that to mine, but thought it was very interesting. I liked HotRod Garage's Crown Hick, where they put a whole truck on a whole chassis.

 

[FuzzFace2]

The crown vic swap is pretty common, there's a facebook group about it that is a ton of help. I always recommend the swap to people looking to lower their truck.

How many of them are doing it to a Bullnose truck?

Most are doing this to the pre 80's trucks as it is almost a bolt in as the frames are flat, not so with ours where the suspension needs to be placed.

It has been a while since I looked over this build https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1519659-1985-f150-bullnose-project-cv-swap-4-6-a.html

I cant remember if it was just the suspension or full frame?

There is also a company that makes a "kit" for our trucks but I dont remember who it is at this time.

Dave ----

[351FUN]

The crown vic swap is pretty common, there's a facebook group about it that is a ton of help. I always recommend the swap to people looking to lower their truck.

How many of them are doing it to a Bullnose truck?

Most are doing this to the pre 80's trucks as it is almost a bolt in as the frames are flat, not so with ours where the suspension needs to be placed.

It has been a while since I looked over this build https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1519659-1985-f150-bullnose-project-cv-swap-4-6-a.html

I cant remember if it was just the suspension or full frame?

There is also a company that makes a "kit" for our trucks but I dont remember who it is at this time.

Dave ----

>How many of them are doing it to a Bullnose truck?

Most are doing this to the pre 80's trucks as it is almost a bolt in as the frames are flat, not so with ours where the suspension needs to be placed.

The group is called "1980 to 1996 Ford F-150 Bronco Crown Vic Subframe/suspension swap" so I'd reckon they're not doing it on the older trucks I don't know anything about the older trucks, I've never had a Ford older than '83.

[FuzzFace2]

>How many of them are doing it to a Bullnose truck?

Most are doing this to the pre 80's trucks as it is almost a bolt in as the frames are flat, not so with ours where the suspension needs to be placed.

The group is called "1980 to 1996 Ford F-150 Bronco Crown Vic Subframe/suspension swap" so I'd reckon they're not doing it on the older trucks I don't know anything about the older trucks, I've never had a Ford older than '83.

I do follow all the older year truck to see what they are doing and to get ideals.

What I meant by what I said was this CV swap is mostly done on the pre 80's trucks as the frames where CV suspension bolts to is flat unlike ours.

If you do a Google and YouTube search on CV swaps see what comes up, almost none if any for the 80+ trucks.

Now that not to say it has not been done just not as many as the older trucks.

Dave ----