Good Day Peeps,

It's been a long time since I have been on this as I was focused on my '80 Elky project for some time. Now that that is over I can look towards my '67 F100 and start to imagine the mods that I will put to it. This will be a complete frame off restoration/re-imagined project for me so I am sure to have some fun with it.

Once the frame is separated form the cab/bed sections the first thing I will address is the frame restoration. I plan on giving it a good glass bead blasting and getting it down to the metal and then look it over for any noticeable cracks to address. Once that is completed, the frame will get a heavy dose of POR 15 to get it ready. The next process will address the front I-beam suspension. Currently, I am considering upgrading to disc brakes in the front but if I cannot find a suitable solution for the disc brake swap, I will keep with the ole drums. I have looked into the "Dream Beams" but have also read many bad reviews of this product. FatMan may be a solution also but I have not read many reviews on this as DJM seems to be the one that is popular.

I have read in some articles that there are no systems currently that will use the OEM beams and convert to discs. Is this true? It would seem that technology would have a fix for this by now but I am not sure. I know that using the DJM product will give me a lower stance by 3" or so and that is not a problem as I will need to lower the rear accordingly to get rid of the rake to give my truck better handling.

So my first question is this...how can I keep my OEM beams and convert to disc brakes in the front? Do I need to go the DJM way or are there better products out there that would get me to where I want to be? My project is a '67 F100 long bed that will finish up as a "sleeper/rat rod".

For those of you that have gone through the suspension changes please give me your opinions as I they will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

To start with, read (page 2) about how to change over from drums to front disk brakes.
Then you can either find a donor truck or buy a kit.
Read First: Technical Info Hyperlink Compilation ( 1 2) HIO Silver

 

Thanks for the data Gary. HIO sure put a lot of work into this as I was not aware that technology had gotten to the point of a disc brake swap without changing out the I-beams for my 67 F100. This saved me a lot of time and decision making as I am now leaning towards the MP disc brake swap but yet to decide on whether I want to drop it since it is not necessary now. Decision, decisions...thanks bud...Al

 

A disc brake swap keeping the I-Beams will help with the braking but not the handling. I haven't gotten a chance to try out a Fat Man suspension kit, but it is on my long list. I think it will handle better than a Crown Vic swap.

 

Good Day TD,

It seems that Master Power Brakes makes a decent disc brake system that will bolt on to the existing drum brake I-beam system. If that shows some promise, I may just get the lowering I-beams from one of the vendors out there like DJM or AIM which at present seem to be the ones that peeps are using. I haven't checked into Chris Alston's shop in years so I don't know if he has anything that I can use. Of course, there is always the chance I may go the Mustang IFS route but in that case I will have to look up the vendors who supply that system. I suppose there are many because it seems that the Mustang IFS is a very popular swap.

My goal is to keep the truck as OEM as possible if the parts are available because I will be pushing some 700HP to the rear wheels. But with that much HP I may just have to bite the bullet and do a Mustang swap. The only part that I dread about that move is that I would have to find a reputable welder to do the swap because I don't think its a bolt on. Newayz I have some time to weigh out the possibilities and to read on here more of what some FTE folks have done and figured out what works or doesn't. Thanks for the input and have a great day...Al

 

If I remember right it was F100today that did a Mustang II in his build. With as much horsepower as you predict I think you ought to check out Hackster's build also. I like the I beam suspension for what it was designed for. But it wasn't designed for as much power, speed, handling as you predict. I think the I beam suspension would turn squirrelly on you at speed.

 

hey Elky,

If you just want discs without swapping I-beams, I believe Scarebird LLC's 65-67 F100 brackets just might be your ticket. Now, keep in mind that their brackets use GM truck calipers, Dodge truck rotors, and Gen III Camaro brake hoses. It's all bolt-on....

https://scarebird.com/index.php?rout...product_id=155

Go with DJM beams if lowering.

 

Hey thanks guys for the information.

Jeff...I am going to check out that Mustang II build you mentioned to see if I can pick out some pointers good or bad.

HIO...I checked out the scarebird site you pointed me to and that setup sound kinda interesting. Gonna see if I can find more info on that and if peeps have used it and what their opinions are before I go down that road. Those are some massive brackets tho.

I have a friend that used to work over at Chassisworks so I'm gonna speak with him on some additional ideas on what I could do. I was thinking about that HP as being a determining factor on my whole build so I may need to dial it down a bit if it starts to limit my opportunities. I was figuring out what these mods would/could end up costing me and thought about getting a complete custom frame for my truck and have it done right. Then I could just tart hanging the parts I wanted to accomplish by vision. Still gonna put a few more miles on my truck so I won't break it down for another few months. Till then I will keep reading and asking for ideas. Thanks again guys...Al

 

Well I got around in talking with Tim Tullo at Fat Man regarding the frame/chassis setup I was thinking about for my build. I actually contacted TCI and Art Morrison via emails and only Fat Man responded so we have communicated a few times over this. FM happens to have a frame/chassis setup with a Mustang II front suspension. After reading over their online sales info and going over the materials Tim sent me this may be what I am looking for. If this turns out to be the ONE, I will be making a trip out there before the EOY to see their product first hand.

With that in mind I have scoured the Internet to see if I could find builds that have used their frames including this forum. In looking up "fat man" using the advanced search I get all sorts of discussions but rarely do they talk about fat man with the exception of a couple. So that gives me some pause as to why the Fat Man product is not being used in builds for our trucks.

If anybody knows of build that have used the Fat Man frame setup please send me to that direction as I will appreciate it. Else I will be looking through an endless stream of threads. Thanks in advance...Al

 

Well that is interesting... I didn't realize Fatman Fab offered full repro frames for 61-79 2wd trucks - only that they offered front and rear suspension systems and their axle flip system which I used on my '70.

Full frame: 1961 - 1979 Ford Truck Chassis - Fat Man Fabrication

 

A friend of mine just bought a custom frame for a Jaguar MK2 he is building. He had to supply Art with a TON of information and they laid out a complete chassis set up for his car body. Very nice work. Mostly geared towards road racing with a 600hp SBF/6spd.

 

Hey there HIO that's exactly the one I was talking with Tim about. For about $6K I can have it all...full frame, MII front suspension, 4 link rear and what not. I already have a brake system from Aerospace Components that I didn't use in one of my previous builds so I may end up using that. If they don't fit at least I will have a wide choice of options for the brake system using this frame option. The same goes for the rear differential and axles. I have a guy in Bellflower, CA that has been building my diff's and axles for longer than I can remember because he actually started building them for my dad and brother back in the day. He's probably around 80 something now but that old coot is still in his shop building, building and building. His company is KickAss axles and I have never had any problems from his custom made products.

 

Here is some of the info he sent me just in case anyone is interested. Gonna check out some of these individual prices for comps because I realize that sometimes a person can get a better price if you just shop it. For instance, I was able to get a $2K discount on a FoMoCo crate motor from a different vendor than Summit. Same motor same FoMoCo item number. So it pays to shop out those parts sometimes.

Oops size limitation on files so I have 2 split it up.

 

Here is part 1 and 2 as the file was still too large to send as 1. The first one I sent is actually part 3. If it got out of order let me know and I can send in order. Thanks...Al

 

Hey HIO tried to PM you but your mailbox is full