HOW DO I GET A SET OF ADAPTERS MADE FOR MY CAR OR TRUCK?

Team321 LLC manufactures adapter brackets to install a Thunderbird or Lincoln Mark VIII IRS assembly into Classic Ford pickup trucks.
We also work with customers to design and manufacture brackets to install these IRS units into other vehicles. The latest vehicle is a 1950 Chevy Pickup truck.

Trucks and older cars were designed as a body on frame design, unlike most newer cars that are of unibody construction. Unibody cars are manufactured in such a way that the frame is actually part of the body... and the frame may not be separated from the body.

Here is an example of a unibody design. Note how the frame and body components cannot be separated. The structural frame portion of the unibody is shown in light blue.
If your vehicle is a unibody design it will be more difficult to take the necessary measurements. Body on frame style designs are easier to measure as well as fit for an IRS.


Pickup trucks use a "body-on-frame" design. This makes it possible to install the IRS subframe under the truck's frame. The installation images show the truck's bed separated from the truck's frame. For reference, an image of the truck's frame with the bed removed is shown below. To see the complete installation, click HERE




If you have a body-on-frame style car or truck and you would like Team321 to fabricate adapter brackets, we need a few measurements of your car's frame.

We have developed a "fill-in-the-blanks" form to get the necessary information. This image represents a top view, looking down on the frame rails. The idea is to locate your car's axle centerline ( as viewed from above the vehicle ). Draw a chalk line on the frame at the axle centerline from the outside of the left frame rail to the outside of the right frame rail.  This represents 0 or 0 inches ahead of the axle or 0 inches behind the axle.
Using a straight edge and a ruler / tape measure - make an additional chalk line 6 inches ahead of the axle centerline. Make another line 12 inches ahead of the axle centerline, another at 18 and finally one at 24 inches ahead of the axle centerline. Make these lines along the left AND right frame rails.

The image below shows one straight edge clamped to the side of the truck's frame as well as a ruler to measure the inside / inside and outside / outside  frame rail dimensions.



After making these five lines at 6 inch intervals on both the left and the right frame rails, measure from the outside of the left frame rail to the outside of the right frame rail at the centerline... Enter that number in the from below. Then measure from the inside of the left frame rail to the inside of the right frame rail at the axle centerline. Enter that number in the form below.

Move 6 inches ahead of the axle centerline and repeat these two measurements... repeat for 12, 18 and 24 inches ahead of the axle centerline.

Once the measurements ahead of the axle centerline are made and recorded... repeat these steps for every 6 inches behind the axle centerline.




Email or phone Team321 with this information and we will translate it into a scaled mechanical drawing. Once we have that drawing, the Thunderbird / Lincoln IRS subframe is superimposed and brackets are designed to connect the IRS subframe to the vehicle's frame. Here is an example of how this process has worked for a 1950 Chevy truck frame. A customer provided his truck frame's measurements, and a mechanical drawing with that information was created. The image below shows both the top view and profile view of the truck's frame.



Once the top view measurements are taken, the next step is to measure the frame's profile. Remember, everything is measured relative to the axle centerline.
The most effective way to measure the frame's profile is to clamp a straight edge to the frame. Make sure the straight edge is level. Using the previous chalk lines that were made 6, 12, 18 & 24 inches ahead of - and behind the axle centerline... measure the vertical distance from the top of the straight edge to the top of the frame as well as the vertical distance from the top of the straight edge to the bottom of the frame. The Side View drawing shown above was drawn with this customer-provided information.

The image below shows a straight edge clamped to the side of the truck's frame.




Once Team321 has these measurements, it typically takes two or three days to create the drawing and describe how the adapters would be made to mount the IRS assembly under your vehicle.
Call (321)960-5945 or email dave@team321.com for more infomation.


CLICK HERE TO GET BACK TO TruckIRS.COM HOMEPAGE