How I lowered a 1962 F-100 with an axle flip (1961-1964 I-Beam)

Thanks Todd

 

Very nice post Todd. I have done the flip front and rear on my 62 and I wish I had this post back then...Great information and pics. My constant battle is the bumpsteer issue. I have tried a different drag link (didnt help) . I have since heated and bent my Steering arm as well as my drag link to get more parallel to the ground, that has helped a lot but not 100% satisfied. Your steering box relocation mod seems like that would be a perfect fix. Please keep the great pics coming.

 

Heres a pic of my flip and notch if it would be of any help to anyone.

 

hey skraps, what oilpan are you using?

 

Its a fox body 5.0 mustang oil pan. The dual sump in it helped to clear the axle perfect.

 

thats cool, i tried modifying mine, but not sure it has enough clearance.

 

Clean lookin' job there!

 

Thanks

 

Looks nice skraps! Great use of the oil pan...looks like it belongs there. The first engine I had built for my '60 was a 351W from a 1980's Highway Patrol Crown Vic, and it was of a similar design. The engine never made it into my truck though

Thanks for the pics!

Gonna get after it again this weekend. Last weekend was Christmas decoration, etc...

 

Tied up a few loose ends up front this afternoon. Just in case everyone thinks this has been uneventful and exactly as planned, please see exhibit "A" below.

The cause of this issue was moving the box up, essentially "hinging" at the column mount on the dash. It changed the alignment of the pitman arm just enough to make the turning circles (left/right) asymmetrical. Perhaps not important for a competition vehicle that needs to go straight, but I wouldn't feel good knowing that I sent something out like that. I've known about this for awhile but am finally addressing the fix. The output shaft of the steering box isn't splined all the way around as I had first thought. Had it been fully splined, I would have been able to index the pitman arm as needed. A one-position mount for the pitman arm required sectioning the drag link. Not a big deal, just a process. Before anyone asks, There are no concerns with strength from doing this. Were this receiving a rotational force rather than a simple push/pull, I would have sleeved the connection for added strength as I've done successfully with steering shafts in the past. I use a 220V Lincoln PowerMig 200, and would not attempt welding this thick stock with a 110V MIG welder. That's just me. Enough chatter, on to the work.

The output shaft of the box. Note partially splined shaft:


So I cleaned up the (solid) drag link, and created an index mark down the longitudinal axis so they would be joined in exactly the same plane:


I mocked up the two ends after removing the required amount, and clamped them to a pices of angle iron to hold them perfectly in-plane. I should note that before doing any of this, I put the steering wheel in a straight position, and measured the front wheel locations to****ure that everything was as straight & true as possible):


While still clamped together, I removed the****embly, double checked that the index marks were aligned and burned them together.


Somehow, I forgot to take any pictures of the pre-ground welds on the drag link. You'll just have to trust me. After the first grind, I filled a couple small low spots, and sanded smooth followed by a wire wheel. Here it is in place once again, as if nothing ever happened


Even while only tacked in place, the steering box mount shows no signs of deflection. It will be rock solid when fully welded. Tomorrow's installment will revert back to the rear end. I will be adding approximately 2 1/2" to the height of the shackles to get the last of the drop I'm looking for.


Todd

 

I took notice on my 64 and was coming up with a road block, with my 292 3 speed setup the pivot action for the clutch is right where the box would be if I did what you were doing, are you using an automatic or have you dealt with this issue?

 

We're converting to a hydraulic clutch. But yes, it would interfere...

 

Is that a "swinging pedal" type application you will be useing?

 

Exactly. We'll be converting back to a 1957-60 style clutch master/slave cylinder. As it turns out, the pedal****embly is the same, they (Ford) just welded a small arm to the same clutch pedal to actuate the linkage rod through the floor.

 

Time to lengthen the shackles, to get the last bit of drop in back. To be clear, I didn't flip the rear end.

Before lengthening the shackles we have about 4" +/- from c/l to c/l of holes:


Cut line:


Extended shackle tacked together (left) next to original. Extended with 3/16" stock. Will be fully welded and ground, and back side will be boxed, & welded.


6 1/2" from c/l to c/l of holes, thus lowering the rear the last 2 1/2" I was looking for.


