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Hi all! I'm new to this forum and new to the world of old classic trucks. I recently purchased a 1965 F100 from the second owner. It has a pretty solid body with very little rust and the motor seems strong and (so far) starts every time.
I saw a video recently of a '65 F100 that went through a restomod and it looked so cool and it inspired me to do something similar with my truck. I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into though. I've talked to several restoration shops and it seems that doing what I want to do is very time consuming and very expensive! I'm sure I could spend my entire retirement on this project but I just can't afford to do that.
What I'd like to do is lower the entire truck 4-6" and replace the wheels/tires, steering column/wheel with smaller more modern tilt steering and put the 3 on the tree on the floor. I love the looks of the lower stance and have seen several kits (DJM, Crown Suspension, LMC Truck) but these kits will only lower the front 3" and back 4". DJM offer a rear end flip that will lower the rear end 6" which is more like what I want, but I can't find an easy way to lower the front that much. My understanding is that to lower the front more than 3" you need to do a front-end swap (e.g., crown vic). This sounds like a lot of work and would be expensive to pay someone to do. I think I can install the kits myself, but I don't think I want to take on a front-end swap myself and would be willing to pay a shop to do this but only if it's not crazy expensive.
Are there any easy kits that will lower the front more than 3"? Would a 3" drop in the front and 6" drop in the back (using the rear end flip kit) look right?
Welcome to FTE and if you go three in the front and six out back you will have issues. The front will sit higher a bit and might cause steering issues due to the reduced weight transfer on the front.
About 3" is the most you will get without significant modification. The problem is that clearance needs to be made between the axle and the frame. The lower you go, the more work it is to make it work. That's why it is expensive.
Bite the bullet and do the crown Vic front swap, they are inexpensive, yes it's time consuming but if you have the time and are somewhat mechanically inclined this forum will help you along the way, I'm not a wrench turner type guy but the folks on this site have done wonders for me and helped educate me tremendously, on what to do. There is a wealth of knowledge here you just have to tap into it. Good luck !
Bite the bullet and do the crown Vic front swap, they are inexpensive, yes it's time consuming but if you have the time and are somewhat mechanically inclined this forum will help you along the way, I'm not a wrench turner type guy but the folks on this site have done wonders for me and helped educate me tremendously, on what to do. There is a wealth of knowledge here you just have to tap into it. Good luck !
There are a lot of advantages to doing a frontend swap - you get upgraded suspension, steering and disk breaks in addition to being able to lower the truck as well. Where can I find a complete crown vic frontend and what years do I need 03-05?
In my recent issue of "Classic Trucks," September 2016, there is an article about a 1965 F100 that was rejuvenated and lowered. They used Bob's F-100 to re-do the front suspension. Another option might be Fat Man Fabrication. Either way you wouldn't need to track down a CV front end.
There are a lot of advantages to doing a frontend swap - you get upgraded suspension, steering and disk breaks in addition to being able to lower the truck as well. Where can I find a complete crown vic frontend and what years do I need 03-05?
I used a 2003, you can find them at most boneyards if you check inventories it could save you a trip, if you wanted to purchase an old police or gov vehicle you could possibly get a backup motor, and then sell the scrap and recover some of your funds.
In my recent issue of "Classic Trucks," September 2016, there is an article about a 1965 F100 that was rejuvenated and lowered. They used Bob's F-100 to re-do the front suspension. Another option might be Fat Man Fabrication. Either way you wouldn't need to track down a CV front end.
I've read somethings about Bobs, be aware. I believe 2003-thru 2009 is a good donor, crown Vic or Mercury Marquis work. I got mine from Pick n Pull for about $280 CAD. D
You may also want to look into the Dakota front suspension it's similar to the Mustang 2. I'm actually getting one installed in my 66. After to you gather all the parts needed for the Dakota front suspension it's about the same price as the M2 kits out there.
You may also want to look into the Dakota front suspension it's similar to the Mustang 2. I'm actually getting one installed in my 66. After to you gather all the parts needed for the Dakota front suspension it's about the same price as the M2 kits out there.
I'm right in the middle of a Crown victoria swap on my 66'. I bought the truck in August and only put a couple hundred km on it before backing it into the garage to cut it all apart. The crown vic swap will cost me about $1500 Canadian or $1100 USD. For that price and a solid 4 days of work in my car garage I'll have a modern driving truck. 11.5" dual piston power disk brakes, rack and pinion steering, sway bar. I can go to the local parts store to get any replacement parts.
$500CDN for the CV front end including 2' of each frame rail from the car and 4 steel wheels from a local auto wrecker. Mine is from a 2010 police interceptor. $400USD at summit for a new brake booster/master cylinder, proportioning valve, 2 adapter steering U-joints and DD steering shaft, two 5x5.5 to 5x4.5 wheel adapters for the rear. The other costs will be on steel, paint, saw blades, cut off wheels, drill bits and a new tool or two I'll need. It really is a simple job to do but will take some time and fabrication/welding skills. Don't start doing the job unless you know you can get it done. After watching a couple hours of video on YouTube I know exactly what to do.
I decided that 4" drop would be enough for me in the front. I put a piece of 5/8" flat bar under the frame rather then a spacer above. It should be quite strong once it's all welded in place and the frame is boxed in. By only dropping the front 4" I'm hopping I don't need to flip the rear and cut a "C" in the frame. A spring mount change should keep the truck level enough.
This is what it looks like right now, tomorrow I'll start the welding.
Looking good. I'm getting a kick out of some of the messages on here asking for the missing frame section so they can remove the crown vic or other swapped front end and go back to stock. I think rather than do either I'd instead
1. Buy a modern truck first (airbags, crumple zones, collapsible steering column, etc.)
AND
2. Buy an older truck (or two...or three) to enjoy on occasions that hadn't been messed with
Replacing the front end does not really make the old truck a whole lot safer in case of an accident. I know if one of these old trucks got into a head on with my modern truck the old truck would be a serious loser in that case, as could anyone in the cockpit. I'd go right over the top of many of these lowered trucks taking the top half of the cab off in the process. It would not be pretty.
But, to each their own. We all take risks every day. My buddy is a tower crane operator in downtown Seattle. He was telling me about the winds coming between the buildings and how it doesn't affect the crane until he turns beyond a certain other existing building, and then it grabs the crane and twists it some. He said lifting a big stack of re-bar was one thing, where wind passes through it, while lifting a wall panel can be completely different. Anything over about 40 mph and they shut it down. That would not be a job I would enjoy.
You can die taking a tour around here, though. Nasty crash. They have footage from another vehicle of the moment of impact. You would not want to be in an older lowered truck and be in the place of this bus. But, really any vehicle would have had a hard time. Those Ducks are seriously stout vehicles. Take a look at some of these pictures. You might have to hit Enter to search once this comes up.
I totally agree with you TA455HO, anyone doing a some sort of front suspension swap on these old goats for safety reasons is doing it for all the wrong reasons. An old truck will always be just an old truck no matter what bells and whistles we may add on. IF you want safety then for sure buy a new truck. The only reason I'm doing the Dakota front suspension on my 66 is because I wanted a lower stance that's all and when I bought the truck I figured why not since it was littirally just a basket case. Cab, bed and rolling chassis only. When I'm done with this build I would really like to pick up a 55 f100 and leave it just the way it is and enjoy it.
Installing a front suspension system with better steering and braking is creating a safer vehicle from a control aspect. Structurally no it doesn't make your old vehicle safer from a crash impact design standpoint.
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