i have a 1970 f100 ford truck. i was wondering how can i lower the front end say up to 3 inches or so with out any real modifications?? change springs?? thanks,...bill

 

A pair of DJM or AIM lowering beams. They change the relative position of the spindle to the I-beam and maintain the suspension travel.

Go to this post and scroll down to the "Lowering.." section: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post13139591

 

thanks but I was just hoping I could do something else, like get a shorter spring or cut a coil off. thanks for the info though,....bill

 

Bill cutting coils on the I Beam suspension will lower the truck. There is a cost though. It will drive poorly, eat tires & front end parts. If you try to have it aligned to compensate for the camber problem that will occur. The first thing we did was check ride height in these types of trucks. If not within specs we said "new springs" which brings it up to where it belongs. Suspension pieces are all about geometry. Maintain proper geometry & all is good. Go outside the parameters & ugly things happen. You will see guys talk about cutting coils. I did it on my IRS install BUT on an independent control arm suspension the lower control arm should be parallel to the deck. Taking 1/2 coil out of my rear springs made the lower control arm parallel to the deck thus restoring proper geometry. Remember I took a car rear suspension & put it under the tail of a truck. If you can not afford to or do not want to spend what is required to do it properly you will end up with a dangerous vehicle.

The CV IFS can be done for around $750 if you watch your costs. Plus wheels & tires. Advantage to beam swap is using the same everything with exception of the beams themselves. You will have additional expenses such as replacing king pins. You can also always go back to stock easily should you desire. By the way our little bump is a '70 also.

 

ok, so either buy new lowering I beams or leave it the way it is, that is my options??
was there different springs for a small block compared to a big block?? if so, would that help?? I just want to lower it a couple of inches. thanks,.....bill

 

Lowering isn't a simple or relatively cheap affair with I-beamed trucks.

Yes, there were different springs for small and big block applications but that's not really the issue... the issue is the relationship of the spindle's horizontal centerline with the centerline of the I-beams... it's static. A-arm equipped vehicles can be lowered more easily with shorter springs cuz the balljoints can compensate by slightly pivoting and the A-arms increasing their angle from horizontal. All shorter springs do on our rigs is increase the tire's tilt from vertical. Meaning,the inside of the tire will have significant camber and steering will be all wonky.

Sit down on the ground in front of your truck. Now imagine the front suspension cycling and you'll likely understand it more. Look at the pivot points. .. Now do the same with a truck equipped with A-arms, like a C-10, or even a GM A-body, F-body, or G-body.

And no, lowering spindles are not available for these rigs. I wish!

 

You can cut coils and have the beam ends close to the wheels re-aligned at an alignment shop.
Some shops not all (do some research) heat and bend the beam ends to compensate for either pos. or neg. camber depending on if you raise or lower your truck. No real safety issue there cause that's how you adjust camber on twin I-beams or straight beams.
That's the least expensive way.
There are so many options to replace these front ends but all will take some time and $. Those are options you have for the future if you decide you like the look or actually want to slam it. Later.

 

Never take your truck to any shop that will heat the beams. The beams are meant to be bent cold. Heating them weakens them. Yes there is a safety issue doing it this way.

As to different springs. We again go back to ride height. Let's pretend you have a big block truck & want to put in small block springs. Compression rate is different. You will no longer have the control you had before. You will experience negative camber which will require alignment (you will need an alignment regardless of how you lower it). Next on the list will be a check for ride height. Ride height is determined by the relation of suspension to chassis. It has nothing to do with the actual height of the vehicle.