What is the best and cheapest place to buy 3 inch lowering I- beams for a 1968 ford truck? I have seen the "dream beams" and I think i may go that route. Any of you guys seen these before?

 

i was't aware of any drop beams for old f-100. i thought heating the springs is all you could do! please reply if parts are available thanks blaine

 

Hi,

To my knowledge, there are three major brands of drop I beams available for '67 to seventy something F 100's and some are offered for F250 too. The companies are: AIM Industries, Beltech, And DJM.
There are varied opinions on each one, and I bet someone will chime in here and inform us of other brands out there that I'm not aware of. I'm also intrested to know what is the best brand to choose. I have read here sometime ago where CACWBY had trouble with one of the brands but I can't recall which one it was. They go for around 500.00 a pair.

Hawkeye

 

AIM industries (or chassis tech) said it best.. Dream Beams are nothing but a pipe dream. they are round and they bend. from all the reviews I have read dream beams are for a trailer queen with an inline 6. the weight of our trucks cannot be supported by the tubing used in them.

I may suggest getting the dropped I-beams from chassistech (go to truckin.com) since they are real I beams, albeit fabricated.
and if you are still worried about them bending, you could possibly have them "boxed" to give them that much more rigidity.
I am going this route for cost and ease of shopping. plus all their stuff was built to work together.

 

No Offense Ranger240 but you obviously did not do the complete research on DJM Beams. The dropped beams they sell for our trucks are not Round. There are 1/4" thick Rectangular Tubing (what you would get if you boxed AIM beams with a plate in middle). AIM's ads are very very misleading, but effective, the only round ones DJM has are for mini-trucks. Both types of beams are made of welded up steel. You will never be able to adjust the camber again.

I thought the same thing and bought AIM first. Theirs are approx. 2" longer than stock beams (and DJM's), on each side, (Which they deny), and if you convert to, or have Disc Brakes (and no one should drive these trucks without discs!!) (which adds 1.5" or so), and want 8" rims, you will be SOL. However, AIM tie rod relocater is better than DJM one, go figure.

And to the ?? of heating springs, no one past the age of 16 should ever lower anything that way. That's just something you learn the hard way, and never repeat. They sell 2" lower coil springs for our trucks, or even having them cut is preferable to heating, and I speak from experiience, I heated springs on my 1st ride, the $20. 1951 4dr Chevy in 1964, but hey I was only 16 and didn't know any better.

 

Trev I'm glad you jumped in here.
I have read your posts on the things you have gone through and have been wanting to ask what you had to do to get your linkage installed in order to clear the radius arms? As well as what is done for camber adjustment? These questions apply to both brands that you have dealt with if you please.
Can you go into depth a bit more?
I wonder if anyone has ever notched out the radius arms, and then gusseted or boxed in fore and aft of where the linkage passes through?
From your gallery pics your truck looks like it sits well. Are you getting the settings that are desired as far as alignment is concerned? How does it ride?
With the growing interest in lowering on our section of the forums it would be nice to have your detailed thoughts on do's and don'ts.
Thanks.

Hawkeye

 

Are the newer factory I-beams made of a different material? I know the old way to adjust camber was to bend the I-beam but it says right on the 96 and 97 not to heat or bend, and most of the alignment shops I know of don't bend I-beams at all. Usually a ride height adjustment is all that is needed unless the pickup has had damage.

 

that is what I was thinking willow. I never knew that the I beams could have the camber adjusted.

 

The springs on my truck have been cut, and the alignment shop here where I live did in fact bend the I beams to line it up. The only problem I have is the ride itself. The drop ibeams should cure this problem, and I will also install stock springs and cut if need be to get the height I am looking for.

 

Answers to a question or two. With drop beams you have to use a tie rod relocater. The AIM one actualy has two fastening points, whereas the DJM has only one. I prefer the AIM. But prefer the DJM beams. With their rectangular steel tubing it also made putting on a sway bar easier.

If you cut or use shorter springs you will have negative camber. Period. No escaping this fact. If you are still using stock beams, and can find someone who will do the camber adjustment (bending the beams) you can correct it. If you have dropped beams and cut or shorter springs - you do nothing. You drive around with the tops of your tires tilted in slightly (negative camber)- it shows people you don't give a bleep. If you have dropped beams and stock springs, you shouldn't need to do anything, (except wish it was lower).

Don't know nuthin about newer I Beam trucks.

Shorter springs make anything ride harder. The spring is there to absorb and dissipate energy created from hitting a bump. Less spring=less energy absorbed and dissiapted and the more you feel. If no potholes or other surprises encountered it's not so bad, and if road is smooth - it's probably better than stock, as it feels kind of like its on rails on good highways. But stay away from Detroit and most of Chicago.

A Steering Damper should be Mandatory for everyone. If you have never used one, you should. If you go lower and don't, stay away from me on a cruise. Bump steer is magnified due to less energy being absorbed, etc. And if you have 8" rims, even if stock suspension you should have, will make your king pins last longer.

I really have to get a digital camera for show & tell.

 

I have an old Motors Manual from 1975 and it shows all the Ford reccomended procedures and fixtures for bending I-beams.
My wife had some gomer ruin one on her E-350 before I met her. He had heated it to bend it. I am not sure when Ford decided it wasn't a good idea anymore since my 96 and 97 both have it cast right in the beam not to heat or bend. Maybe they changed the alloy at some point.
While this is the toughest front suspension ever made it is a pita to modify. I still think a transplant would be cool. And no not a wimpy mustang 2. Maybe a torsion bar front stub from a 60-63 chevy 1/2 ton. Those were the sweetest riding old pickups and all you had to do was twist a bolt to let them down. You could airbag the rear and just spent a couple minutes letting the front down if you wanted it slammed for cruise night.

 

FYI - this is what the DJM beams look like for our Trucks.
(The ads by AIM are totally misleading).

http://www.djmsuspension.com/Product...5F100Parts.htm

 

Hey Trev, So what steering link connector did you use with the DJM beams? The one from AIM? Or DJM?
What did you use for springs? If after market, where did you get them?
Thanks.

Hawkeye

 

I used the AIM Tie rod relocater that I had from buying their beams. Springs are 2" lower Variable Rate and ordered through a local shop who got them from a big spring outfit in Kansas.

I didn't even mention shocks, the AIM "Slammer" ones were trash, (one froze open on way back from supernats), got some more from No Limit. It's hard to get shocks-everyone wants to know the application- No Limit sells by actual size.

 

Trev,

Thanks for your info, It's VERY helpful.
You are preventing some big headaches I'm sure.

Hawkeye