Allll rright so i have a 1975 ford f100 custom short bed and i have decided to bag it out yea turn it into a street scraper so i have decided to go with a parallel 4 link on the back but i dont know how im going to do the front is it as simple as taking out the coils welding brakets and mounting the bags inplace of the coils? someone plese let mee know the steps of bagging out the front of my truck and pictures wouldnt hurt ha ha and also will i have to shortin my drive shaft when i bag out the back thanks every one sorry about the long thread

 

I would suggest swapping in a crown vic front suspension.... otherwise when u rais and lower your camber will change... And if you want to lower the front you have to get drop beams.

 

i dont mind about the camber thats part of having a street scraper and swaping front ends sounds like alot more touble than swaping beams and mounting air bags

 

What size wheel and tire do you plan on running? If it's going to be a larger combo you will really want to consider going with an a-arm suspension like the crown vic, or even a newer chevy full size front clip.

If you want to keep the beams, most guys will make their own upper bag bracket and weld a lower plate onto the beam. If you can't find much information on your truck, check out the Rangers before 98, their I-beam suspension is similar. The mechanics of how to add air bags should be the same.

What you need to decide on is how low you plan to go. If you plan to ever bodydrop the truck you will really want to consider swapping the front clip. If you want the frame to lay on the ground you will probably have notch your frame for the tie rods, and the beams. Additionally you may have to notch the beams for the frame some and possibly the oil pan. I'm not 100% on the specifics for the full sizes. I will ask a friend who is more familiar with your generation Ford and see if he has anything to add.

 

Nice to know the sponsors are checking in.
Thanks Mike!
If Ford did the same they would probably go back to selling '73-'79 trucks again.

 

Ya really! I might have to call AirLift when I decide what to do with my ranger`s suspension(`90).

Especially if they listened to us around here

-Jake

 

thanks man and i was planning on running a 24inch wheel and i was looking at everything and i was thinkin if i would run into any MAJOR problems if i was to chop the upper coil mount and drop it down a few inches and mounting a bag that way when the bag is full the ride height will bee close to the same and i could lower it do you think this idea would work?? thanks looking foward to your apply

 

ment to say REply not Apply lol

 

I think your main goal is to be somewhat lower but still retain some adjust-ability, correct?

I think the easiest way to figure out what you will really need is with pictures:

If you want to be as low as this, you might be able to get away with Ibeams, but this guy only has 20's. I would assume with 24's you will probably be a little higher in the front and more camber


This guy is also running 20's and Ibeams


You will notice that both of those guys are running a really small tire. I'm not sure exactly what the factory coil mount looks like, so I can't say for sure if just removing it and moving down would be sufficient. My first question with that would be is there enough clearance for the bag on a factory mount? The air bag is going to have a bigger diameter than the coil possibly. You could go with a bracket such as this one for the Ibeam rangers:


The more common trend recently with the rangers is a tube mount:

A tube mount allows you to set better compound angles for the air bag during travel. The problem many people had with the traditional kit was the bag would end up too twisted or stretched when compressed versus ride height.

If you ever plan to be as low as the guys below, you will pretty much have to switch to a control arm suspension. The Ibeam will just get way too much camber when laid out and when aired up enough to clear your 24's.




If nothing else I hope my post gave you some inspiration. Without really knowing your end goal height, it's hard to say what would be sufficient.

 

hey thanks alot man i have been looking at some threads and going with a crown vic suspension doesnt look as complicated as it sounds so do you have any pointers for mee have you ever seen this done? oh and these are some sweet ttrucks thanks again oh and what do you mean by Ibeams im not for sure what they are post a pic of s pair if you dont mind thanks

 

You may also want to look into using a camaro front clip, I know those have similar track widths and more aftermarket options available. The very last truck I posted has a camaro front suspension.

When I say Ibeam and I'm referring to your beams. They aren't an I-beam obviously, it's just something they are constantly referred to as.

My biggest suggestion is measure. Measure to see which front clip will best work for you, measure your wheel base, your frame horn locations, your width, and even where your steering is currently. Try to locate factory measurements as well just for reference.

If you can, try to use a frame rack, or really any flat surface. When I built my full frame I actually just built a gigantic plywood table and made sure to level it. I didn't have an entire vehicle on it though, just the frame.

 

your exactly right how to you think a mustang 2 front end would work as far as ride hight and track width money is no big deal cause im starting an awesome job at the first of the year so how you think this will work out for mee thanks again