Bolt-On Chassis Components - Bolt-On Stop 'N' Go

The final step is using a sledge hammer and a punch to pop the rivets out. Using an undersized drill bit will not only ensure the hole remains smaller, but will allow the shank of the rivet to collapse when the punch (also slightly undersized) is driven in.

Frames will vary a bit, and there may be some drilling required. Here, the rearmost holes on the vertical bar don't line up with any existing ones-I simply drilled new holes from beneath with the bar in place.

Regardless of how the stock K-member is removed, the goal is to ensure no damage is caused to the frame-especially the sandwiched flange area where the new one will bolt up-during the process.

After the holes were punched through the template and the inner framerail drilled accordingly, a protractor was used to transfer the holes to the outer 'rail (rather than drill straight through).

With the K-member installed, the bolt-in brake kit is next. Unlike the factory setup it's replacing, the bracket attaches to the framerail rather than the crossmember. A template for locating and drilling the holes is provided with the kit.

Assembly of the brake components-dual master, booster, pedal, and pushrod-is just as simple and straightforward as mounting the bracket. Because the M/C no longer lines up with the stock floor access hole (on the '47, it would have to be under the seat), you may want to consider a remote-fill reservoir, such as the one Classic Performance Products offers.

The bracket simply bolts up as shown. The rear portion will sit higher than the top of the framerail, but the front should be level.

As previously mentioned, a Mustang II frontend in "stock" form is not easily modified to accept ShockWaves. Airbags can be installed without too much work, but finding a suitable location to externally mount a shock is tough, mainly because of the strut rod.

Rather than trying to work around the Mustang II obstacles, the decision was made to eliminate them altogether-this translated into swapping the control arms for a set of RideTech's tubular uppers and lowers (along with a strut rod eliminator kit).

The Kimbridge crossmember hats are designed to accept pin-style upper shock mounts, which RideTech offers in all its lines of ShockWaves, including the Master Series SKW100s, shown here. Also available now are internal ride height sensors, which eliminate the need for the lever-style sensors that mount to the frame/control arm.

Proper gusseting will go a long way toward avoiding any structural failures, which is something you seriously want to avoid at all costs. RideTech's strut rod eliminator kit is fairly simple to incorporate, but it's definitely no bolt-on procedure.

Not the prettiest welds, but plenty strong. To add a little more insurance, the open end of the crossmember will be plated in later on. Remember, it's not so much the suspension that puts the most stress on the frame, it's the braking-and the lower control arm takes the brunt of that load.

The SKW1000s feature adjustable shock absorbers (single and dual options) and dual-convoluted airbags. If you're looking to spend a little less, but still want the benefits of a ShockWave, consider RideTech's new Black Series (which Kev Elliott recently installed on his '49).

With the pivot bolt aligning the two steel tube spacers, everything was tack-welded in place. To keep the spacers from moving around during welding, the bolt was kept in place and periodically slid back and forth.