Hello to all, I am usually found in the 61-66 forum but have a topic that pertains to anyone with a 65 through 79 2WD truck that wants to lower there truck, such as I do. So, here's the dilemma. I have been researching how to best lower my 66 F100 for months now and everytime I seem to reach a decision, I read some thing negative about either the product or method of lowering a king pin twin I-beam style truck. Needless to say this has left me a bit frustrated. Now I know that everyone here has either an opinion or something they have done that worked or didn't. That is not what this is about. If you have done something to your truck and it works for you, then great. I have read a lot of threads, both here and on other forums regarding the CV swap, and for me, that is just not a feasible solution. So the other option is looking at dropped I-beams. I have read a lot about both DJM and AIM and quite frankly both options leave me a bit concerned . Before I got my slick, I had a 1996 F350 Supercab Dually. I bought it with 27000 on the clock and drove it for 12 years. When I sold it last year It had 225000 on the clock. The whole time I owned the truck It never left me stranded and ran beautifully with the 460 in it. The 2 reasons I sold it were for 1. Fuel Mileage and 2. I wanted a 66 F100. The Dually had been lowered before I bought it utilizing a Bell Tech 3/6 dropped I-beams and rear shackle kit. Like I said, I put just shy of 200000 miles on this truck without a single issue with the suspension. With that said I decided to contact Bell Tech to see if they had or were going to be producing I-beams for the 65-79 Kingpin style trucks. I spoke to Brent in Customer service and he was really nice. He told me there were no plans for these but he said he would pass my contact info to the head of R&D. Now for the reason I am posting this thread. If we can get as many of this group as we can to call Bell Tech, maybe they will understand there is a need for a quality dropped I-beam for our trucks. So, please contact Bell Tech at 1-800-445-3767 and give them your request or even tell them what you don't like about the other brands. This will show them there is a demand. Here are a few pics of the dually. I used this truck as it was meant to be used. Thanks for reading this long rant.

 

Why does your truck need to be lower? What's wrong with the height it is now? Are you doing all of this punishing yourself just for looks?

 

I am not punishing myself. It's not just for looks either. It's about the overall presence of the truck and what I like and I like lowered trucks. Now I don't care for the ones that are airbagged and can set the frame on the pavement but some like that and more power to them. I'm not a purist by any stretch of the imagination. I will modify anything. The 66 is getting a frame up rebuild along with a modern 5.8 EFI / AOD driveline. 4 Wheel power disc brakes, ABS and power steering. Visually, except for the stance and the wheels, it will appear stock.

 

Why? Lowered trucks look dam good! The ones that ride badly are the ones that lowered cheaply, incorrectly, and without safety in mind. More often than not a properly lowered truck rides better than stock and is much more stable going down the road. If you dont like it, keep it to yourself.

 

Just curious... but I have only read and had my own problems with djm. They are hack jobs at best. AIM on the other hand has top notch i-beams for our series. I have yet to find a problem other than people ordering wrong parts and aim somehow always makes things right..

 

Thats interesting? That exactly opposite everything I have read. Including a recent thread about AIM beams a member here ordered. Beams look marginal at best and his order was wrong more than once. AIM beams looked like some kind of stock beam welded up; that was a lot of the comments. I have never orderd beams from anyone but my truck has DJM. They look heavy duty and seem well made to me. Regardless; I am trashing all that junk and welding in a mustang II. I got sick and tired if the limitations of twin I beams. IMO, I wouldn't mess with beams any longer. Go with a bolt in crown vic, dodge dakota, or weld in a mustang II. Sorry if I the thread?

 

I have no issues at all with the DJM dream beams in my 460 short bed.
I didn't like the Silvervein finish so I ordered mine plain and had them powdercoated satin black before installing them.

 

Thats odd

Every thing i have searched between this sub forum and the 60's, I only find negative comments in craftsmanship on DJM. A few things question AIM's quality and missing parts. DJMs reputation on crappy beams FAR out-weighs that of AIM's. Even my DJM beams for 89 and my 96 were junk. A short google search proves they are probably the worst drop beams ever made on seeing how many issues there are with them. Not to mention the rep guy "mike" at DJM is as dumb as the come and dont even know how to use the equipment they sell. Classic Trucks magazine has literally nothing but good things to say about AIMs beams. And thats coming from a fabricator I know that works for them. He also told me they even paid listed price for theirs. So their opinion is as un-biased as it comes. This guy on HAMB knows his stuff and swear by the AIM beams. Even has a side by side shot of how much better they are.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...=595366&page=2

My AIM beams are perfect, I dont expect much anything more from a mass produced part. I am still not understanding why so many people complain about the twin i-beam setup. I have never had a problem with the 4 I have done and 2 of which were my own. I have seen many f100s dropped with beams and bags and the owners claim no problems. I know my truck handles great, even better than factory. I have no troubles steering and to boot i didnt have to pull a motor and hack away at the front-end to do a suspension swap that ends up costing more.

FTR- It cost me $670 to do a full 3" front and 5" ( i had a promo for the beams and flip kit) rear drop with shocks, step notch, new king pins (installed), I swapped over spindles and disc brakes from a 79, new tie rod ends, pitman arm, and radius arm bushings.

I couldnt even get a CV crossmember for under $400 at my local u-pull & pay. With that I would have to add in different steering (around $100~), pull the motor, spend 2-3days making everything fit. Where as I did my 3/5 drop in under 5 hours including boxing the rear frame and welding in the notch... It might seem beneficial to some to do the CV swap but to me, the less time working on my truck and the more driving it, the better. Ford uses the twin i-beam suspension still so it is a proven design. And in my 4 years (150k miles) of having dropped beams I have never had a problem with any (other than DJM). I guess it just comes down how you do things, but I like all the interchangeability on the i-beam setup and even the newer gen trucks you can run drop coils with ease...

 

Honestly, by the looks of that thread you posted; I would say your right. Those particular DJM's look like chit.

Another thing you are right about is the cost and time to do the CV or MII. IMO, the cv is more of a time issue and not a cost issue. I realize you couldn't find one for a good price but I have seen them for $100 where guys pulled them then abandoned the project. The CV could be done in a weekend and the benefits of it out weigh the twin i beam by a mile. The little extra time is well worth it to me?

Now the MII is a whole nother animal. There is quite a bit of fabrication and geometry involved. But........ now there is nearly limitless options. Endless, brake packages including 9 inch disc all the way up to 13 inch drilled and slotted and zinc coated, control arm packages, springs and spring rates, coilovers, single adjustable, double adjustable shocks, air bags, forged spindles, dropped spindles, billet hubs, and on and on. Cost is definitely up there but in the end it was the best option for me.

Oh, and unlike the twin I beam, they ride a million times better and the ease of alignment blows away the bull sh-t you have to deal with aligning a ibeam set up.


Regardless, I don't care who make aftermarket I beams or how many miles someone had put on them, I will never own another truck with them.

But getting back to the original topic, would it not be possible to make a dropped spindle for these trucks? How about a dropped i beam with a 2 inch dropped spindle? Or maybe someone could actually make a airbag kit that bolts in and would not require fabrication?