[V8TV]

Jeff -

Here's our thoughts on the Gearheads Cruiser Products for full-size Fords.

First off, the tubular upper and lower control arms are really, REALLY nice. The build quality is first rate, and the mounting procedure is well thought out. You simply knock the rivet heads off the upper control arm mounts and use the original rivets for guide pins, then drop the new mount in place and weld it up. The lower arms are a bolt-in. The arms feature Mopar style screw-in ball joints, and the lowers feature mounts for both air springs or coil springs. They're pretty trick.

The sway bars are enormous, and the front mounts on the frame allow for a straighter sway bar. The Ford chassis required a goofy bend in the bar to reach the factory mounts, the Gearheads solution simplifys this process.

The rear bar utilizes 4 d-shaped bushings rather than links, which offers a real soild mount. They also make a rear spring shackle update which beefs-up the original s-shaped rear leaf hanger.

And now to the big question - the steering box upgrade. We're about 2/3 through the install now, and so far, we're really happy with what we've got. The steering box replaces the hydraulic ram-assist steering, eliminating the hoses, leaks, and poor road feel associated with the stock Ford system. The Gearheads conversion uses a GM 605 box and a matched Saginaw steering pump. Gearheads sells a bracket for almost every Ford V8 for this pump, but we're in the process of incorporating the GM Saginaw pump into a stock 5.0 style serpantine system on our 351. Ford used this pump in some Lincolns, we're trying to find the bracket.

The steering box mounts in the factory frame holes and slips on to the original column. It's a clean install. You have to run manual steering tie rod ends and a manual centerlink. I'll post more detials on the conversion when we finish in the next couple weeks, and the whole process will be on V8TV.

Thanks,

- Kevin