Both shackles extended, and tacked:


Boxing plates tacked on the back of the shackles:


...and fully welded front/back. I generally like to grind welds for cosmetic reasons, but there's really no reason on itemslike this that will never be seen:




Here's the extended shackle reinstalled. If it looks tight on top with the bed floor, and to the rear with the bed x-member, it's really not. There's about 3/4-1" on top, and more to the x-member. with only 2-3" of travel, the shackle will only move back about 1/2". It moves forward when the spring droop (when the truck is jacked up):




And here is where we sit now. About 6 1/2" lower in front, and 5 1/2" in back. Have some room to go up on either end with the addition of leafs, but I think this looks pretty good. A drastic improvement. And a little tech tip: the open lifter valley on a Y-block is the perfect size to securely hold a jug of Fast Orange hand cleaner

 

Tim (mctim64) & his wife Kathy came up today, Kathy kept my wife Corinne company while Tim & I played out in the garage. We just had to mock up the racing wheels/tires to see how it was going to sit & look before we stripped the axles out for a rebuild. Pretty******in' in my humble opinion (Tim seems pretty OK with it)



The afternoon ended with the truck up on stands, as Tim took the axles back to rebuild:

He did deliver a fresh & clean T-5 / bell housing so I could get started on the******* mounts, and finish boxing the frame:

More to come...time for a quiet & relaxing evening with my lovely wife

 

Man that looks NICE! Nice work.

 

Kick**** man! Thanks so much for all the posts!

 

Lookin fantastic Todd.

 

Sweet!! nice job Todd!! I'm keeping my eye on this for when i do my unibody!!

 

Love the look with the wheels and tires mounted up.

 

very clean and cost efective I like it

 

Appreciate the kind words, guys!

As I pondered what was to come next, I was thinking it was about time for an update...


Knowing that I needed more access, and also knowing that I didn't want to separate a stuck Y-block while the truck was on jack stands, I just yanked the whole thing out.


I recorded the installed angle, so I can make sure the mount for the new T-5 will place everything correctly. This will allow much easier access to the firewall and frame for final welding, etc.


Placement marked for notches, and 6" long notch sections cut out:



Typical notch fitment. I prefer to use a fillet weld on things like this, so I left approximately 1/2" of the notch exposed. A bit more on the inside of the frame to allow for bump-stop installation.


Both notches all welded in...

 

A lot of you may be waiting for me to address the firewall issue. That is, I "butchered" the firewall to move the column & box up/forward.

Well, here you go. This is where we left off, and here is the piece that was removed:



And here's the exhaust section (from Kragen) that I used for the round top piece that will make the reveal over the column tube.


Old section relieved and clamped in place for fitment:


Here you can see the section of exhaust laid in for test fit.


Tacked in place:



And welded in...

 

While I continue on with the work up at my place, Tim has rebuilt the front & rear axles, brakes, and made everything look as new once again...







Some new stuff:



And some fresh paint...






And the****emblies...all looking like they should be on display rather than reinstalled. Beautifyl work Tim!

 

I was just coming here to post some pix but I see it has been done. Oh well I'll beat you to it next time.

 

Everything that needs to be filled on the firewall is filled, and has been wire wheeled & wiped down...ready for paint.

Painted the firewall with bed liner paint (textured) as it should be more forgiving that conventional paint over all of the welded holes, and more durable against the salt at Bonneville


Next up is a healthy dose of POR-15 on the frame rails. Gotta get this area ready to party, or else it will look like a junkyard against the rebuilt & pretty axle****embly that Tim just got done with.

Also, the dash is now almost competely gutted, save for the wipers, the hack job radio, and a coupe final lingering items

While gutting the dash, I pulled the pedal****'y out and removed the manual clutch arm, thus turning the pedal into a '57-61 version which will facilitate the hydraulic clutch.

My long weekend is now coming to a close, so a pizza & movie bight with the wifey is an appropriate way to puctuate the day

 

Might be time to edit the****le of this thread.

 

What a great Build guys! Rocky

 

Please keep the story going. It is nice to see the birth of another Bonneville vehicle. Was the bed liner paint for the firewall from a spay can? Can you paint over it if you want to? That was a good idea and it looks nice. Are you going to put that in your fender wells and the areas the salt will pack up?
I am trying some High Solids Urethane on my tow rig this year. Only in the areas around the lights and inner fenders where the salt loves to hide. I thought I cleaned my liner good this year and when I looked the other day, there was still salt residue hiding away. The salt is just a battle as you know. Awesome build. Love how you are making this happen.