Bending beams
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
From: Hemet, Ca
Bending beams
i have a 2wd 76 super cab f150. I am currently running 33 red labels on stock suspension. Everything clears, however it is time to lift the front a little. I have been looking at the auto fab stuff and I know it is great, however I really don't want to pull the beams and switch everything out. The beams I have now are nice and tight and the brakes and bearings are all new. When I lifted my 86 ranger a 100 years ago, I just installed a 6" coil and drove (carefully) to an alignment shop in el cajon I believe (I think it was north county alignment). They put the truck on the rack and bent the beams as necessary. This was back before everyone used longer radius arms as well. That truck worked great, and it seems like I could do the same thing here. Am I missing something?
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
From: Hemet, Ca
You are right, they are hard to find. I do believe there is one in the San Diego area, but wondered if anyone else has done this without changing out the radius arms and everything.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,144
Likes: 0
From: Sedro-Woolley, WA
It doesn't take any special equipment to bend I beams. Alignment shops just chain one part of the I beam to the alignment rack and use a bottle jack to do the bending. Any competent frame and axle shop can do this for you.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
Sounds like you would end up with "bent" beams alright! I wouldn't call any shop that would do what you just described as "competent".
Trending Topics
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,144
Likes: 0
From: Sedro-Woolley, WA
Really? So enlighten me. How do you bend your I beams?
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
There is a tool. I'll have to find a pic, it's on the site here. Chain and a bottle jack is involved but its a unit that attaches directly to the beam to be able to direct the bend precisely where you want it
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
I think in the end if this is really what you want to do, a kit like autofab has is the best way to go. You could put bigger springs on it and find somebody to correct the camber. But the radius arms are going to be too short and the wrong angle. I don't think you can make it work without those modifications. Then there is the steering linkage. In sure it will need modification to minimize things like bump steer or being able to steer at all. By the time you conside all that, autofab sounds pretty good. That's a better answer than us debating the proper way to bend I beams
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,144
Likes: 0
From: Sedro-Woolley, WA
I really can't argue with you on this because right there it is!
But in the prit-near 40 years that I have had twin I beam trucks, I have never seen a single alignment shop strap one of those monstrosities on my pickup.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,038
Likes: 4
From: South west Idaho
I would never let a shop throw a chain around the axle and use a jack . You could end up twisting the axle enough to throw off the caster adjustment. The link to the post with the old equipment and post # 13 show the right way . They can pull down or push up to get the camber and make the caster adjustment too if they know how . Have you ever seen it done with chain and jack with good results ? Go ahead and do it your way I'l get mine done right.
