[updated:LAST EDITED ON 23-May-02 AT 03:33 PM (EST)] Does anyone know how many and which leaves to pull from a stock spring pack (front and rear )to lower a little, without buying reverse eye leafs or a dropped axle.What about flipping axles or whatever is cheap. I wouldn't think all of the 50's--60's hot rods had reverse eye springs or dropped axle, but please any advice would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks

 

You can gain approx 4 1/2" by flipping the rear axle, but you will probably have to "C" the frame. Can be cheap, but labor intensive,

Larry

 

I got the under axle kit from midfifty. Cost $99 everything included. That got me 4" lower in the back. The tricky part, is getting the front low for cheap. I had my leafs straightened, and still had to get a lowered axle. This would be so much easier a task with IFS. In the rear,I diddnt "C" notch my frame, and with the shocks Im running, the ride is pretty good, no bottoming out. But like I said, the rear is easy, the front will cost you some $$. There is a pic of the rear lowered in my gallery, if you want to see what 4" will get you. I plan on putting reversed eye springs, all the way around, and going down another 2-3". Its never low enough.

 

If you jack up the front of the truck, take the wheels off, and study the situation, you will see there is just not enough room between the leaf spring and the bottom of the frame to lower the truck very much. I tried the leaf removal method, and tried three leaves on each side. Too much and the truck drove terrible and bottomed out on the frame. I went with two on each side, but this amount of drop is not enough too be cool. There is a difference, but it doesn't stand out. And it's borderline on driveability. The spring pack just gets too weak when you take any leaves out on the front.

 

Xtreme Low Buck? First idea that hit me a couple days ago when I saw this was........

letting the air out of the tires should gain you 3 or 4"

Ok, I'll shut up and go back to sleep now. ZZZZzzzzzzzz

 

Hey MT, glad I'm not the only one who had that thought. OK, I'll go back to sleep too zzzzzzzz.......

George

 

Thanks for the advice, I just wanted some ideas, who would have ever thought anyone could have been clever enough to let the air out of the tires, wow thank you so much for helping !!!!!!!

 

The following advice applies only to the rear suspension. You can remove every other leaf. I believe Mid-Fifty catalog says to keep leaf 1-3-5-7 and the main leaf. I tried to pull number 7 too but it looked like the ride would be affected so I put it back. You can also redrill the spring mount holes on the frame (front of rear spring) about 1 1/2" higher on the frame. There are also 2" extended shackles available for the rear mount. I believe they will cause some pinion angle grief though. Thats about it for low or no buck (unless of course the guys have some more clever tricks I can't think of). The front is where the real problems will be. You have to have 3" of shock movement for any ride quality, more is better of course.

Dewayne

 

Thanks fatfenders

Thanks for the advice,I'm fixing to go try the rear leaf advice that you and a few others have mentioned.I"ll look into the front, I may have to go with a dropped axle........

Clay

 

Hey Clay,

I guess it may have seemed I was poking fun at you in my previous reply but that was not my intent. It's just that when I first read the thread title I flashed on the same thought as MT. There's nothing at all wrong with trying to do the job as inexpensively as possible. A side bonus is that questions like yours often get people thinking of other ways to do things.

I have to agree with Franklin - if you take off the tire and look at the situation there just isn't much room below the frame if you want to keep decent suspension travel. About the only way to lower the front a lot is to leave the axle low in the middle (where the frame and engine are) and move the tires up using drop spindles or a drop axle.

If you really don't want to spend any money and you have the time and tools you might be able to modify a pair of stock spindles or even an axle yourself. This isn't for the faint of heart and requires some good fabrication skills but it could be done with enough care, time, and effort. Just make sure you keep enough strength in whatever parts you fabricate or modify so we don't end up reading about you in the morning paper. Don't want to see that.

Good luck whatever you decide to try and let us know how it turns out.

George

 

Thank you for the advice, sorry about previous remarks, I tend to be a little sarcastic at times.
Thanks to everyone for the advice/concerns/doubts ,whatever,I do appreciate it, I'm sure alot of the folks who read or write in this message board just need a little insight everynow and then,and we look forward to hearing from someone who has or is experiencing the same or similar problems as someone else,experience is everything at times. Hats off to the folks who can find time to send a few words of advice to someone ready to give up or finish their project with a for sale sign.
As far as budget goes I have three girls under the age of 8 and a stay at home wife. 55f100 budget remains slim most of the time.
Who carrys the dropped spindles for the f100's ???? any idea about cost etc...

Once again Thanks to all,

Clay

 

Just completed installation of reversed eyes on my front springs. Disappointed. Hardly noticed a difference. Considering dropped axle since I haven't come across dropped spindles.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-May-02 AT 06:08 PM (EST)]Clay,
I just checked in here - I too, am sorry if my post came across as smart-alecky. Having raised three kids myself in MT where the average wage is something of a standing joke, I know all about low budget mods on trucks - I just didn't have any thing helpful to add to your question, and my twisted sense of humor popped out. I didn't try lowering my truck at all as I need as much clearance as I can get for snow in the winter.

Hang in there and keep digging thru piles of stuff at swap meets and junk yards. Someone, somewhere has just the dropped axle you're looking for thats within your budget. By the time we get a rig finished we've become professionals at scrounging for parts - its the heart and soul of hotrod culture. Just the opposite of what the hotrod mags portray.

Talk to folks at the local restaurant and coffee shops, libraries and church, grocery store and hardware, barbershop and bank - people you'd never imagine may have access to piles of old truck parts or know someone who does. Keep believing its out there and keep looking. Spend the bulk of your money on things that count - like the 4 beautiful ladies in your life.
Best of luck,
Tim