Narrow Crown Vic

So you’ve heard about the Crown Vic front suspension… and you would like all the good about the Crown Vic, but would like your front suspension to be 5 inches narrower… You’ve heard that everyone is using a Mustang II front suspension – but  you don’t want to put a 1970s era front suspension in your classic Ford truck… and we make custom crossmembers too! The hub / hub track width is just over 62″… all we need is  your frame rail dimensions and we can make you a custom crossmember.

Team321’s Narrow Crown Vic Front Crossmember is almost 5 inches narrower vs. the original Crown Vic front suspension and is the ANSWER to  your needs. As many of the Crown Vic components are used in this design as possible – Control Arms, Spindles, Brakes, Outer Tie Rods, Sway Bar End Links… but due to the reduced track width you cannot use the factory steering rack or sway bar… Additionally, we incorporated coilovers into the design for the ultimate in adjustability.

If you would like to purchase Team321 products…Call (321)960-5945 or email dave@team321.com

Since this is the most often asked question, I’ll summarize it here… details below
What’s included… what else do I need to buy?

Included in the $1495 package:

 

  • Steel Weld-in crossmember
  • Upper control arms, polyurethane bushings (black) and mounting hardware
  • 4 triangular steel gussets
  • Steering rack mounting hardware including polyurethane steering rack bushings (blue)
  • Lower control arm mounting hardware
  • Coilover Shock mounting hardware
  • Lower Control Arm trailing arm mounting plates
  • Shock mounting hardware
  • 1″ diameter Sway Bar with Saddle Bushings
    For Big Block applications and for those looking for improved handling, we offer a 1 1/8″ diameter sway bar as an upgrade
  • Steel Frame Boxing plates (3/16″ thick) are available for 1948-52 and for 1953-56 as an upgrade.

Motor Mounts for the most popular Ford and Chevy V8s are available for an additional $250

Simple Summary… if you have a crown vic crossmember, the only items you need to purchase along with the $1495 package mentioned above are : 1 Lincoln Mark8 Steering Rack, 2 DS502 (QA1 Coilovers) and 10″ long coil springs… I can recommend a spring rate between 450# and 600# depending on application.

The following Crown Vic parts are NOT included in the $1495 package detailed above, but may be purchased separately from Team321 or locally from the supplier of your choice. Many customers purchase a complete hub-to-hub crown vic front suspension and remove the necessary parts… others purchase all new parts – it’s your choice.

  • Spindles
  • Outer Tie Rods
  • Wheel Bearings and mounting hardware
  • Lower Control Arms
  • Brake Rotors and Calipers and mounting hardware
  • Sway bar links

Next, you must purchase the following to complete the front suspension assembly.

  • Steering Rack – Oreilly part number 101-0115 – (or ask for a 1996 Lincoln Mark 8 steering rack)
  • QA1 Coilover Shocks ( you have shock options ):
    • ALN5855P –  (non adjustable)
    • DS502 –  (single adjustable)
    • DD502 –  (double adjustable)
  • Coil springs – (10 inches long 2 1/2 inch diameter)–(Spring rates range from 400# to 700# You will also hear that 12″ springs are ‘recommended’ for those shocks. I have successfully used 10″ coil springs – which eliminate the clearance issue of the lower coil spring adjuster nut and the lower control arm mounting space.

 

Approximate shipping costs via FedEx ground from Cocoa Beach FL 32931:

  • Narrow Crown Vic crossmember – $80 – $120 (plus a $55 crating fee)
  • Narrow Crown Vic Sway Bar  – $50 – $75
  • Hardware and Upper Control arms – $23 (shipped US Postal Flat Rate).

If you would like a more complete front suspension, we offer the entire assembly – spindle to spindle for $3395 plus shipping.

 

An increasing number of customers opt for this package… All parts arrive and you can get started knowing that you have all the right components.

The wheel bearings, brake calipers and brake rotors are NOT included as they are quite heavy and therefore expensive to pack and ship and available at your local Auto Parts store.

And yes, you are invited to pick up these parts in Cocoa Beach FL to save on shipping costs. Quite a few customers incorporate a trip to Orlando FL, Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios or a cruise out of Port Canaveral when they pick up their suspension.

The $3395 package includes the following:

  • Steel Weld-in crossmember
  • Upper control arms, polyurethane bushings (black) and mounting hardware
  • 4 triangular steel gussets
  • Steering rack mounting hardware including polyurethane steering rack bushings (blue)
  • Lower control arm mounting hardware
  • Coilover Shock mounting hardware
  • Lower Control Arm trailing arm mounting plates
  • Shock mounting hardware
  • Crown Vic Spindles
  • Lower Control Arms
  • Steering Rack
  • DS 502 Coilovers with your choice of spring rate
  • 1″ diameter Sway Bar with Saddle Bushings
    For Big Block applications and for those looking for improved handling, we offer a 1 1/8″ diameter sway bar as an upgrade
  • Steel Frame Boxing plates (3/16″ thick) are available for 1948-52 and for 1953-56 as an upgrade for $100

Motor Mounts for the most popular Ford and Chevy V8s are available for an additional $250

We also offer the following if you would like to purchase a portion of the package from Team321… (prices do not include shipping)

Spindles (pair) $600
Steering Rack $200
DS502 Coilovers $600
Sway Bar End Links (pair) $100
Outer Tie Rods (pair) $100
Lower Control Arms (pair) $650

Additional Information and history:

This Narrow Crown Vic crossmember is based on the 2003-2011 Ford Panther Platform that includes Ford Crown Victoria. It is designed to use as many of the Crown Vic suspension components as possible – Upper and Lower control arms, Spindles, brakes and sway bar mounts. You will notice the modified upper control arms… These modified upper control arms will be provided with the crossmember… assembled and ready for install.

Since this crosssmember is narrower than the original… items such as the steering rack and sway bar must be narrower as well. The steering rack is used in a variety of Ford cars – including Thunderbirds and Lincoln Mark viii. I tried to locate a production sway bar that would fit, but in the end it was easier to make a volume deal with a custom bender. I will be stocking these sway bars. The cost is based on my cost and a small handling fee. I have been using QA1 Coilover shocks for years and am quite happy with their price / performance / availability and tech support. The particular coilovers were chosen to allow for height adjustment and spring rate selection to be used with a variety of engine choices. All units listed above allow for height adjustment and work with all 2 1/2″ diameter industry standard springs.

The following link shows the installation sequence and detailed images of a Narrow CV install in a 1949 Ford truck frame.

Narrow Crown Vic Installation

For more information…Call (321)960-5945 or email dave@team321.com

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