I am looking for a clear answer on eactly how much a 1971 Ford f-100 custom can be lowered in the front by cutting the springs without risking camber. I'm only asking for about a 3 inch drop and I've read that you can only get 1 or 1 1/2 without getting camber and in other places I've seen that you can get to up to 3 inches without risking any camber.

Just looking for clarification . Thanks guys .

 

I don't think there is a definitive answer. However, assuming the springs haven't sagged over 40 years (YIKES!), I figure removing half a coil (and whatever that equals in inches) is the limit. Whoever said three inches must only be working on GM products.

I assume you want to go the cheapest route but doing so may actually cost more in the long run in tires, mounting, balancing, etc. Lower it with drop beams and ya won't have that lil voice in yer head worrying ya all to hell about it.

Good luck with your decision and... welcome to FTE.

 

If the springs are weak or you cut too much off, it changes the camber and will wear the inside edge of the tire right?

 

Find a real truck repair shop and an old mechanic who knows the twin I beam front end. Have him adjust the axle to get the correct camber after you get it sittin' down where you want it. Might be a good idea to find that special guy before you drop it as some may not want to do it.
PS. He will either have the tool to adjust the axle or know how to use a jack and chains to bend it. Adjust means bend.

 

Correct....

 

Old School way:
Move the pivot point of the I-Beam up to compensate for coil removal. It is always a guessing game because a truck with a 300 I6 has different springs then a truck with any larger engine, but if you measure the amount of body lift you have before the tire lifts off the ground (make sure your jacking the truck up by the frame) keep this measurement as a reference point. Remove the bolt that the I-Beam pivots on, then the spring. With a drill bit the same size as the original hole (1/2" I think) drill a new hole right above the original. once you have the new hole drilled, remount the I-Beam with out the spring. Next lower the jacks all the way down or until the I-Beam hits the suspension Stop. This will push your tires all the way out from the center point. then lift the truck again and use a vertical level to check the wheels. when they are straight up and down stop jacking. Check the level of the truck left to right across the frame rails. once everything is level, measure from spring mount to spring mount (body to axle). Take that number and add the number you got before when you jacked the truck up, and that will be the new length of your spring. Measure, cut, install.

Something to remember, you have to do both sides at the same time. As complicated as it sounds, it can be done in an afternoon with nothing more then a few wrenches, couple of jacks, 2 foot and 4 foot level, tape measure and cutting tool of your choice. The guessing game was ride height. For every inch you go up at the pivot point, you loose 1.5-2.5 inches in ride height depending on the spring. This method, you can drop 6-10 inches out of the ride height with out having to bend the I beam.......

 

Hold a 3' level to your tire and have a couple fat friends stand on your bumper . measure tire to fender .
cut coils in 1/3 till you get the drop . with acceptable camber
from what i have read you can only get 1.5" before destroying tires quickly .

 

Ok maybe I missed something here. Raise the mount point, then cut the coil. What happened to suspension travel? Removing spring moves the beam closer to the bump stop regardless of the mounting point of the eye. This creates a front suspension that bottoms out which in turn makes the vehicle's driving characteristics dramatically altered. When I was young & had no money I did some pretty dumb things. If you want to lower a suspension for the sake of all the rest of us out there on the road do it right. How in the world would you manage to get 6-10" of drop when you do not have that much suspension travel to begin with? You can only drop a suspension to the point of no travel regardless of method.

Altering the mounting point of the beam alters suspension geometry. Not a good move.

 

Well I dont know about your truck, but under mine I have alor of front end suspension travel, and it is the same for many of the stock trucks I have done that to. Anything you do to the suspension alters the geometry, and lowering the front in does reduce suspension travel like you said. Lowering the truck at all changes handling, whether your lowering the whole truck, or just the front end. Raising the mount point of the I-Beam, in relation to the amount of spring your removing, will actually maintain the suspension geometry, and keep alignment closer to where it needs to be. To address the concern of bottoming out, there are two things that can be done, and one or both should be done. One is to make the spring stiffer, or buy shorter, stiffer springs. Second is replace the shocks with a stiffer Oil filled shock instead of gas shock. Lowering the front end means you want less "body roll" in corning so making things a bit stiffer up front is kinda important. 30 years ago I used to do this trick a lot, and it is very solid in how it works. I can imagine seeing is believing, but I haven't done this in so many years, and back in that day, digital cameras weren't even dreamed of......

 

Theoretically it can be done. Move the pivot point of the beam up, clearance the crossmember, clearance the frame a little where the bump stop is, and it will work. A lot of effort just to get another inch or so in drop. CV for the win!

 

IIRC there is about 3" of suspension travel upward from a rest position. This is with correct ride height. Not anywhere close to 6-10". As stated crossmember would require modification along with moving the bump stop. Again if you can not afford to lower a vehicle properly do not mess with it. Lowering a vehicle does not minimize body roll unless you are riding on the stops. Installing an anti sway bar will reduce body roll. A vehicle can be lowered without altering suspension travel. Drop beams are designed specifically for this. Maintain geometry along with factory suspension travel & ride height secs.

If someone wants more than the drop beams will give them suspension swap is the alternative.

To the OP, as stated there is no definitive answer. It is a trial & error method. As you lower the front the weight distribution changes making additional cuts have greater affect given the same amount of cut. Spring rates are different. You have 2 types of spring. Variable rate & constant rate. Assuming your springs have never been changed 1 could also easily assume they need to be. This would make them constant rate. If they have been changed they could be either. Cargo Coils are easy to spot but other variable rate springs can look just like constant rate.

Cutting coils is not the way to lower a vehicle. Coils can be cut when a suspension swap has been performed to achieve correct suspension geometry. Weight differences will alter how the suspension sits. The lower control arm should be parallel to the deck. Cutting a coil or using lowering springs to achieve this is acceptable practice as it brings the suspension back into it's normal operating range.

Save your pennies until you have enough to buy a set of drop beams & all required or do a swap of some sort. I have seen used drop beams online for $250.