I was wondering if anyone has a good idea of how exactly you switch the rear axle on a 53 f-100 from below to on top for lowering purposes. Or if the leaf removal is better or both removal and switch the axle.

This truck is a ( house to bar ) truck and I dont forsee any hauling or pulling so rear handeling and ride are really not a concern.Thanks Again All, DJ

 

When it comes to lowering the rear of the truck, you've got several options. Remove some leaves, reposition the spring perch, install longer shackles, switch to mono-leaf or reversed eye springs, or flip the axle. All of the above are pretty self-explanatory with the exception of flipping the axle. Flipping the axle is the most difficult of all the options and the toughest to get right, but it is the only way to get the truck waaaay down next to the asphalt. The spring pads will have to be torched off the top side of the axle and new ones will have to be welded to the bottom. Then you can mount the axle above the springs with new u-bolts. That's the simple part. It kinda gets ugly from there. Before you can do any of the mounting, you're going to have to c-notch the frame for axle travel. The best way to do it is to completely remove a section of the frame above the axle and then splice it back together with a bridge section offset higher into the frame rail. After it's all back in one piece, it is MANDATORY that the entire section of the frame rails be boxed from in front of the front spring perch to behind the rear one.

 

"The best way to do it is to completely remove a section of the frame above the axle and then splice it back together with a bridge section offset higher into the frame rail."

'rage

Could you explain this part in more detail. Are you suggesting the entire frame be shifted up at the axle? Just asking because there is going to be an interference problem with the bed planks. That probably isn't what you meant.

 

I bought the flip kit from midfifty. I did have to weld new spring pads, but diddnt have to c-notch my frame. I am running 6 leaves, and have bumper pads on my frame that dont even get used. The only way You will hit frame using stock springs is if you are hauling heavy loads. What I did was took one side off, and slipped my axle through the other side (remove tires) lol. I got like a 4" drop out of that alone. You can see how she sits in one of my gallery pix.


Hope this is what you were looking for.

 

Fenders,
to answer your question: If you are doing a c-notch, your bed depth will suffer. I was going to do this to install airbags, but decided against it for now. I bought angle iron, and cross members to weld 6" up into my bed, then was going to lay wood across that to hide the "c" and to give me travel. Ive seen it done, and it looks ok.

 

55Forder

I have seen the C-notch kits where you don't touch the top of the frame rail and bed clearance is not affected. It looks like a bad idea to me. I believe 'rage knows what I mean. I am just asking if he is talking about a different procedure.

 

Dewayne,

I believe if you do what I think rage is talking about, if I understand it) you have to raise the bed wood in the bed...if you do 6" the bedwood has to be raised 6" in the bed. Which brings up a whole different set of problems of bed metal support, bed wood support... I've seen it done and see several at P.F. every year, but I personally don't care for them...

I don't want my truck that low so I guess it has no appeal to me...

67 MORE DAYS TO THE SUPERNATIONALS ....WOO HOO !!

JOHN

 

John

I have only seen magazine shots of the raised bedwood. The look doesn't appeal to me either. I think the more conventional C-notch kit is probably acceptable if you just took an inch or so out of the frame. Like everything, if you go full radical and leave the frame rail only 1 inch tall, it just doesn't look sound to me. Even with a box.

 

Dewayne,

Yeah, those guys are following the procedure I was referring to. I just forgot to mention the detail about raising the bed floor. After all, it is such a SMALL detail! LOL I don't doubt but what some guys have pulled off a flip without notching the frame, but I measured the clearance on my truck and I'd only be left with about an inch of travel - and I've got stock springs at this point. I suppose it could work if you left the entire spring pack intact to keep it nice and stiff. At any rate, I think it's safe to say that it would be a colossal pain in the backside however you did it. I personally feel that there are a lot of other viable alternatives that are much simpler to install and will provide a better ride. Of course, I'm not one of those guys that refuses to drive his truck unless the fenders are dragging the asphalt, either.

