First off, the truck is a 71 shortbed custom. which is the better way to go? if i do the front bracket flip do i have to cut the holes in the bed for the bed to clear them, i want to try and avoid that. if i do one or the other can i cut enought out of the front springs to make it level. im not worried about bottoming out because the roads are not to bumpy here. the reason i am set on doing this is because i have to trucks and when i do it right i will use the susp. out of the parts truck for the dream beam kit. if anyone had any pictures of the axle flip or bracket flip that would be awesome.. thanks guy!!!

 

1. Flipping the front spring hangers does not require clearancing the bed's sheetmetal.

2. Do not cut more than a 1/4 coil winding at any one time. Do not cut more than one coil.... Doing so will result in excessive negative camber.

3. Pics: 5-inch drop F100 Fatman Fabrications Rear Axle Flip


EDIT: 6-inch axle flip from Airbagit.com ... $260

 

Axle flip will lower the rear about 6-7 inches IIRC. No way you can lower the front that much by loping off coils. Do a search and read up on lowering an I-beam truck, it's no simple cake walk. The best way is a whole different front frame stun or the Crown vic. You can get lowered I beams but in my opinion they aren't worth the money. They are expensive and only get you 2-3 inches. And some of them use a jack-wad thing on the steering arms so you loose about a third of your turning radius.

 

The other negatives for beams IMHO is you still have the old brakes & steering along with no anti-sway. So after doing the beams you can stir in drop springs & anti-sway bar. I am assuming you have pwr disc brakes & pwr steering already. If not by the time you get done with beams you have more money in them that doing a suspension swap. The pro is you can always easily go back to a stock front suspension.

 

well i think i found a way to only lower the back about 3 or 4 inches by flipping the front leaf bracket drill two new holes in the middle of the existing holes on the bracket and two new ones above what would now be the two top holes after you flip it so i can move the bracket down about 2 inches on the frame there for taking away 2 inches from the normal flip of the brackets.. im just woundering how many inches will one loop out of the front springs lower it ???

 

There are dropped spindles now available? I learn something new all the time.

It shouldn't be too hard to figure how much one coil will give you. Measure the distance between 2 compressed coils, measure the distance from the I beam pivot to the spring, the distance from the spring to the center of the contact patch on the tire, get the ratio of the 2 and multiply it out.

 

Where was dropped spindles mentioned? I am reading dropped springs.

 

My mistake, I really do need new glasses.