Way back in February 2003, we sang the virtues of the Shoebox Ford, praising it as a plentiful and affordable alternative to early Mercurys, which are getting pretty scarce. We then spent three issues following along as Scott Guildner and his crew at Guildner Customs in Van Nuys, California, chopped the top on a clean '51 Ford that was obtained on eBay. Once the lid was lowered, the Shoebox's inner custom started to show, but it was still a long way from achieving "the look" that makes a truly well thought out custom shine. Building a wicked sled is all about proportion, so if you chop the top to achieve a sleeker look, the car should also sit in the weeds, as any self-respecting custom connoisseur can tell you. Being that this car is going to be a flathead-powered, traditional '50s-era cruiser, Scott knew that a modern airbag system or Mustang II-style front clip wouldn't look right, so he turned to the traditional suspension drop specialists at J&M Enterprises and picked up one of their Jamco Engineered Ultra-Cruise Suspension Kits. Scott had never installed a kit from J&M before but had heard that their hardware was well engineered and all-inclusive; we decided to follow along as he swapped and dropped the Shoebox frontend.
As it turns out, the suspension on '49-51 Fords is already ahead of the game, as they feature the company's first independent frontend on a passenger car. Before that the Blue Oval always relied upon a variation of the tried-and-true solid axle and wishbone-style front suspension which graced everything that rolled off the Dearborn assembly line since the days of the Model T. This early IFS setup made a pretty basic transition from the early days of automobile technology to the post-WWII ear, however, as it utilizes kingpins similar to those found on pre-War suspension designs rather than the ball joints we have become accustomed to on more modern cars. The only difference is that kingpins only allow travel in one dimension: right or left, while a ball joint allows the suspension to move around more fluidly as the car goes over bumps in the road. For this reason the Jamco kit served our purpose very well, as it not only includes drop springs but new control arms designed to utilize ball joints, as well. There are several different levels of Ultra Cruise packages available, from the starter setup, which includes drop springs and the ball joint conversion, all the way up to the deluxe kit, which has everything needed to update your suspension, including the parts mentioned above plus new spindles, disc brakes with vented 11-inch rotors, a new master cylinder, specially designed gas shocks, and new drop spindles. Scott figured that if he was going to tear the old suspension off, he might as well go all the way, so we went with the deluxe kit and never looked back.
Surprisingly, the most difficult part of the entire process was removing the old parts, because they were practically welded to the frame after half a century of use and abuse. Eventually everything came off after liberal doses of WD-40 and a heavy hand on the breaker bar, and the mounting points on the rails were cleaned up and prepped for the new gear. The parts bolted up smoothly in one afternoon and the disc brakes worked like a champ. No power tools or welding were necessary, so just about anyone with a little mechanical ability and a decent set of tools can tackle this project. Follow along as we install all the hard parts on the frontend, and stay tuned next month when we'll drop the rear with a set of J&M shackles and leaf springs to complete the look.
Sharp-eyed readers will recognize...
Sharp-eyed readers will recognize this car from our "How To Chop a Top" series that ran earlier this year. Once the lid was lowered, however, the car started to look weird since the stock ride height made it resemble a monster truck more than a custom sled. We decided to remedy the situation by slamming the car with a Jamco Ultra Cruise suspension kit from J&M Enterprises.
From the Model T all the way...
From the Model T all the way up until 1948, Ford passenger car suspension remained basically the same. Finally in 1949 the switch to independent front suspension was made, and it improved ride and handling dramatically over previous models. Here you see the stock setup complete with 50 years' worth of patina.
The first step is to unbolt...
The first step is to unbolt the tie rod end from the steering arm.
Next, the nut on the bottom...
Next, the nut on the bottom of the shock absorber was removed with an impact wrench.
We then removed the nut on...
We then removed the nut on the top of the shock, which allowed it to drop through the bottom for removal.
The plan was to reuse the...
The plan was to reuse the stock hard brake lines, so the flexible rubber brake lines were removed at the frame union. Be careful when working with original brake lines to make sure you don't twist and break them.
If you don't have a spring...
If you don't have a spring compressor handy, place a floor jack under the lower A-arm and raise it slightly to take the load off the coil spring.
Next remove the cotter pin...
Next remove the cotter pin and bolt at the wheel end of the lower A-arm, which will allow it to drop away from the spindle, releasing the spring. From this point on stripping off the old suspension is easy.
The lower A-arm is fastened...
The lower A-arm is fastened to the frame with four bolts, which were removed, and the upper arm is held on by a shaft running through the center with two bolts that attach it to a frame bracket, which was also taken off. Since Scott plans on sanding and painting the frame at a later date, he decided to finish bolting on the new suspension in order to achieve the proper stance for finishing the car. On your project this would be a good time to clean things up and spray a little black paint or undercoating.