 

'rage

I have no idea how 55Forder is pulling it off. His springs have to be stiffer than mine. I am running 5 leaves. If I flipped the axle I believe I would have well under 2 inches travel before it hit a snubber. That won't cut it. It's the looks vs function thing again. There are few things that destroy a vehicle faster than to drive. I think your 16 inch rim plan is the best way to get the proper rear wheelwell look and end up with something pleasurable to drive.

 

Just to add more confusion to the lower discussion;

There seems to be two routes to C-sectioning a frame –

1. The way Rage was talking about essentially replaces the top edge of the frame with a new edge several inches higher. There is an article in the March 2002 issue of Street Rodder magazine showing No Limit Eng doing this route. Apparently they sell a kit for it. Don’t recall how much it raises the top edge but I think it brings the bottom edge up about 3”. There is in stock form about 2 inches between the top of the frame and the bottom of the bed wood, so maybe you don’t have to screw with your bed wood at all. I personally did not like, probably because of the massive amount of welding involved.

2. Notching up into the bottom edge of the frame and then boxing the open side to put back some strength to compensate for the fact that you are reducing the overall measurement of the frame from top to bottom. (Did that make sense?) RB’s Obsolete Auto offers a kit for this for around $100.00 and I think Sac.Vintage Ford (home of the excessive additional surcharges) does as well. It would be that difficult to do on your own though.

I’m basically going with #2 on my 54F100. Here’s what I’m doing;

1. I flipped the axle up on top of the springs. Took the old spring perches off with an angle grinder and will spot weld the new ones in place. I did not buy the flip kit that Sac. Vintage Ford carries for about $95.00 because with all their b.s. surcharges, exchange and freight it would have cost me about $200.00 I went to a local truck spring repair shop, bought the kit they sell for $25.00 CDN then went to a small local machine shop and had him add a lower shock mount to the plates that goes under the springs (it’s the plate the U bolts go down through)

This gave me about 4 “ of drop.

2. I had to replace my main leaves anyway (both were cracked) so I went with reversed eye main leaves. Couldn’t find just the main leaves without the reversed eyes or I woulda. (Don’t tell me now where to get them now, it’s too late.)

This gave me another 1 ½” of drop.

I now have about 3” of clearance (without the snubber in place) before the axle hits the frame. So I’m notching the bottom of the frame by about 2 “ and boxing the open side of the frame.

So I’ll have about 5 inches of drop and about 4-5 inches of travel.

Later,

 

RMF

Sounds like a plan. I think option #2 is fine if you don't go overboard on the "C". After boxing, effectively reducing your frame to a 1x2 square tube directly above the axle should be avoided IMO. I have seen some taken to that extreme.

 

'fenders,

Yah I agree with you on the 1x 2 point. I recall the width of the frame is about 2 & 1/16th inches and I think the height will end up somewhere around 2 & 1/2" or something like that. I know I went as little as i felt safe going. I'd rather bottom out occasionaly than end up with a frame that snapped because it was too shallow.

Would rather have not had to use the reversed eyes, but.......

However, as my 16 yr old (Rory) says - "it'll be slammin"

Later,

 

However, as my 16 yr old (Rory) says - "it'll be slammin"

RMF

We'll patiently wait here for you to post PICs of the sparks flyin' off your boards

 

The frame area between the springs is subject to serious forces already when you hit an Indiana chuck hole and it's worse if the bed is loaded. Any sectioning or Cing will automatically make the center the weakest point. My biggest reservation about modifying the frame in this area whatsoever stems from my unexplicable need to apply unreasonable amounts of torque and horsepower to my rear axle. If anyone understands this, Niolon does. My bed will never BE loaded, but the chassis and suspension will get abused just as much by the powertrain. Picture the axle and springs in wrap-up under a hard launch. Now picture the same thing with a hunk lopped out of the center of the rails over the axle. For you sane drivers, this probably wouldn't ever be a problem if the fab work was top notch. Since I know full well that mine will get ran hard on a regular basis, I'll follow John's lead and extract my quota of cool from large amounts of tire smoke instead of being in the weeds.