Cars from the '50s are fun to look at, but many are not nearly as enjoyable to drive as they could be. Oh sure, the wallowing, bouncy ride quality may offer a few thrills, especially on short jaunts. Over the long haul, however, those early attempts at independent front suspensions can be quite a handful to handle, with enough rocking and rolling to make passengers seasick. And don't even get us started on the brakes.
Thankfully, there are a number of aftermarket remedies available to aid many such suspensions. Dropped spindles, modern shocks, and disc-brake kits can go a long way toward improving the ride, stance, and handling of our favorite '50s flyers. Sometimes, though, mere upgrades aren't enough. For some enthusiasts, and some cars, an entirely new front suspension is the preferred solution.
For decades, rodders have adapted various later-model subframes to their favorite rides, with varying degrees of success depending on the skills of the builder or installer. More recently, Mustang II-style suspensions have become the frontends of choice in roddom. Problem is, many '50s frames are not well suited for adapting a typical Mustang II-style crossmember. That led Fatman Fabrications to develop its line of frame stubs for '50s cars.
Fatman stubs are essentially frame sections that replace most of your car's original frame from the firewall forward. The process is similar in theory to a Camaro or Nova subframe swap, but with several key differences. First, each stub is designed to fit a particular make and model of vehicle (more than 100 applications from the '30s through the '60s), so there's no guesswork in determining where to measure, where to cut, or where to weld. Additionally, Fatman stubs have prefabricated mounts for installing bumpers, radiators, and sheetmetal, making it much easier to reassemble your car. Most Fatman stubs will also lower your car several inches (without dropped spindles), in addition to maintaining a proper track width. This is on top of providing the benefits of Mustang II-style IFS: solid suspension geometry, great after-market support, disc brakes, and rack-and-pinion steering.
We recently followed the installation of a Fatman stub and hub-to-hub IFS kit on a '50 Ford woodie at Wheeler's Speed Shop. As you'll see in the accompanying photos, the installation was very straightforward-almost simple. With that said, however, we can't stress enough how important good workmanship is on a project like this. We're talking about your car's foundation, so this is no place for a novice. At the very least, you'll need to make sure you have someone with solid skills doing the welding. Beyond that, it's important to closely follow the instructions and consult Fatman's tech support team if there are any uncertainties. For now, why don't you take a look at how Wheeler's Andy Humenik performed a bit of clip art on an old surf woodie.
