Leveling a Heidts crossmember, 54 F100

ive got the entire heidts crossmember and suspension kit for my 54 f100. Ive got the boxing plates welded in and the frame leveled side to side and about a 2 degree rake towards the front end

My problem is the Heidts instructions say to just use a floor jack to raise the crossmember tight against the frame and then weld it in...but if I did that the crossmember wouldn't be level front to back

Ive got it tacked in place now and it seems like the front of the crossmember is higher than the back part of the crossmember

should I drop the crossmember down in the front so its level front to back? or is this how Heidts designed as part of the anti-dive system? I Know that the top hats on the top of the frame have a "lean" to them but have always read and heard the the crossmember and lower control arm mounts should be parallel and level with the ground at ride height.

Any help is greatly appreciated...thanks alot

 

There has been discussion about this before. The lower crossmember should be level front to rear. You are correct that the uppers have lean to them for anti dive. First, are you SURE that the crossmember is aligned correctly with your desired front axle centerline? That would be the most likely problem, as you are dealing with an arched rail.

If you are positive about the location, how much needs to be trimmed to get the mounts flush when it is level?

 

I would call Heidts and explain that you want a rake to your truck. Then ask them if they recommend trimming the crossmember. They should tell you the angle the finished crossmember needs to sit at.

 

Heidt's instructions (Step #6) do say to grind the top edges of the mounts to get the crossmember flush fit to the rail. Apparently this is not a critical dimension to them, so I would say take the minimum amount off to get it to sit level, and make sure it also stays level side to side as you fit it up.

 

Call Heidts before going any further to make sure. I had a similar issue on a 47 Dodge truck frame using a Fatman kit.

 

yes the axle centerline is right on 19 3/4" like it says in the instructions an I've checked the measurement of that many times.

it looks to be about 1/8" would need to be trimmed in order for the crossmember to be parallel with the ground and I did get a reply from heidts saying that The crossmember should be level with the ground not with the frame