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Front suspension
So I have a 1963 F100 Unibody and the person before me lowered it removing leaf springs.
I love the stance but the rear is very bouncy and the front is fully compressed. I have been thinking of replacing the front and rear leaf springs with 6” drop mono leaf springs.
Would this be too low or work well? I guess I don’t know how high they sit stock. I just feel like the front sitting completely flat on the bumpers probably isn’t good! Haha
Last edited by 1963f100nv; Jun 29, 2018 at 06:39 PM.
Reason: Photo added
Welcome to FTE.
I don't have an answer for you but I think you are on the right track it should not sit on the bump stops.
Now when ever you lower by shorter springs you put the bump stops closer and end up with less wheel travel.
Out back you could have more choice on lowering. I know for the newer trucks (65-72) The Professional Choice | DJM Suspension has kits for the rear. I don't know if it will fit yours also but look over the site to see how they do it.
If your axle is under the springs and can swap it to the top. Again you put the bump stop closer and if an issue C notch the rear frame. Or a shackle flip like DJM does.
Up front well cant flip the axle with out a lot of work but guess it could be done.
What I would look into is a dropped front axle. This would also be the time to do a disc brake swap to the front.
If you can find a drop beam front axle you should be able to run stock front shocks.
Out back depending how you lower it and the shock mounts end up you may have to go with different leanth ones.
You also pointed out that the other owner removed leaves and you don't know what it started at so I am thinking anything you find to lower it with and they give specs is most likely with stock springs.
So keep that in mind, may need to get new stock springs to start with.
Dave ----
Or, if you decide to lose the straight axle, the 79-86 XJ6 is the right width, has forged upper and lower control arms, and is pretty stout (The donor car weight is as much (or maybe a wee bit more) than the truck
Front suspension
So I have a 1963 F100 Unibody and the person before me lowered it removing leaf springs.
I love the stance but the rear is very bouncy and the front is fully compressed. I have been thinking of replacing the front and rear leaf springs with 6” drop mono leaf springs.
Would this be too low or work well? I guess I don’t know how high they sit stock. I just feel like the front sitting completely flat on the bumpers probably isn’t good! Haha
Not sure if you are interested, but I'm about to start my air suspension project on mine. If you want I'll keep you posted on how I end up doing it. Right now it seems to be a faily easy conversion.
That front shock is incorrect and mounted poorly. The bounciness of the rear is probably due in part to the shocks. You simply cannot lower these truck very much without significantly altering the shock geometry. If the rear has been lowered as much as the front, then the rear shocks will be nearly parallel with the ground, rendering them practically useless.
That said, a 6" drop will probably put it right about where it is. I have 3" monos up front and the rear lowered to about an inch higher than the front. I can take pictures to show where that will put you. 6" really is not a good idea without significant modification to the frame and body to ensure the clearance necessary.
That front shock is incorrect and mounted poorly. The bounciness of the rear is probably due in part to the shocks. You simply cannot lower these truck very much without significantly altering the shock geometry. If the rear has been lowered as much as the front, then the rear shocks will be nearly parallel with the ground, rendering them practically useless.
That said, a 6" drop will probably put it right about where it is. I have 3" monos up front and the rear lowered to about an inch higher than the front. I can take pictures to show where that will put you. 6" really is not a good idea without significant modification to the frame and body to ensure the clearance necessary.
What year truck you got Charlie? I have a 61' that I would like to lower bout 3" without a major suspension overhaul. Looking for ideas and pictures!
Mine will be a little different because it has a '68 rear end installed and the shocks mount differently. Requirements will be similar. How you achieve it will be different.
Even with only about 3" of drop, the shocks became more horizontal than they were vertical, so I made relocation brackets for the axle mounting point to get them into a better position. This actually killed 2 birds with 1 stone because, contrary to popular assertion, the later axle housings do not simply bolt in to an earlier truck and the shock mounting points must be moved toward center to clear the frame rail. It is not difficult to install but it is not a bolt in.
The drop in the rear was achieved by re-arching the stock springs. If you do this, I suggest that you first remove the helper springs, then reinstall the springs to take your measurement for the un modified ride height, without the helpers in place and then take them to a spring shop to have them re-arched for the desired amount of ride height. I did not remove the helper springs, so it currently rides on the helper springs, even with no load, which makes for a rough ride.
Probably a better option is to start with brand new 3" lowering springs and either re-arch or add spacers as necessary for the desired height. More expensive, of course, but the best long term solution. Re-arching worn stock springs is a cost effective way to get you by for a while and may work fine as a permanent solution for a trailor queen, but is not a permanent solution for a driver.
The front is actually very easy since the shock geometry does not change that much. I found that Gabriel has an application for early '65 F100 4wd, '75-'77 F250 4wd up through Serial No. Y20000, '61-'65 F250 4wd, '66-'74 F250 4wd up through Serial No. Y20000. which is 1 3/4" shorter than stock, with the same ends, part G63187. I really don't know if this matters, though as the suspension will still be within the same range of movement for the stock shock, everything else equal.
Some pictures of how it sits and also something else to keep in mind, smaller diameter tires will also lower it a bit, without affecting suspension geometry or clearance - it's about 1" lower with the modern tires.
