fwd for fox suspension? January 18, 2009, 02:32:00 AM Background - I've been jonesing for 4WD since I first learned about the GT-R, way before the faster and furiouser foolishness. Instead of rebuilding my T-bird, I was very close to getting an Evo or Suby rally car.There's a Ford nut at my local autoparts and we've discussed various ways of getting power to the front wheels. Today I just learned from a thread on TF that some Jeeps came with T5s. So, swap in a Jeep T5 that runs power to the front. The only thing left is to make a right angle to the wheels. How to do after that? No solid axle, this isn't for off-roading. What vehicles, if any, power the front wheels, have IFS, but no transaxle integrated with the motor? Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #1 – January 18, 2009, 03:05:38 AM that'd be pretty sick if you could do it. i'm sure it could be done... how much are ya willing to spend though? Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #2 – January 18, 2009, 07:35:35 AM I'm not familiar enough to say for certain, but what about the old Eagle/AMC/Jeep cars from the early 80's?You know, the 4x4 ones...wonder what they had; I never had any experiences with one, other than to test drive one once that had a 304 swapped into it...I don't know what kind of front suspension/axle they have or had..EDIT: looks like they'd probably not work:Another feature was AMC Eagle's independent front suspension that was accomplished by mounting the front differential to the engine block with universal joints and half shafts to the front drive wheels. From Wikipedia, btw, link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Eagle Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #4 – January 18, 2009, 08:31:10 AM There were a few AWD Thunderbird Supercoupes built in the early '90s. Apparently, Ford was in cahoots with Porsche and Dana to put 'em together.I've seen pictures that, to me, was more than enough proof that at least one of them exists. I can't find the pictures right now, and SCCoA guards the images and information in their members section. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #6 – January 18, 2009, 09:34:58 AM I remember a thread about this before. The end result I had thought of was the Audi Quattro driveline. Maybe do a search back a couple years?FWIW, the T5 only has an extension housing that the t-case bolts onto. You'd have to clear the floor to allow the t-case to fit, and run driveshafts front and back. Fitting the front would be tricky, too. Not impossible, though.I had originally thought about using a Ford Ranger frame with the body channeled to fit over it when I wanted a full frame under my car for torque and hp strength. (decided to just do the sfc's and stuff instead) Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #7 – January 18, 2009, 09:46:43 AM what about the AWD tempo? if you can find one I think it would be the best to start with. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #8 – January 18, 2009, 09:53:10 AM some of those new Dodge Chargers are AWD (i think it is sourced from Daimler). I am sure with enough $$$ thrown at this idea you could make it work. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #9 – January 18, 2009, 09:59:50 AM hack up a subaru, beff up the suspension and throw your bird on it...lol Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #10 – January 18, 2009, 10:00:03 AM I've seen the pics of that AWD SC too, and it wasn't just a show queen. You could tell from the pics that the car was well driven. In fact, I remember it was quite rusty.To make an AWD Fox car you'd have to re-engineer the whole front end. The suspension in these cars wouldn't work because the coil spring is where a half shaft would have to go. The K-member would get in the way of a differential housing. And the engine would get in the way of all of it. Basically everything foreward of the firewall would have to be custom built, and you would likely have to pass an axle through the oil pan in order to get the engine to sit low enough in the car. Then there is the floor issue, as HAVI noted - you'd have to do something with the floor and tranny tunnel to make room for a transfer case and front driveshaft.HAVI's idea of using a Ranger frame and channeling the T-Bird body over it would probably be the best way to go. Probably be better to use an Explorer drivetrain, since you could go with a 5.0 and it has an AWD mode (Rangers are 4WD, not AWD). Better yet, use a newer Explorer frame and you could have IRS. The only problem with using a truck frame is that the engine might still sit too high over the axle. Trucks have deeper engine compartments, so hood clearance wasn't a priority for the engineers. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #11 – January 18, 2009, 10:08:23 AM My car is already high enough to do this easily. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #12 – January 18, 2009, 10:31:35 AM what about one of those oldsmobile toronados? those were v-8 FWD's. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #13 – January 18, 2009, 10:50:38 AM this is an ongoing conversation i have been having with another member.....in our opinions, the best parts would come from a 5.0 AWD explorer/mountaineer.the AWD tcase in these models is fully mechanical with a viscous clutch.the front diff is fixed to the frame, and CV axles extend out to the wheels. the front diff could come from any 98+ 4wd ranger as well.these two components could be adapted to virtually any configuration w/enough diligence. you would then need to choose a FWD steering knuckle to adapt to the fox strut and lower balljoint, and convert to coilovers. custom driveshafts, and CV axles, etc..we think it is a very doable project for someone with enough fab skills and/or money.*editFWIW, you should also be able to find 4wd extension housings and output shafts for the T5 in s10's also. not sure if either(chevy or jeep) would have the correct t-case pattern for the explorer case; might need an adapter. Quote Selected
fwd for fox suspension? Reply #14 – January 18, 2009, 02:33:52 PM ahem....fellas...i thought about this recently myself...so i started asking around.....http://forum.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13166&highlight=enjoy...the homework has pretty much already been done...if you'd like to see info on another idea i had...http://www.newcougar.org/forums/3-0l-duratec-performance/130909-3-0-build-different-application.html Quote Selected
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