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With the new Jim Meyer adjustable-stance independent front suspension, you can adjust it up-or-down about 4-inches for the stance you like best. We are the only company in the industry to offer an adjustable-stance IFS. See our home page for a complete section on how we designed the adjustable front-and-rear suspension. We also have a few photos (in this section) that show where and how the IFS is adjustable. Just keep scrolling down through this section. The photo of the ‘54 shown (above) is in the lowest adjustable position. Drop spindles are another option that will bring it down 2-inches more. You can go to our installation instructions from the home page and see if you can install this IFS at home. Just minimal tools are required and a weekend to do the work is necessary. Click here for Installation Instructions.
Our bolt-in IFS, as you’ll see in the following photos, is totally compatible with the original engine/transmission. It fits around all stock components and requires the steering column to be modified at the bottom end.
Click here to see how to modify your lower steering column.
The IFS kits are available as a Stage I or a Stage II kit. The most complete kit, Stage II, features a 2 X 4 X .188-inch wall box-tube crossmember that holds the D.O.M. 1-inch diameter X .156-inch wall lower tubular A-arms and 7/8-inch diameter X .156-inch wall upper tubular A-arms. Steering is provided by a new Flaming River manual rack-and-pinion, while two ’67-72 Chevelle spindles, ball joints, 11-inch rotors, and calipers give you stock over-the-counter GM parts available most everywhere! With a two-position lower mount and a three-position upper mount, the aluminum, adjustable coilover-shocks will give the stance you like best!
Our popular Stage I kit (designed to use the Stage II components) features everything in the Stage II kit except you provide the spindles, balljoints, rotors, calipers, and rack for a much better savings.
Your options (can be substituted at an additional cost) include a ’83-89 T-Bird power rack, Baer or Wilwood disc brakes (5-on-4 ¾ or 5-on-4 1/2 hub bolt-pattern are available in all rotors), or the optional 12-inch GM rotors have the larger 5-on-5 pattern, front sub-frames, anti-sway bars, and different tread-widths are available. |
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  With 15-inch wheels and 215/60R15 tires, it measures about 23-inches from the ground to the top of the fender opening as shown, while the bumper is about 10-inches from the ground. |
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The bolt-in kit is a direct replacement using the same original factory holes that held the original GM suspension to the chassis. Nearly Identical frames were used from 1937-48 and ’49-54. As you can see, the fully assembled IFS with antisway bar can be rolled under the car and the old one out of the car on a floor jack. The entire IFS can be assembled on the bench and then rolled under the car and is held in place with the same 10 bolts that held this ’53 IFS. Since we use ’67-72 Chevelle spindles, we offer a lot of brake options including the Wilwood 4-piston calipers and 11-inch or 12.9-inch rotors, or Chevelle 11-inch disc brake system and more. Power steering and our 1-inch diameter antisway bar and adjustable coilover shocks offer more options. We offer either optional adjustable or standard non-adjustable coilover shocks. The optional adjustables are available with either external single-adjustable rebound damping only or external double-adjustable bump-and-rebound shock damping, or optional spring rates from 180-850 lbs. |
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 Not only was this original ’54 Chevy IFS used in ’49-54 Chevy cars, but it was also used in the ’53-62 Corvettes, so sell it. It has king pins and bushings and will wander all over the road if everything isn’t new. Notice the frame mounting-pads are identical to the new IFS pads. No welding or cutting necessary to remove it, just hand tools.
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 Looking at the inside of the driver’s side chassis, notice how the inner chassis lip has been trimmed away for extra steering-shaft clearance. Our ’37-48 IFS uses only two U-joints, while the ’49-54 IFS installation uses three-U-joints and a bearing support. Notice on the inside lip there are three bolts holding the IFS to the rails and two-bolts on the outside lip.
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In this view one of the five mounting-bolts (on each frame rail) is hidden under the motor mount on the inside of the rail-lip. These are existing factory frame holes. We offer a GM motor mount and trans mount kit for this (’49-54) installation, if you are doing a 350/350 side-mount engine/trans swap at this time. The only welding on this “bolt-in” installation is the small upper-tower support tabs that are welded to the frame. Notice, just behind the upper A-arm cross-shaft there are 2 Allen-head bolts that connect the upper tower bracket to the tab welded to the frame underneath it. Scroll farther down (this section) and there are four photos showing you specifically this bracket and how it attaches. |
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 The bolt-in IFS installation features ’67-72 Chevelle spindles with bolt-on steering arms. The GM balljoints are some of the most common GM items available at every parts store. One-inch diameter antisway bars (front-and-rear) and the power steering (shown here) are optional items. Notice at the top of the photo, the trans mount adapter plate for GM 350, Muncie 4-speed or PowerGlide transmissions bolts to existing holes and places the new hole pattern in the correct position from your new side-mount 350 engine and transmissions mentioned above. |
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 Just ask for the ’49-54 GM 350 engine/trans mount kit for stock chassis. You will have to weld-in the new engine mounts. |
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We are the only manufacturer that offers front-and-rear adjustable suspension. Almost every IFS or chassis we build has our popular adjustable stance IFS and this upper coilover shock-mount is where it happens. Click here to see info on our stance adjustibilty feature. The upper bracket featuring two ½-inch Allen-head mounting bolts has 4-holes for a three-position movement of about 3-inches. The offset upper bracket can be flipped over for about another ¾-inch of adjustment and the two position lower A-arm mount offers about ¾- inch of adjustment by moving to the outer hole in the lower A-arm bracket. We have different length upper coilover brackets for different installations that will interchange here. Click here to look at our Universal Upper Shock Mount Brackets. |
