Lower my ride
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Lower my ride
Hi Folks,
This is my first post so bear with me.
I purchased a 1966 Ford F-100 shortbox a few days ago and my first priority is to lower the stance. I have done a little research and so far what I gather is that the simplest way to lower the rear is to flip the axle and C notch the frame. Easy enough I suppose. As far as the front end goes, what is the cheapest and most effective way to lower the front end 4-5 inches? I am mostly just planning to cruise around town and maybe haul some grass clippings etc. I don't want to pour alot of money into it so I am trying to avoid the Mustang II kit or other expensive fixes. I have read alot about the crown vic front end swap. My only concerns are does the bolt pattern on the crown vic match the 5x5 1/2 pattern for the rear stock pattern? I would like to put some modern rims on it. Also, from what I understand you would have to take out the entire front end including engine. Not sure I want to put that much work into it, but if thats what it take I will do it. Does anyone have any input or suggestions on what the best way to lower the front end on a budget would be? Thank You
This is my first post so bear with me.
I purchased a 1966 Ford F-100 shortbox a few days ago and my first priority is to lower the stance. I have done a little research and so far what I gather is that the simplest way to lower the rear is to flip the axle and C notch the frame. Easy enough I suppose. As far as the front end goes, what is the cheapest and most effective way to lower the front end 4-5 inches? I am mostly just planning to cruise around town and maybe haul some grass clippings etc. I don't want to pour alot of money into it so I am trying to avoid the Mustang II kit or other expensive fixes. I have read alot about the crown vic front end swap. My only concerns are does the bolt pattern on the crown vic match the 5x5 1/2 pattern for the rear stock pattern? I would like to put some modern rims on it. Also, from what I understand you would have to take out the entire front end including engine. Not sure I want to put that much work into it, but if thats what it take I will do it. Does anyone have any input or suggestions on what the best way to lower the front end on a budget would be? Thank You
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2007
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One of the trucks I looked at before I bought my current truck had the rear axle flip and the front had ben lowered by bending the beams and cutting 1/2 a coil off the springs.
It looked great and surprisingly rode well.
I didn't buy it because it had rust issues. The owner seemed to think that it was almost ready for paint, IMO it needed 5-6k in body work/rust repair before it was ready for paint.
I hated to pass, it had a 390 (he says), C6, ps, pb and a nice set of 15x7/8 painted wheel with ss dog dishes.
It looked great and surprisingly rode well.
I didn't buy it because it had rust issues. The owner seemed to think that it was almost ready for paint, IMO it needed 5-6k in body work/rust repair before it was ready for paint.
I hated to pass, it had a 390 (he says), C6, ps, pb and a nice set of 15x7/8 painted wheel with ss dog dishes.
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I had not read much about bending the I beams in the front. It is pry worth looking in to as that would be the cheapest route and if I don't like it I can always go a different route like the crown Vic suspension down the road. Does anyone have any experience with bending the I beams and cutting 1/2 to 1 coil spring?
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Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Bloomfield, Iowa
Mine has a coil cut in front (I think only 1 coil, maybe 1.5) and the rear springs de-arched. Rides great, drives nice. Don't think you could get the front much lower without changing the suspension completely, I hit shortened bump stops every once and a while. With the lowering, you need to bend the beams to get the camber correct again. Bending is not a lowering method, it's part of the alignment.
The CV bolt pattern is smaller than the truck is. Won't fit. The other problem with the CV in my eyes, even though it has become wildly popular, is that it is actually too wide for a slick and you need to use big backspace wheels and larger diameter wheels to clear the brakes.
Good luck with your project, here's a pic of mine as it sits lowered.
Later,
SPark
The CV bolt pattern is smaller than the truck is. Won't fit. The other problem with the CV in my eyes, even though it has become wildly popular, is that it is actually too wide for a slick and you need to use big backspace wheels and larger diameter wheels to clear the brakes.
Good luck with your project, here's a pic of mine as it sits lowered.
Later,
SPark
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From: Firestone
I just installed them on my 65 longbed. They went on easy enough. I also installed a new set of springs since the P/O had cut 4 coils out of the originals. The truck looked awesome but the ride SUCKED. Thinking I'm going to have to cut the new ones down since the alignment is way off on the drivers side (yes, I installed the correct spring on the correct side). The problem with the DJMs is that you can't align them since they are square tubing and not cast like the originals. I'm kicking around putting the CV or a jag front end under it now. We'll see how it looks after I cut them
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From: Firestone
Can't imagine anyone doing that but, never say never. You would have to bend them twice to get all of the geometry correct and seems to me you would have to really know what you're doing since you are working with cast pieces and you would be changing the metallurgy considerably. It would become brittle and probably break. No way I would do it.
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I found a truck alignment shop that would bend the I beams. I have found alot of different opinions on this in other threads. Someone said the front end could be dropped as much as 6 inches, others have said it cannot be dropped more than 2-3 with cutting the coils and bending the I beams. Would love to take it to the shop and have them bend the beams as it would be the cheapest route but from what I am gathering if I want to lower the front 5 inches that is probably not the way to go.
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