39 ford pickup front wishbone

[3739ford]

Thought I would ask been searching for couple of days here, HAMB and ole Google on best way/position for the front wishbones to mount. I'm putting a Ford AOD behind the 1CM engine with open driveline. The rear are no problem will be able to keep them right under u joint and together. I thought I saw pictures last year of someone splitting the front wishbone and then coming up about 12 to 14 inches from front axle and making a pie cut in the bones and bending them to match either X member brace or frame and welding back up. Any pictures would be great.

[RalphM]

Wouldn’t one of these work? Or is the center x member cut out?

[3739ford]

The center X member was already cut out of the frame when I got it. I have one of those mounts, but the pan on the AOD transmission is wide and sticks down further.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by 3739ford

I thought I saw pictures last year of someone splitting the front wishbone and then coming up about 12 to 14 inches from front axle and making a pie cut in the bones and bending them to match either X member brace or frame and welding back up.

That is a fairly common method to mount the radius rods. To work correctly the two radius rods need to be connected at a common location (like they are stock). But, when using an original "I" beam axle the radius rods can be separated and mounted in various locations including the frame rails. This works because the "I" beam axle can twist. The pie cut in the radius rods is to allow the spring mounts to remain in the correct position while moving the radius rods to the position required to line up with the selected mounting location. First determine the mounting location you are wanting to use then see what modification are required to get the radius rods to that location.

[3739ford]

Thank you, here are a couple pictures of the engine and transmission in correct position. One more question would the ball be to low to make a mount where it is now at 4 inches below the X frame that is left?

[JSeery]

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No, if you check and correct the angle (castor) of the axle if needed. This can be corrected with a vertical pie cut to the radius rods. IMO it is best to keep the original ball connection along the centerline if it is possible. 5 to 7 degrees of castor is what you want to shoot for.

[RalphM]

Of course if you don’t split those bones. It’s going to be very tough to do a transmission oil and filter change.

[JSeery]

True, but not something you do very often and you can drop the wishbone to get the clearance. I would install a pan with a drain plug to solve the fluid issue. I do that anyway, dropping a pan full of tranny fluid is a total pain. Another suggestion would be to install an external filter.

[3739ford]

I would rather drop the wishbone if I needed to do anything to the transmission and keep it all together. Now to fabricate a front ball mount looks like I could make it part of the transmission mount since I'm going to have to fabricate that also.


Anybody got pictures of front ball mount they could share. My creative juices are running low right now hurricane Michael done siphoned them all out.

[JSeery]

There were several threads on this topic on the HAMB a few years back. Just need to be sure it is sturdy, no movement fore and aft or side to side.

[john in illinois]

You can use a model A ball socket with bolts and springs that go with it and attatch thatvto your transmission mount. Here is one on a K member.
Glad you made it through Michael.
John

[3739ford]

Thanks John, got something similar on its way to me should be here by the end of the week.


I appreciate all the help, thanks guys.

[3739ford]

How much movement is in the front wishbone radius rods?


Wondering how much space between the bottom of trans pan and radius rods I need to have.

[glennpm]

You need to take a few measurements.


LT = distance from center of radius rod ball to the mid point horizontally of the axle bumper
VT = vertical distance from the top of the axle to the frame bumper.

Add a 1/4" to 3/8" for bumper compression if you hit a big bump


Lt = distance from the center of the ball to the closest point of the trany pan bottom

Vt = distance from the radius rod to the closest point of the trany pan
(This is the clearance dimension you need to calculate)



VT/LT = Vt/Lt


so Vt = (VT X Lt)/LT

[Pete]

Originally Posted by 3739ford

Anybody got pictures of front ball mount they could share. My creative juices are running low right now hurricane Michael done siphoned them all out.

Here is one. I have done several like this. I do rears for open drivelines similar. The end is a Kenworth truck tie rod end.

[Juergen]

Chassis Engineering used to make an adapter to drop the ball which attached to the new trans mount. It used two ball cups to position the ball. I could not find it in the Heidts web site. You might ask them if they have taken on this product. It would drop the ball at least 2 inches and with a spacer it would drop it to your 4 inches.

[aldixie]

Originally Posted by 3739ford

Thought I would ask been searching for couple of days here, HAMB and ole Google on best way/position for the front wishbones to mount. I'm putting a Ford AOD behind the 1CM engine with open driveline. The rear are no problem will be able to keep them right under u joint and together. I thought I saw pictures last year of someone splitting the front wishbone and then coming up about 12 to 14 inches from front axle and making a pie cut in the bones and bending them to match either X member brace or frame and welding back up. Any pictures would be great.

I have just ordered a new chassis center section for my 38 Pickup from Macs Speed in New Zealand. Looks neat and I dont have to split the front wishbone.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by 3739ford

I would rather drop the wishbone if I needed to do anything to the transmission and keep it all together. Now to fabricate a front ball mount looks like I could make it part of the transmission mount since I'm going to have to fabricate that also.


Anybody got pictures of front ball mount they could share. My creative juices are running low right now hurricane Michael done siphoned them all out.

3739.....These are some pics of the wishbone mount that Heard fabricated for his '35 pick-up which will end-up with a flathead and shortened T5 connected to the modified Ford torque tube. You appear to be lowering your w/bone ball by a similar amount. He used the hemispherical socket pieces cut out of an original mount, and adapted using a solid piece that he milled-out for the socket pieces to fit into. Click on the "T5 W/TORQUE TUBE" at the lower left of this post, and scroll down to see ALL of these pictures. Hope this helps! DD

[JSeery]

That looks sturdy!

[3739ford]

The center of my X frame was already cut out and missing. I used some scrap steel I had and made a mount for the AOD transmission and wishbone. I mounted the front wishbone below the angle iron before I had received the frame axle stops I have room now to move it on top of the angle and miss the trans pan. Everything is just sitting in not bolted down.