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67-72 Chevy truck IFS
install (Click Image To Zoom In)
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This section shows Scott's Hotrod's IFS system.
These systems can be custom built for any car or truck and
give your ride NINE INCHES of travel with no wheel scrub.
These are one of a kind. If you have any questions or would
like to order one of these front end systems for your car
or truck please call 1-800-273-5195.
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| 00 This is everything here less shocks
and brakes. |
01 First things first, the entire front
end was removed. When I arrived it was already pulled; but
I don't think I need to show you guys how to remove front
sheet metal or a stock suspension. In this case, the frame
was previously boxed, but it was done quite poorly so it
was being redone also. One thing I wish I would have been
there to photograph was how to measure the front axle centerline.
In this case it was marked on the frame table where we will
transfer it to the frame later. |
02 In addition to removing the front
sheet metal and suspension, the boxing plates were also
removed with a plasma cutter. For those of you without a
plasma cutter, a die grinder with a cut off wheel would
have worked just fine. As a matter of fact, I'll show you
a bit on that later. Ultimately the goal is to create two
smooth frame rails so the crossmember and airbag brackets
are easy to weld in straight. |
03, 04 Like I said, the boxing plates
originally welded in were done with 18g sheetmetal. Not
exactly what I'd call strong enough to hold a crossmember
in, so after it was all cut out it we took a square to mark
the inner frame rails. Here the goal is to grind the top
and bottom of the frame rails level to each other. When
the boxing plates are welded in we want them to be straight
and level. |
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05, 06, 07 Once we were satisfied with
the fit of the rails, a template was made for the boxing
plates. Take a lot of time making templates to save a lot
more time later. Excessive trimming later is a bore. |
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| 08, 09 Only a bit of 1/8" plate
is needed. The template is transferred to the plate and
cut with a plasma. |
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10 Now what happens for the guys that
don't have a plasma? Well, again, just bust out the cut
off wheel. You really don't need a slew of expensive equipment
for this kind of install. |
11,12 A little bit of touch
up and you should be good to go. |
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13, 14, 15, 16 Tack in place,
then weld. |
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17 Next we ground the welds down
and cleaned things up a bit. |
18, 19 Here is the outside of
the frame rail. Because this is an airbag install we need to make
sure this part of the frame rail is smooth too. Typically we like
to smooth the entire outside of the rail, but it's not necessary,
so we opted to just cut out the detents and weld in some plate.
Again, it's a good practice to clean things up after you cut them
out. If you start clean, your piece will fit clean, and it'll
finish clean. |
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| 20 21 This is kind of a combo
shot. You can see here where the patch is stitched in, but also
a plumb bob is hanging to get the centerline of the wheels that
was marked on the table. There are several ways to get the centerline
marked so I won't go too deep into it, but I do want to point
out that it is very important that even when welding on plate
to not let it get too hot. Just like sheetmetal, plate and frames
can warp very easy. So stitch pieces into place and weld them
in a bit at a time. |
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22 Skip forward a bit. The frame
rails are straight and smooth, and the crossmember is here ready
to install. This is just how you receive it from Scott's. It is
one piece and ready to install. There will naturally be a little
bit of final trim fit, but it's basically ready to go. |
23 A little grinding and it's
a tight fit and ready to line up. |
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| 24 So where does the crossmember
go? That's easy….dead center of the wheel centerline. |
25 A quick tack, and it's in. |
26 Somewhere is a really cool
picture with a level on the crossmember to show how to level it……but
instead I'll explain.
In short, you want to install the crossmember level to the ground
with the truck sitting at ride level. Look at that sentence carefully.
The truck is at ride level, not necessarily ride height. If you
want a 2" rake in the truck, then level the truck with a
2" rake, and install the crossmember level to the ground.
If you want the truck straight level, then level the truck, and
level the crossmember to the ground.
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34, 35, 36 In a lot of cases
the upper arms hit the top of the frame rail at full inflation.
In this case because of way the crossmember was set up, it did
not hit. But, we do include a set of cut outs for the top of the
frame to clearance for the a-arms. Note, a full 10" of travel. |
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37 Because there is not real
set way to tell you where to place your air bag, we use this method:
Holding you're a-arm at ride height (the bottom a-arm level to
the ground) measure from the bottom bag plate up 3-1/4" and
make a mark on the frame. |
38 Make the same mark the full
width of the bag plate and draw a line. This is where your upper
bag mount will sit. |
39 The center mark here is the
center of the crossmember which is also the center of the lower
bag bracket, and the center of the upper bag bracket. |
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| 40, 41 Another near impossible
dimension to give is the location of the upper shock bracket.
So rather than try to taken a dozen different reference points,
how about if we just put it in the only place it can go: Bolt
on the shock to the lower shock mount and bolt on the upper shock
mount to the shock. When you compress the shock the upper bracket
will lay on top of the frame in the natural position. Tack it
there in place. Then simply match the other side. |
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42 You can see here it is already
trimmed to sit at the correct angles. |
43 At this point you can go ahead
and tack in your upper bag mounts. Before you weld it in though,
give it a quick eyeball to make sure it lines up with the lower
bag bracket on the lower a-arm. We found that on our frame a previous
plug protruded just a hair on the drivers side, so we went ahead
and trimmed the bracket just a hair to line it back up. |
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| 44 Don't try and level the upper
bag bracket. Just make it parallel the bottom bracket. |
45, 46, 47, 48, 49 Mark the frame
for the rack cutouts. Not all frames require this, but the height
on the 67-72 frame is so tall it needs one. Use the supplied notches
as a template |
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50, 51, 52 Brakes and spindles
assembled |
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53 Crossmember's just about welded
in |
54, 55 A-arms are bolted on per
the instruction sheet |
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| 56 Bags go in |
57 Spindles are attached along
with the correct provided spacers. |
58 Rack goes on along with the
out tie rods |
59 And well, as far as this part
goes……the front ends installed and done. |
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| This angle of the right suspension
reveals "smooth" engineering everywhere. Scott's upper and lower
airbag brackets are 1/4-inch thick for strength. Each is one piece.
Yes, the airbag suspension uses shock absorbers for dampening
the bumps. The brand choice is strictly up to you. |
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