I am thinking of installing 3" drop I beams in the front of my 1970 f100 2wd. Is there one company better than the other? Is there any problems with dropping the front end with alignments or anything else? How tough is it to do?

 

It should be a fairly easy install.
Make sure you get all of the parts needed, like tie rod extenders. While you're at it, you might as well convert to disc brakes.
You may find out that you are going to have to run a fairly low profile tire, or a larger diameter wheel with a positive offset if you want to stay with a more normal height tire.

CACWBY had problems with his tires rubbing, I don't know if he got that solved yet.

Personally, I will be going with Chassis Tech.
I've used their products on other vehicles and been satisfied with the results.

----Patrick

 

Don't get DJM. "Dream Beams" are junk. Look at them an you'll see why. The Chassis Tech stuff looks good. I'm still pondering drop beams too.

 

I have 15 X 8 wheels and 255/60/15 tires? Will these rub the fenders?

 

OK here's the deal - I have done this with both, so I have the proof, and I respectfully disagree with Pat67Shorty. AIM (Based on their advertising, and the round type beams pictured in most DJM ads) did seem the better so I bought theirs. They are almost 1 1/2" longer than stock and the king pins fall through the bushings, with like .10 slop. This extra width might not be so bad if you are keeping stock drum brakes, I did not. The MP Disc brake conversion also adds about an I" so no way I could use the 8" wide rims. Oh, and the people at AIM were not the least bit interested in my problem, and insisted that they were same length as stock, and only way they would consider replacing if bushings were sloppy was I ship at my expense and then if they determined a flaw they would replace. So, having more money than brains (or so all the shops and parts house I've been making contributions to for past 1 1/2 years must think) I called the DJM folks. Very nice guy named Grant, took a lot of time to explain that they had tooling that measure exact same as stock, gave me the measurements with no prompting from me, which I checked against my stock axles (which I should have done on AIM). And if you go to their website you can see that the round beams in the ads ARE NOT the ones used for our years F100's! Those are for Rangers, and the ends on all theirs are solid. So I took the leap and ordered theirs. So I Have Bought and own both. The ones on my garage floor that I can't use are AIM, The ones on my truck, with Disc Brakes and 8" rims, and working great are DJM. But as happy as I am that I managed to make this work with the well made and good looking DJM, if I was doing again, I'd investigate the Fatman Fabrication IFS, because I beams suck for lowered trucks. Oh, and one other big help, I ditched the standard 2" lowered springs that I cut , for a set of 2" lower progressive rate ones. I'll see ya'all in Pigeon Forge.

 

It's kind of ironic though - that all the AIM/Chassis Tech parts for lowering rear are working great, and the Tie Rod Relocaters that came with DJM I Beams are crap, so I'm using the ones from AIM (they have Two fastening points instead of just one) on my DJM Beams. Go figure. This is just a scratch on the surface of the aftermarket hell I've discovered in this journey. It took me two different mufflers, two sets of tires, two AOD dip sticks, two spark plug looms, three starters, three sets of headers, two gas fillers, and other stuff I can't even think of right now. So bottom line is, do the research -ask questions of the people selling it, and most important ask the people who actually have the stuff, and get to know the people selling it - take down their name, so if there is a problem they'll do something about it. Later.

 

You said that I beams suck to lower? Why? Should I go with AIG or chassis tech? Will my tire size and rims fit with stock drum brakes? What does it take to switch from non power drum brakes to power drum brakes or power disc brakes?

 

Chassis Tech and AIM are virtually the same company.
One is supposed to be for wholesale (dealers only), the other is for retail.

Their site is www.truckin.com

DJM's is www.djmsuspension.com

As far as the disc brake swap goes, go to the Tech Articles section to the right.------->>>
It's a fairly detailed install.

Trev, I'm suprised at what you went through. I've had pretty good fortune with them (AIM). But then again, I haven't ordered a set of beams through them yet either.

----Patrick

 

Good to know then. I retract my privious statement. My opinion was based off of the round beams in DJM's ads, and someone with a ranger I know that used and broke them. I looked at those tubular things and thought: "That's gonna hold up my big block truck? Right." I would be most unhappy with C.T. if I spent $500 on their beams on it widened my track. I think I may just go with 2in drop springs and get the beams bent to correct camber.

 

If you use 2" drop springs, I heard you lose your ride plus it is hard to get aligned again?

 

I have drop springs only and had it aligned yesterday at my local tire shop. It aligned up perfectly tracking straight and true (front and rear). The numbers came up better than most new factory autos that come in the shop which I was surprised but glad to hear. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones in completing the front disc brake swap (76 F-100) without changing any steering linkage to get a correct alignment but I guess I deserve it as this 3 year project is 99.9% complete and it has worked on my patience and mind.

stroker393
Tony in NC

1969 Ranger short bed
351W (stroked to 393)
4 speed toploader
4:57 Locker
American Racing torq-thrust II wheels
295/50-16 on 16x8 rear
215/70-16 on 16x7 front

 

OK here's some more straight scoop ... and there might be a quiz so listen closely.

If using drop springs and stock axles you can still get camber adjusted (they actually bend the axles with a jack and hold down), and have a little bit lower and good alignment and a little less spring travel, and you may even notice that it's 2" lower. When I did that nobody seemed to notice. But you have to retain stock axles (One Piece Cast Beams-they are not a true I Beam though we all call them that). That is the Key.

You create negative camber with less spring height. If any one did this and didn't, then they probably had too much positive camber to begin with. So if you use shorter springs and intend to do much driving you either have to get the camber corrected or sacrifice some tire wear.

In my area of 300,000 people only One shop will actually do Camber Correction on Beam axles. All shops can do Toe In - Toe Out, but few do the Camber on these trucks.

Now if you use aftermarket Dropped Beams Of either AIM/Chassis Tech, or the only other choice DJM, these are not One Piece Beams, they are welded up steel shapes. AIM's is a welded up I Beam type shape but it is WELDED, and so is the DJM. Now if you go bending them to adjust camber you bust welds, basically the pressure required to adjust camber will break the pieces joined together, and no reputable shop will do this. So Dropped Beams = No Camber Correction.

Now with just Dropped axles you may not need camber adjustment and the AIM/DJM folks claim you shouldn't.

Now you dive in without knowing all this (as I did) and you decide to go as low as you can with Twin Beams, with 3" Dropped Axles and 2" Lowered Springs. Well you now have negative camber , and NO WAY to correct it (short of redesigning the crossmember and the pivot points for the beams, and at that point you might as well be installing a Fatman Fab IFS). So I'm resigned to making sure all other specs dead on (toe In and wheel balance and a steering damper) and living with the early tire wear from my self induced Negative Camber. I am old enough, I paid for it, it's mine and no one can make me raise it back up, so there.
Good Luck ... But these are reasons why - if really into Low you have to Go IFS.

 

could you have the beams cut and rewelded to take the angle out? say if you know your 3 degree's too far you couldn't have them cut and rewelded with 3 degree's taken out? Oh yeah the factory beams are forged not cast

 

So if I'm using stock brake drums in the front and I don't want a wider stance when I lower it, which arms do I go with without having any problems with alignment,breaking welds or etc. ? How hard is it to convert manual brakes to power brakes?

 

I installed the AIM 3" drop I beams on my truck, cut 2" from my coils and adjusted my own toe. my camber on the right front was within ford specs now my left front is about one half degree out of ford specs.(negative) my caster on both wheels are within specs and I never took it to an alignment shop. back in my circle track days we did our own alignments. AIM must build in the camber/caster into their products. I do believe that I would have put in an IFS if I was doing it again.