Crown Vic Stub Mod

[dereksehi]

Has anyone run one of these? Just wondering what would be the best spindles to run and who makes solid lower bushing for this chassis?

[JustAddDirt]

I am running one.
I ran a stock 10º pinto spindles last year car was tight on entry, so I put a 7º on LF.
was a lot better, but 7º spindles are weak.

I run UMP, so we use tubular a arms.
see Donnie at Lightning Chassis

[HEAVY DUTY]

We have roller bearing steel Crown Vic a arm bushings in stock. $36 ea. If you are running stock lowers, it probably means that you are running IMCA, which would probably force you to run the pinto spindle. The stock Crown Vic spindles pre 96 are good also, but heavy. Lightning Chassis 606 878-7223

[dereksehi]

Yes it would be an IMCA car how well do these cars handle compared to a metric or chevelle and how much heavier is the stub?

[HEAVY DUTY]

They handle as well as the gm stubs, but are wider, and stronger. The stub is about 20 lbs heavier than a metric stub. A metric stub is about 5 lbs lighter than a chevelle on the ones that I have weighed. ( they vary because of rust) The stock lower a frames are about 5 lbs heavier than the gm a frame.

[dereksehi]

Ok I have heard that they make a good handling car. I am a Ford guy and would like to stick with ford stuff.

[dereksehi]

I'm assuming that pinto spindles and hybrid rotors are used to cut down weight? But is the stock steering components used?

[MM90]

In IMCA the steering box, drag link, idler arm, pitman arm must match the frame. Hope you got a police car steering box with a 2-1 quick steer.

[dereksehi]

How do you go about getting a police car steering box that has been rebuilt is there a certain part number?

[dereksehi]

Also what are the downfalls of these stubs do they have issues with bumpsteer or etc? Just wondering why there are not more of them around if they make good cars?

[MM90]

The biggest would probably be weight is why they don't use them. Most chassis builders are aware of the Crown Vic and their better front end geometry. But everybody has a Chevy stub, it's the way it's been and will be for a while. Especially now that they are making new Chevelle stubs. I'm a Ford guy too but my firsy mod was a 2004 Champion with a Torino stub. It was basically a LM front end, but had a heck of a time finding stock suspension components. So when it sold and we were looking at different chassis, we wanted one that you could open any performance catalog and order anything you wanted. Got tired of scrounging around and asking 2nd and 3rd parties if they have any parts to fit. Lightning Chassis and Mach 1 Chassis all build or built mods with Ford stubs. They are out there, unfortunately almost all are not built for IMCA.

[JustAddDirt]

MM90
did you have a 70's style t-bird, rear steer clip car, or the newer round body police car, that was built with a steering box until 2002?

[MM90]

My Champion was a rear steer stub "Torino/LTDII" but they relocated the steering box "GM racing aftermarket" and it had a fabricated drag link, GM idler arm. It wasn't IMCA "now, but was back then" legal but being my first year in mods I didn't finish well enough for them to check. LOL It had mono balls for the lower control arm bushings with swedge tubes with "hockey sticks" so it made adjusting caster pretty easy. It really was like a LM front suspension, got plenty of looks in the pits when I pulled the nose off.

[JustAddDirt]

yes they were good units, sounds like yours had the weak link fixed with the rear steer moved to the front.
what do you think CJ Rayburn used as his inspiration for the late model clips....Ford
LTDII/Thunderbird.

He made it like yours was, with a front steer, or a rack and pinion assembly.

The newer Vic stuff is pretty good as well, just a little heavier. have to really think about weight removal of parts here and there to make it comparable to the GM stuff, but they are far superior in strength.

[MM90]

Actually it was still a rear steer. They just mounted the box flat instead of at an angle from the factory.