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Our standard Stage II kit comes with ’67-72 Chevelle spindles (shown) with 11-inch GM rotors, calipers and our bolt-on steering arms (shown). Drilled and ball-milled rotors are optional as well as our Bear and Wilwood super stoppers that fit this GM spindle. Our Stage I kit (designed to use Stage II components) is where you save the money by providing the rack-and-pinion steering, spindles with disc or drum brakes, balljoints, and we provide steering arms, upper-and-lower A-arms with cross shafts, aluminum coilover shocks, steering rod ends, the crossmember, fasteners and instructions. |
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| Our 1018 steel, ¾-inch diameter, nickel plated lower A-arm cross-shafts are some of the largest in the aftermarket industry (other IFS use ½-or-5/8-inch od shafts). For easy removal of the cross shaft from the front crossmember, we have installed bronze bushings in the crossmember holes. The shaft will never rust and the hole will never rust and be impossible to remove. We want your disassembly to be an easy one. For smooth A-arm movement, and to eliminate telescoping road vibration through the steering, we use 90-Durometer urethane bushings to isolate the lower A-arm cross shaft in the crossmember. If you'll notice in the close-up view of the bronze bushing, we have included a set-screw hole to secure the cross shaft from rotation. This way the rotation is on the urethane bushings in the A-arms and not the bronze bushings in the crossmember hole, for all those happy miles you're going to drive. The CNC machined aluminum end-caps and counter sunk flat-head 5/16 screws on each end of the lower cross shaft hold it into the crossmember. It is critical that you use Loctite on these threads, other wise the cross shafts will work their way out! |
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AN INSTALLATION IN A STOCK CHASSIS WITH STOCK RUNNING GEAR |
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 For your reference, we have complete installation instructions (you can print-out) on our web site that we send with this IFS kit. To show you our compatibility with a totally stock 1954 Chevy driver, we removed the front sheet metal clip and front suspension so you could see how it all goes together. Other then bolting-in our new IFS, the bottom of the old column needs to be modified or a new column can be installed to connect to the new splined rack-and-pinion steering, and you’ll need to drill a couple of holes, trim the frame-lip for steering column clearance and weld the upper tower support tabs to the upper edge of the frame (4-inches each side). We also show you how to modify and connect the original shift linkage on a stock steering column to clear the new steering U-joint. |
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  The crossmember frame pads make a good drill template too. After the frame rails have been cleaned and you’re ready to start the installation, we recommend clamping the bare crossmember in position under the chassis and cleaning-out the existing frame holes by running a drill through all the holes before final assembly. This way you’ll be able to eliminate any problem areas. You will have to drill one additional hole in the outside of the frame lip on each side.
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  The rear IFS mounting holes on the outside of each frame lip will need to be drilled using the crossmember as your template (pen pointing to the hole). With the crossmember temporarily bolted in-position, we recommend locating the upper tower frame support tab that needs to be welded in position on each side. This is also a good time to trim the edge of the frame lip where the new steering shaft passes close to the frame (shown in photo #7).
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  The upper tower frame support has two pieces. The small frame tab that is welded to the frame has the threaded holes. Bolt the two pieces together and attach them to the upper tower with the thru-bolt. Mark the position of the small lower tab very carefully on the upper edge of the frame rail and then tac-weld it into position.
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 Two Allen head bolts connect the two tabs together to form the upper tower support as shown.
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 Connect the tabs and brackets to the upper towers on both sides and position them to the frame rails. As shown in the previous photo, the holes are slightly over-sized to help alignment, in case you get the lower tab a little one-way-or-the-other. Mark the position on the frame and check it twice, then tac-weld and check again. Make the final weld when you are satisfied.
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 Mounting the optional 1-inch diameter antisway bar frame brackets may supprise you by using a stock hole in the right place. The front hole is already in the frame lip and only the rear needs to be drilled.
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 The antisway bar clears the engine’s crank damper and puts sports car handling back in the steering. The rack-and-pinion steering eliminates bump-steer with the rack’s tie rods straight to the spindles’s steering arms. The IFS design keeps it above other chassis components so nothing hangs down.
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 Although our IFS application fits ’37-54 Chevies, there are some differences between the smaller ’37-48 and the larger ’49-54 frames. The ’49-54 (shown here) require 3-U-joints between the column and the rack steering unit. This requires a bearing support and bracket near the center U-joint (shown on the outside of the frame). Again, Jim was able to use the existing mounting holes for the stock ’54 Chevy steering box to mount this bearing support bracket. Also notice, the original front brake-hose frame-mounted bracket can be used for the newer stainless braided brake hoses with a bulkhead fitting and a stock clip. The ’37-48 Chevies use only 2-U-joints and do not require a bearing support and bracket.
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 Jim Meyer offers an engine-and-trans mount kit for the ’37-54 Chevies only, however the engine mounts could be modified to fit the earlier frames. He does not offer an under-floor master cylinder/booster bracket as shown. It’s pretty simple and there is plenty of room to design your own and make a brake rod to the stock forward mounted pedal assembly.
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 The new bolt-in IFS crossmember mounts high in the frame and hangs down less than the original lower A-arms did. All stock components clear the new crossmember.
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