Dumb I Beam question...
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2009
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Dumb I Beam question...
So in a recent discussion with a friend, he suggested using a set of djm beams intended for a 95 truck on our dentsides to get ball joints and get away from kingpins.... will this work?
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,690
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From: Near Yosemite CA
Personally, I've never had an issue with king pins, you rplc them maybe once, they're solid, don't break and once you put new ones in, lube front end, rplc tie-rod ends, steers like new 
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,211
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From: clovis, CA
Will make it short. Twin I beamed ford beams are still used by a large amount of racers using this set up. They use only king pinned versions because of there strength. For a while there was such a demand for the older beamd that It was hard to get some for replacements. Rebuild keep lubed and they will outlast the rest of the vehicle. Replace all the bushings with poly and grease those up well too.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,211
Likes: 3
From: clovis, CA
Mike forgot to say, make sure if you change out the rubber beam bushings for poly, do not damage the original metal sleeves. They do not sell only the sleeves which are reused with the poly bushings. Leave them in. I learned the hard way and the shop destroyed the originals getting them out. I had to get new ones and them to remove the rubber so I could reinstall with poly. Paid 2× in other words. Good Luck.
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Brett Foote
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From: Angier, NC
You may have heard use the 95 beams for the ball joints because I believe they are the same for the 80-86 as a bolt in for the 80 to think 82 as they still used kingpins.
Because the 80-82 (I have an 81 F100) use 2 different size kingpins (and wheel bolt patterns also) DJM Suspension stopped making dropped beams for that years with kingpins.
They just started making the smaller kingpin beams again, guess what size I have? Also note the beams are different because of the size kingpins so 2 left & 2 right beams.
The believe the ball joint beans are stamped not casted like the kingpin ones.
So if you want to go with dropped beams you had to go with a later year with ball joints and I think they say the 95 setup had better brakes and why that year but don't hold me to that.
I just replaced the kingpins on my 81 F100 and I also did poly bushings at the same time. I heard of needing to reuse the outer shell so I soaked the old rubber bushings in old gas a few days before I did the swap.
I put fire to them and burned them out. Wile on fire I poked at them with a screw driver till the rubber was gone. Little clean up with a wire brush and it was like new, lube the ploy and they went right in.
Dave ----
Because the 80-82 (I have an 81 F100) use 2 different size kingpins (and wheel bolt patterns also) DJM Suspension stopped making dropped beams for that years with kingpins.
They just started making the smaller kingpin beams again, guess what size I have? Also note the beams are different because of the size kingpins so 2 left & 2 right beams.
The believe the ball joint beans are stamped not casted like the kingpin ones.
So if you want to go with dropped beams you had to go with a later year with ball joints and I think they say the 95 setup had better brakes and why that year but don't hold me to that.
I just replaced the kingpins on my 81 F100 and I also did poly bushings at the same time. I heard of needing to reuse the outer shell so I soaked the old rubber bushings in old gas a few days before I did the swap.
I put fire to them and burned them out. Wile on fire I poked at them with a screw driver till the rubber was gone. Little clean up with a wire brush and it was like new, lube the ploy and they went right in.
Dave ----
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