Technical Lowering the rear of a F100

you could almost say that its traditional to put a clip under one those trucks, lol. You dont see it much it at all anymore unless it was something built a long time ago. The old axles are good if you have tight spindles and kingpins, but used to get a lot of bang for the buck with a clip. Now most want a fancy chassis that costs more than most projects.

 

Yeah, but we are not allowed to talk about that here, and clips are getting thin on the ground!

 

Mine has an OT sports car front end that rhymes with More Bet.

 

Hornet?

Wasn't that a unibody AMC?

That's hardly a sports car, sir.

 

Come on Gimpy.....You work for Detroit......

 

When the Hornet was made, AMC headquarters was still on Plymouth Road, in Detroit.

 

Ugh.........C4. And that doesn't rhyme I know....

 

What I'd use to lower the rear of your truck is a set of later-model Ranger pickup springs and hangers, you could mount the springs either above the axle or below then mount the hangers on the frame as needed for the proper ride height. Later model springs use an "overload leaf" so the pickup has a softer ride when not carrying a load.

 

Now you are over in Dearborn!

Best small automatic made!

 

Mine has a geometric replica, width altered, C6.

 

Ain't that Dyno-Mite?

 

@D-Russ I looked for a thread on you F100 to link to this one to show the slick way you lowered your 54 but couldn't find one. Its one of the best ways I've seen, got any pics or is there a thread out there that covers it?

 

Sorry @Nailhead Jason , I didn't do a thread on my Effie on the HAMB.

 

My brain has too much unneeded info in it, I couldn't remember if you had one, or if you sent me pics of it or i saw it on IG. Either way it worked out super slick.

 

I scoped these out many times since I drove a Ranger for 14 years. Using the same springs on my GMC, they are fairly flat and ride well.

 

The 9" rear axle looks like the one in my '65 F-100. HRP

 

@Solospeedshop used just the Posies springs front and rear and went from this:

To this. I know you don't' need the fronts but you can easily go lower in back with the adjustable spring hangers from Mid Fifties, getting it right where you want it....No flipping or notching.....

 

To me, this sits perfect.....

 

Don’t worry about the unnecessary axle flipping etc. its gonna hafta have the saddles cut off anyway. It has some home welding done and there is no way I would trust them.

Im just trying to plot this out in my head, so I have a game plan once I get done with home renovation project #3,127 for 2022.

 

Everything about that truck is perfect, down to the right hubcaps!

 

Before

 

Since @Nailhead Jason asked, I thought I'd add the unique things that I did to lower the back end of my 54 F100 without putting the axle on top of the springs. I swapped the Dana 44 for a 9 inch, reversed the main leaf eyes, removed 2 or 3 short leaves from the spring pack, added extended rear shackles, flipped the front hangers and modified and moved the rear hangers up two inches. I can still move the front hanger up to the top of the frame, which I intend to do. This is how the truck currently sits without the engine, trans, interior, etc. – it's basically a shell.


Reversed the spring eyes on the main leafs:


I widened the stock lower spring clamps to retain the factory lower shock mounts and to open up width for the larger 3 inch tube diameter of the 9 inch rear by cutting and welding two together.


I raised the rear hanger 2 inches by cutting it apart and adding material:




I boxed and c-notched the frame:


And here's a pic showing everything but the c-notch:

 

D-russ, do those rear shackles clear the bed floor?
I think yer truck sits just rite in tha photo above., I like em with a bit of a forwad rake, mite sit diffrent when all weight is added.

 

Good question – with the 2 inch mod to the rear hanger, the stock shackle still cleared the bed floor, but with the three inch longer shackles, the top of the shackle/spring pokes through the bed floor an inch or so. My plan is to make a simple flanged box from sheet metal to cover each side.

About a week ago I dropped the engine and trans in but I haven't rolled it outside to check the stance. But according to my measurements, the front end dropped another 1-1/4 inches. Currently the tires are the same size front and rear at about 27 inches tall, but I intend to run a 29 inch tire in the rear.

Currently the front suspension has a 3 inch drop axle, reversed eye main leafs, 2 or 3 shorter leaves removed, and the rear hanger has been sectioned 2 inches. I'm considering raising the front shackle hanger the same 2 inches with a small Z in the frame, and I can swap in a 4 inch drop axle if needed.

 

So, just out of curiosity, why is everyone avoiding flipping the axle? I do that on all my cars. Just wondering….

 

Pretty sure it is to avoid having to notch the frame typically. But, if you are going that low, it is actually easier to flip it.

 

Eggsactily! Most axle flips result in minimal axle to frame clearance.

 

I didn't flip my axle because I thought I could get it low enough without. Also, if I recall correctly, my measurements suggested that the pumpkin would hit the bottom of the bed. In hindsight, I've done so many little mods that I probably would have been better off starting with the axle flip.

 

Makes sense.

 

Very creative solution. What does your pinion angle measure after moving spring mounting points?