Bending beams
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2013
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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?
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 59
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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
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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
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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".
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Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Sedro-Woolley, WA
Really? So enlighten me. How do you bend your I beams?
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Senior User
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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
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2011
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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
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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
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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.
