THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
A UNIQUE CLASSIC
Simi Valley, California, holds the record as having more cars per capita than any other city in the country. As a hard-core car enthusiast, I am constantly on the lookout for cool cars in the neighborhood, and since I moved to Simi myself, I have seen quite a few great-looking rods and classic cars, and I have met some really nice enthusiasts who have introduced me to other owners of top-quality cars.
CAMARO JONES
George and Leslye Jones’ ’67 Camaro convertible is one of the finest examples ever to turn a wheel. Built by the crew from Greening Auto Company (and others), this is an effort worthy of pride and praise.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: VDOG® by Flaming River
We’ve all been there—slamming a monster LS, Coyote, or Hemi into an old muscle car or hot rod and hitting that inevitable roadblock: how the heck do you get the steering shaft through that tight engine bay? The answer, my friends, is the VDOG® from Flaming River. You’ve probably heard the name tossed around, but let’s dig into why you need this in your arsenal.
Spotlighter
IFS Install on Chevrolet C-10 Pickup Trucks (1960-1987)
Bolting on a Mustang II Independent Front Suspension to a C-10 Pickup
Author
Joshua Kaylor
Photography by Will Smith
Let’s face it: The new, hot truck of the hobby is the 1960-1987 C-10 Chevy. With the amenities available for these trucks they have become modern classics. The Chevy truck was available with power steering, A/C, IFS and a host of other great goodies, including power disc brakes. While still not up to today’s standards, with a little tweaking they make really great options on a classic truck without having to break the bank to have cold air and comfortable seats. The only downfall to this is that they are outdated.
Basically these parts represent 40-year-old technology, and while most of these trucks had drum brakes and manual steering, which is ancient history in the classic truck world, simple upgrades such as disc brakes and power steering kits are available. But when used with the stock OE equipment, you are still just upgrading old technology. One problem we face today is that with larger-diameter wheels being the mainstream of today’s rides, the problem of wheel offset and being able to tuck the wheels under these trucks can sometimes become difficult. Let’s also look at the cosmetics of the front suspension. The front crossmember on these trucks hangs extremely low, which presents a problem with lowered trucks. The stock A-arms are stamped units that will tend to flex with the wide tires and wheels these trucks are equipped with today, and the steering is not as precise as that of a rack-and-pinion.
Fat Man Fabrications has the solution to each and every one of these problems. Brent VanDervort and his crew at Fat Man design and build their kits with three things in mind: ease of installation, quality of construction and great styling. Each product that leaves the Fat Man Fabrications facility is the best product that it can be, and it is sure to provide great ride and handling. The new suspension offered by Fat Man is of the bolt-in Mustang II IFS variety and is available for 1960-1987 Chevy pickups. Not only will this setup solve all of the problems mentioned, but it will narrow the track width of the truck by 2 inches. This allows you to run a killer wheel and tire combo.
The kit is a true bolt-in unit, and when we say bolt-in that’s exactly what we mean. The only true modification that you will have to make is motor mounts. Fat Man offers a new set of weld-in motor mounts, or you can build a spacer and modify your existing mounts. You will need to purchase a steering shaft assembly, which is available through Fat Man and uses quality Borgeson components.
The install for this new IFS was actually on a 1947 International pickup that had previously been updated with a 1965 Chevy pickup front frame clip, chosen for its ultra-cheap price and simple adaptability. The problems discussed previously are the same we encountered on our project. The drum brakes were seriously outdated, as was the stock manual steering box—an assembly that made turning the truck a project in itself.
The kit we opted for was the Stage 3 system that came complete from hub to hub and included every part we needed to complete the installation. The kit includes everything down to the antiseize compound and cotter pins. It requires simple garage tools, including an impact wrench, an air compressor and a wrench and socket set. The kit went on without any problems and took about eight hours to install. It now looks great and handles even better.
Follow along as we complete our bolt-in IFS for the ’65 Chevy truck frontend.
1. The Fat Man kit comes complete with everything for the install, including the polished A-arms at no extra cost. The kit even comes complete with the spanner wrench to adjust the height of your new suspension.
2. Here’s the original ’65 Chevy assembly. The hood and the front sheetmetal were previously removed to expose the small-block Chevy in our ’47 International. The only modification needed was new motor mounts.
3. The stock suspension uses these stamped-style A-arms and manual steering gearbox. They both worked fine in their day, but not now. It’s time for an upgrade.
4. We unbolted the headers, exhaust and fuel lines and removed the driveshaft. The wiring for the distributor, alternator and sending units were also disconnected.
5. We trusted our good friend Jim with the forklift to pull the engine from the tired old assembly. Having the forklift made pulling the drivetrain a lot easier.
6. Next we disconnected the brake line block assembly that runs along the front crossmember. You won’t reuse those pieces that run from each side of the block.
7. The next pieces to go were the motor mounts. We used a small impact with a 9/16 socket and a wrench on the underside holding the nuts.
8. Using an 11/16 wrench and the impact, we removed the bolts securing the crossmember. There are four along the framerails within the control arm assemblies.
9. Here is an inside view of the framerails. You can see the four bolts that hold the assembly in place. There are three on each side of the lower crossmember.
10. Here are the three lower bolts that secure the lower portion of the crossmember. You need an extra-long extension to reach these bolts.
