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

Thanks for the updates!! Congrats on the little Girl!!

Happy Thanksgiving! I too feel very blessed "inspite of myself" to have a grweat family and good friends!!

Cheers! *raising a cold Newcastle*

 

Best birthday present you'll ever get. Congratulations.

 

Congrats on the baby girl!!!

Nice project Ford, too!

 

While my batteries are charging on the camera, I figured I'd make a quick update. I laid out the holes for the new steering box mounting plate, using a carpenters square to locate the c/l on the frame, then transferred the measurements onto the 3/16" plate (which will be trimmed down and gusseted before final welding)


Checked the holes for alignment on the original frame holes. We're all good.


The batteries in my drill were all dead after the first round of holes, so I decided to spend some time on the rear end that I had been avoiding. First to go was the utilitarian bumper. Good riddance.


You can see how far the rear end needs to come down


In addition to a huge stack of leaf springs, there were these coil sprin helpers. Actually a cool set-up if you needed something like that. There's also quite a bit of room to modify the rear shackles for a few inches of drop as well.


I managed to salvage all 4 u-bolts, and drop the rear end down after removing the original shocks. I forgot to take a play by play on removing the leaf springs, but I removed all of the "flat" overload springs, as well as the bottom two arched leaf springs.


I set everything back down to check the height and I'm pretty pleased. Actually starting to look like something I'd refer to as a "stance". I'm looking for a couple more inches drop in back, as the front will drop an additional inch with everything bolted back on. There's currently about 4 1/2" clearance above the axle to the bottom of the frame, so it looks like the notch may not be necessary in back.




Now back to the box relocation. More updates later on.

Todd

 

I like it, especially the sectioning of the column drop! Iv been thinkin of doin that to mine, just to get a little more belly room

 

Here's the update I'm sure a lot of you are curious about. I have nearly completed the physical relocation of the steering box assembly.

Here's the raw 3/16" mount plate, setting in place...(side/front view):




Rough shape marked for the cut out.


3/16" plate formed using the marked cut-out for a guide.


Plate marked to the actual shape of the boxing cap.


Here's how the 2 pieces will fit together around the box. They will be welded together, and the cap will have some material removed for clearance at the shaft/worm gear area.


Mount plate tacked in place


Boxing cap with material removed, following approximate contour of the box (side & top view).




Top & side view of new mount assembly tacked in place with the cuts smoothed out and blended in a bit.




That's all for today...except for a quick picture of my little girl. I'm pretty sure that she's already figured out how to reach for a wrench


Todd

 

Think I'm gonna play hookie today from the build...I'll get it welded up and steering over the course of this week, and wrapped up next weekend hopefully...

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

congrats Todd .... work looks good keep it up

 

congrats on the little one. thanks for the posts~

 

Todd great pictures and text on the steering box mods. Its very easy to understand. I really like what your doing there to the truck and still keeping it a straight axle. Excellent work. And congag's on the baby girl!

Michael

 

Thanks guys...

The posts will keep coming, got a lot of things to knock out on this, and the other 2 builds before my little girl gets here.

Stay tuned!

Todd

 

Depending on when the truck is done, she might have the best ride home from the hospital -ever-.

Truck is looking good.

 

Haha!

By the time she arrives, there will be a roll cage, fire equipment, and a single racing seat to keep a solo driver comfy...in the fine print you may have missed that this is a purpose-built truck destined for land speed racing.

Todd

 

You can strap her down to the back.

 

Good stuff Todd... not too many do an axle flip "right," so congrats for this project, and on your impending daughter!

 

Found some stuff on my porch tonight.

 

I have two cents to pass on to you.........Consider less caster on your set up. Have room for adjustment. If you want to see what happens when you have a lot of caster, make a model of a chassis with 4 wheels. Make the front end caster adjustable. Make steering linkage so you can turn the front wheels. Now put in a lot of caster and turn the wheels.........see what happens with your model. I wont spoil the surprise.
Now think of the scenario on the salt or dirt at speed.
All I can say is don't believe everything you hear about setting up your car. Leave room for testing and adjustment. Don't even listen to me. I don't know shit from shinola...

 

Yea, you have to move the whole wheelbase foward otherwise the unibody trucks look like crap I don't car how nice they are.

Here's my shop truck from about 3 years ago, whole wheel base moved foward and 92-96
I-beam suspension grafted into factory frame, not clipped.

 

Your comments are noted, but that ship has sailed. We are basing this set-up on an existing land speed record holder. It's a pickup, and it too has a flipped, stock I-beam with similar caster. It's primary issue is bump-steer, which I am addressing by moving the steering box upward an equi-distant amount to maintain proper geometry. How I got from point "A" to "B" is different, but we're very similar in caster angles.

After consulting our sole local "old school" (I hate that term) alignment shop and dicussing the desired caster and vehicle use, he indicated that we may want to add a steering damper depending on the behavior of the finished product.

Other than axle shims that allow +/- a few degrees either way, adjustable caster isn't really an option on a leaf-sprung I-beam. I appreciate the comments and concerns.

Todd

 

Nice truck, Insane 1...

That sounds like a lot of work!

 

Sweet.....I likey ! ! !

 

Thanks, but not really, but then again I've been doing custom suspension for almost 20 years. The good thing about the set up was the ride, the stance, and disc brakes. Plus it pushed the wheels out about an 1" or so so they sat closer to the fenders.

Good luck w/yours, and I'll check in to see hows it going.

 

Those look great Tim...we gonna have time for a quick mock-up picture when you come for the axles?

 

While not as exciting as tires and wheels, but definitely a piece of the puzzle, the "custom" front U-bolts are here...

A big thanks to AB Spring Service in Grand Rapids, MI. I contacted "springer" on the HAMB, and they totally took care of me. Do a search!! It's amazing what sources there are on the HAMB! Thanks guys!

They are perfectly sized, and came with all the correct hardware...

 

You betcha!

 

This is the most thorough tech/build style I have thread I have seen in a while. I have read every post and you have done an amazing job.

I have a 64 SWB with a 292. I flipped the rear and only had about 2 inches of clearance to the bottom of the frame, I c notched it last monday for about 2 and 1/4 addl inches. I am uncertain why I have less room than you did, other than maybe more relaxed springs.

In regards to the kit that is now available, 5 inches of drop is not enough for me. Fliping it gets more than that and if a notch isn't needed, as in your case, it is much cheaper and really probably easier.

I regards to modifying the box location. If you move it up and out exactly the distance the axle centerline has traveled you should no bumpsteer or certainly nothing worse than that of a stock setup, correct?

The previous owner of my truck took all the leaves but the two long main leaves out to lower the front, currently the axle is literally up agains the bottom of the cut down bump stop, I.E. no travel. I have been contemplating one of the sids drop axles of three inches, adding some leaves back in for travel, so in theory having similar ride hieght but with 3 inches of travel.

Is there a reason why you didn't go with a drop axle and either a z'd steering arm.

Sorry for the long post but you have got my interest. And also congratulations on the baby girl, after four adopted boys, we are having our first child, a girl, within now and Christmas.

Joe

 

Here is A RODDER's truck

 

Joe,

Thanks for the kind words and the questions. Did my best to answer each within your original post below:

And now we have a long post...

(beautiful truck, by the way)