picked up a 54 f100 and have plans on a low buck truck.We have a 69 Nova front clip that we are adding to the stock f1 frame and We want it as low as we can,we`re thinking 3 to 4 inch frame clearance.Looking for any info on mounting a front clip as well as lowering the back.Will the rear frame need to be notched to acheive the hight we are after?thanks fitzee
Go to http://www.ford-trucks.com. A bunch of us on the 48-60 forum put together a pretty comprehensive IFS tech article. A good place to start. himmelberg
awesome resource there, i picked few brains there buildin my effie. didnt know which direction to go, so it put all my suspension options on the table that have been tried, ...
I have a '56 and did the Heidt's MII x-member.Front clip bolted right back on,and the install took an afternoon.I c-notched the rear rail,took out every other leaf and flipped the shackles.The running boards are 3-1/2" off the ground.Plenty of ground clearance up front too.
sorry if im hijacking the thread, but, i dont wanna put a front clip in my 56, whats the cheepest, and easiest way to lower it?????
Front-Run your front axle under the springs instead of on top. Rear_Flip the shackles and remove some leaves from the springs. Not hi-tech but cheap and effective. Good Luck, Don.
I have a 55 and i put a mustang two kit on mine with 2in dropped spindles. It sits real low. I need to even things up in the back, so i plan on flipping the axle to ride on top of the spring instead of under. P.S. I just gave my intro, so HEY! to everyone reading
If you want it to sit low in the back, you will have to C notch the rear rails... and I like using the later front-steer subframes under F-100's. They need a wide track and the trans-am and Z-28 subs come with a variable ratio PS box and a 1.25" stabilizer bar for great driving/handling.... here's mine.
I am in the same boat, I'd like to keep the stock front axle, but I'd like to get it pretty low... Besides flipping it onto the top of the springs, will I need to make any boxing plates to 'capture' the axle against the springs? Will I need to extend the steering linkage or anything? Just want to be certain I get all of the facts up front before attempting... any photos or diagrams would be VERY appreciated! Thanks guys! Ben
yeah im in the same boat i have a 59 f100 PBR delivery truck and it has the straight axle in front 9 inch in the rear...id like to get it as lo.....as ican go..............
Any clairification on extending the steering arms, etc? Also, I was thinking more... can I just box in the spring mounting plate for strength, and mount to that, do you think? Any one who has done this, or looked at how these front ends work, I would hope would have some serious safety questions about just flipping the front axle over... or am I missing something? Thanks, guys. Ben
For as much supposed knowledge as you guys have, I would really hope you'd be able to help a guy out... I'm looking to start on this tomorrow and I'm not trying to be snotty... just want to be certain I don't screw it up... Thanks, and BTTVT. Ben
cant screw it up too bad man,,, remember there are no screwups, only "unwanted engineering results" BTTT once again
The Mid Fifties catalog has a chart of different modifications and how much it drops the truck. They have dropped springs that center the axle in the wheel well, dropped axles, clips, whatever. Larry T
Sorry, must be the pain meds, I'm a bit irritable, and don't mean to be... I just thougth flipping the front axle similar to the rear sounded cool, but no one has come through with details that would be important had any of them actually have done this. I will stick with the tried and tested method of removing springs, drop axle, etc. thanks, and once again sorry for being pissy... I just got exceptionally excited about this potential option, and was wanting to know more quickly! Ben
The Jalopy Journal