11. For the steering box, you need a 3/4 socket and a 3/4 wrench to remove the three bolts securing the steering box. Knock the bolts through and allow the steering box to stay attached to the steering assembly.
12. The idler arm and pitman arm holding the steering to the frame are removed. Because of the conversion to rack-and-pinion steering, these parts will not be used.
13. Finally the shocks are removed. The upper mount is all that you need to remove.
14. The outdated factory ’65 IFS is not only ugly but also heavy. The smaller, lighter crossmember (foreground) looks better and will provide improved handling.
15. Here’s what’s left after removing the original crossmember. Yours may look a little different. Our Chevy frame had the front few inches bobbed. Note where we placed the jackstands to support the truck.
16. There are a few rust spots where the old unit bolted up. If your truck has not been previously disassembled and painted, it will probably look like this. Ours will be repainted at a later time.
17. Here you can see the new unit being lifted into place. It’s a wise move to have three people during this step.
18. Begin by aligning the two lower holes. Fat Man provides all the necessary hardware to complete the install.
19. It’s time for the impact and the wrench again. Take the 5/8 wrench and socket and begin to tighten the lower two bolts so that everything will line up. Insert the third bolt located just underneath the coilover tower.
20. A total of seven bolts on each side the crossmember will secure it. A lower one beneath the coilover tower and the two lower bolts goes directly into the frame.
21. The four outer holes are where the hardest work of the install takes place. After tightening the three bolts, use a punch mark the spot to begin drilling. All four outer holes will need to be drilled.
22. We began by drilling two pilot holes for the bolts. We then swapped bits and finished with a larger one.
23. Repeat this drilling process on the opposite side.
24. Insert the four bolts on each side and finger tighten. Double check the alignment and then secure all the bolts and nuts.
25. Begin assembling the control arms. What’s trick about the Fat Man design is the bolt-in center plate, which can be changed for the type of suspension you choose.
26. We will be installing coilovers. The plate bolts in with the coilover mount to the bottom.
27. Fat Man provides high-grade bolts and locknuts for everything.
28. Begin by taking the lower control arm, locating the gusset for each side. Take the extra-long bolt and insert the gusset on the rear between the crossmember and the A-arm.
29. Here’s the proper way to position the gusset. These provide support for the A-arms under braking and help prevent twisting. The gussets will be welded to the frame once you complete the install.
30. Next we inserted the provided hardware through the upper control arm and proceeded to mount the A-arm in place.
31. On the backside of the upper control arm mounting points, the nut and bolt looks to be too long. Fat Man drilled the crossmember to allow for extra room to complete the assembly without a problem.
32. Place a 3/4 open-end wrench on the backside and a ratchet, wrench or impact on the front and tighten.
33. Remove the spacer from the coilover mount and slide the coilover into place.
34. Lift the lower control arm and insert the two provided spacers, one on each side, and tighten.
35. Six hours later and the install is starting to look like a suspension again. Using your 3/4 wrenches, tighten all the fasteners.
36. Place the lower spindle mount over the ball joint and spin on the castle nut. You’ll need a floor jack to lift the lower control arm, followed by the upper castle nut.
37. After tightening the castle nuts, insert the cotter pins and bend to secure.
38. The caliper mounting brackets come as raw metal. We opted to paint ours semigloss silver to match the existing frame color. There are two bolts that hold these brackets in place.
39. Here you can see the mounting bolts in place. The lower bolts go through the bracket and into the spindle.
40. The kit provides all the necessary components for the install except someone to pack the bearings. That’ll be you.
41. We installed our bearings into the rotors and slid them onto the spindles. We will be using a 5-on-5 bolt pattern, so we received the 12-inch brakes.
42. We then installed the spindle dust caps. These keep the grease from drying and the dirt out of the grease, which can result in premature bearing failure.
43. We loaded up our calipers and slid them into position. We then tightened the provided caliper bolts in place.
44. The kit comes with the isolators for the rack. You will need to take a small hammer to tap them into the rack.
45. Slide the rack up to the crossmember and insert the bolts and slightly tighten them.
46. Here’s the tricky part. Don’t worry that the rack-and-pinion is too short; an extension is provided to remedy this. Cut the zip-ties holding on the boot and slide it off. Then unscrew the inner tie rod assembly.
47. Next insert the extension into place and tighten it with an adjustable wrench.
48. Take the thread and screw it into the tie rod. We opted to use red Loctite on the tie rod and extension to ensure they would not back off.
49. There you have it: the completed rack extension. It sounds harder than it is.
50. Next you will place your tie rod end into the arm on the spindle and install the castle nut and cotter pin. 51 Now you can tighten up the rack completely.
51. Now you can tighten up the rack completely.
52. Fat Man supplies polished ball joint caps to cover the ball joints and add to the luster of the frontend.
53. Grease the ball joints and remove the grease fittings. Place the cap on the top of the ball joint and install the supplied Allen screws.
54. Now that’s high-tech. We have a great-looking front suspension that will provide us with years of trouble-free service, and when we need replacement parts such as brake pads or rotors, we can go to any auto parts store and pick what we need—no problem.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Fat Man Fabrications
8621-C Fairview Rd., Hwy. 218
Charlotte, NC 28227
(704) 545-0369
Borgeson
9 KRIEGER DR
TRAVELERS REST SC 29690-8331
(860) 482-8283
