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hi everyone i have a 49 f1 with a chassie engineering mustang 2 front suspension with a 4inch drop, and the rear i removed every other leaf spring and relocated the axel on top of the springs. the axel is a disc brake rear from an 2001 explorer the springs are original 49 ford units. my problem is when i hit the slightest bump the rear bottom out like i am driving off road . does any one have some suggestions on what i did wrong and how to fix it without airbags or cutting the frame i will let that be my last expensive resort.
Most rear over axles require a c-notch in the frame
Other that that I would think that all the other modifications you made may have screwed up the suspension geomerty just a tad
starting from the begining i used stock shackles, they are rebuilt springs are in factory mounting position pinion angle was corrected. where should i look for soloution and thanks for the help i ran out of ideas on what to do
Adding a spring or two back in should help, going to be a rougher ride.
But it will keep the springs from flexing so much when you hit a bump, and hitting the bump stops.
Other then that, you probably need air bags to keep your ride, or put the axle back under the springs.
What is your current shock setup? If stock, they are probably not vertical enough to do any good. You may have to put a couple spring leaves back in if it is to mushy.
sorry for the long response i went outside to take some measurements . after putting finished bed on truck the suspension was resting about 1/4 inch from the factory bumper on the frame i am goint to remove and test drive with out rubber bumper and start from this point i will repost an update with the results and thanks again yall information made me look again and i found something i missed two minds are better than one
I think if you want to keep the axle over the springs a C notch is going to be your best bet. At that space you still won't have alot of room for the suspension to compress with or without the bumper.
You can add springs back, but that could be very rough ride.
I would also agree with everyone on shocks.
Sorry to hear it's not quite what you were wanting. But as with anything that's life.
You'll get it figured out one way or the other.
What should be done is get a weight on the front and rear axles - Then measure your springs front and rear and get the Spring Rate calculated - If the Spring Rates are bad then correct the springs - If that comes within acceptable range get shocks that fit the spring rate and amount of travel available.
If you just make random changes your throwing money at the problem instead of solutions
1/4" of spring travel? You might need to add some of the springs back or bite the bullet and get a new set. Taking the rubber bumpers out isn't going to help anything, they just protect the axle housing and the frame from hitting each other and doing damage.
I was going to question the 4-6 inches clearance, but you already answered that question. I also have an 8.8 disc brake unit from an explorer. I don't think removing the bump stops are going to help much. sounds like everyone has you heading the right direction. I used springs and hangers from an '89 Dodge Dakota, then had to install add-a-leafs to bring it up a bit. Cheap but it did require some fabrication and welding. If I remember correctly, 3" clearance was a good minimum clearance between the top of the axle and bottom of frame. Another thing, my truck is originally an F3. I believe the bump stops are different than the F1's they are pretty thin and would give you more clearance. I have pics at home(I'm at "work" ) if interested.
Welcome to the forum! Jeff
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