C4 vs M2

[regan56]

ok guys and gals.

what can you tell me about the C4 and the Mustang2 setups and why one is better than the other. honestly, i don't know.

My original direction was the M2 from Heidts, however that may be out my budget range. looking onto the web i have been reading alot about the C4 IFS than can be had for a fraction of the cost, like finding the parts from salvage yards and the crossmember from Flatout, or maybe the entire kit from Flatout (or similar).

i understand this doesn't lend itself well to my recent bolt pattern discussion from earlier, but i suspect there are options to compensate for the 5 x 4.75 bolt pattern on the C4?

56 GMC truck

[joedoh]

I havent done either and ideally you would want advice from guys who have done both.

it is my opinion that a stock factory suspension in its entirety is better than a custom build for things like:

roadworthiness: it is insanely hard to certify something to use on the roads, and the factory engineers make decisions based on wear and fatigue.

longevity: factory cars (with replaceable wear parts) go hundreds of thousands of miles.

parts availability: factory suspension have parts stocked at dealers and auto parts stores all over the country, some aftermarket suspension pieces are only available from the maker.


that being said, heidts has a great reputation for M2 setups. I would never make a decision based soley on money. a used C4 setup may cost as much as the heidts by the time you replace all the wear parts.


for 5x5, you may be able to drill a second pattern in the C4 sealed bearings and brake rotors. the circle is only .25 larger on the circle so just have a machine shop quote it. I did that with mazdas in the 90s, had the rotors and drums and axles redrilled because finding high offset 6 lug wheels was a pain. but be sure and add this to your costs!

[mongocanfly]

I've never dealt with the m2 but I have the whole flatout setup sitting in my shop for my AD build.....it Is a very nice piece....I looked at about all the front swap options and settled on the vett...just to keep things in the same family...biggest thing I would complain about is the instructions. ...but if you have som fab knowledge its not hard to figure out...but if you get stumped Don is just a call away and seems like a nice guy

[mr48chev]

A C 4 setup isn't going to cost less by the time you get done with it. That is unless you get a serious bargain on the C 4 suspension pieces.

Low buck would probably be finding a Jag XJ front crossmember and suspension with everything in real good shape. That should get a guy in for around 500 US depending on the cost of the unit. It can be spendy to rebuild though.

An industrial Chassis Dodge Dakota crossmember for and AD is 550 US and two wheel drive Dakota pieces are not that spendy in wrecking yards. Parts fall under Joedoh's Factory parts concept in that you don't have to worry about special one off bushings or what not. Meaning you can usually get most parts by walking into a regular parts house or may only have to wait until the next stock order comes in from the warehouse. For an AD it is also a bolt in unit that won't raise the hackles on Canadian vehicle inspectors. They stick their nose under it and it is all production pieces with a crossmember that looks like it would hold up a railroad bridge as far as strength goes.

The guy selling the crossmember that uses factory G body has had too many issues with quality control or getting the product out to customers depending on who you listen to.

I've lost all interest in subframe swaps simply because too many guys can't install one worth a hoot and you have to hack up the front end sheet metal too much to make them fit.

I've never been a fan of frame swaps as usually they are done rather quick and nasty by guys wanting to throw together a cheap truck in a hurry. If you buy the swap kit and rebuild the suspension you have more in it than the super high dollar complete MII setup and still have just a frame swap truck. In Canada you might have inspection issues with the frame swap to add to that.

[Rickysnickers]

I have a TCI MII based front end. My truck came that way. However, if I were to build it, I would do the Flat out C4 route.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I bought a used-never-installed Fatman Fabrications MII kit from someone who bought an aborted project '59 he intended to put a very high HP engine in. At least that was his stated reason for selling it.

I fully intended to install it in my '55.2 but when I ended up taking my truck into have someone else do the mechanical work due to a family situation, his exact question was, "Are you married to the Fatman kit?" I said, "Well I already own it." He said he does IFS in these trucks and other cars all the time and suggested I consider using C4 IFS. Said he's never had anyone complain with one of those but several have ended up not being happy with their MII IFS.

Since I had decided to install an LQ4/4l85e in my truck rather than rebuild the tired out 283 I felt a little more robust IFS system would be a better idea. Others will say they've never had an issue with their MII system and I'm sure that's true. YMMV