OK, I do not have a couple thousand dollars for a independant front suspension, etc. etc.and I have already read about the Camaro, Volare, etc. front end transplants. Again, mucho expensive, and I don't have a welder, a hoist, all summer and 10 friends to help me do this. Heck, I dont even have a level place to work on my truck, gotta do that sort of stuff in the street, so I can't leave it all apart out there for weeks at a time. There MUST be SOME way to get a bit better ride in my '54 F-100 without having to take out a second mortagage on my home. I will be glad to listen to any and all creative ideas on how to do this cheaply. But even the single, reverse-eye springs cost $400 to $600. And I havent heard of anyone who did this yet say that it mae the ride really great. Back in the mid 1980's, when the big mid-fifties F-100 fad was raging, every car magazine you picked up had tech articles on this sort of stuff until I was sick of seeing it. Little did I know that years later I would end up owning one! Wish I had saved the magazines, because in those days you couldn't just phone up a company and order all the (expensive)pre-built stuff you needed. You had to cobble something together. From cheap, wrecking yard parts.
Anyhow, my truck drives and rides like a loaded ore-car, and I know anyone who really knows suspension stuff can give me some tips. Look, it doesnt have to ride like a cadillac, just better than it does! What about spring swaps from something else? What about some sort of shock upgrade? What about putting those slippery things between the leaf springs? Anyone know? Thanks for any suggestions you may have!

 

Hey 54Guy, I'm in the same boat, a very tight budget. I will also be interested in seeing what the guys have to say on your post, good luck!
Dave
53F100

 

I have a 55 that I wanted a better ride and didn't want to spend a lot of money also. So I just brought the main leaf and used the leafs I already had on it. However, you need to carefully inspect them to ensure they are not cracked. For safety I also replaced the front & rear shackles on the front and the tie rods ends. The only thing that I didn't like was the dipping when taking a curve but a anti sway bar took care of that. The stance is also pretty good, I used leaf spring fron an 87 bronco for the rear. You can see pictures on my gallery.
hope this helps

 

Jaye (Rick) that is a nice looking truck on your gallery! I would like to hear how you got power steering in without changing front clips (some kind of kit?), how the vintage air works, and how it was to install, and also how you knew the Bronco springs would fit in there, are there the same number of springs with the same length or what?

Ok, since I first made this original posting seeking info on a better softer ride and CHEAP way to get it, I stumbled across this website entirely by chance.http://www.eatonsprings.com/Reverse%202%20stage.htm
To be brief, this Commercial automotive spring company recommends taking the lowest of each of your leaf springs and just removing them (one at a time) flipping them over and reinstalling them. They claim that the lowest spring is really only supposed to come into play and squeeze up next to the other springs when there is a considerable load on the truck, not all of the time, like they do now. So, by flipping the springs, (just the single lowest one on each side)the ride will be a LOT softer, and you will still have the bottom leaves there when you need them to help support a heavy load. I assume they know what they are talking about, being spring manufacturers and all. So, the reason I posted the link to them is on that page they have step by step instructions, complete with photos of exactly how to do it, and covers a few things you might forget to do in the process.
Here is another website: http://www.bonusbuilt.com/index.html that has some useful info on it, (although it is for an older F-1, I believe the suspension parts are mostly interchangeable)this guy says that after he made sure he redid his suspension, kingpins etc., that it handled and rode really nicely, as good as his Mustang, and seemed to think and independent front suspension was not necessary if you got the old stuff fixed up how it should be, instead of with 50 years of and tear on it. So, if we redo the suspenion bits and pieces (King pins sets are usually only about $35 or so) and flip those bottom springs over, we might have a decent semi-comfortable ride! If anyone has tried this spring flippin trick, please post on here and tell us all how well it worked!

 

How about installing new springs with the Teflon sliders or little spacers?
After all the old springs have probably got lots of binding grooves worn in by now. I suppose if money is really tight you can take them all apart and do yourself.
And yes with new kingpins, shocks and springs the old girl can ride pretty nice. Add radials if you dont mind a little hard steering when stopped.

Unfortunately my 54 F350 still rides like a F350 but not as bad as original!

 

286

As one 350 owner to another, what did you do to your ride??

 

I used the 85 toyota steering box along with a bracket and pitman arm from Bob's F-100, the air works great just take your glove box out first so you can get the AC unit as high as possible. You can purchase a glove box that is about 5 inches deep that will fit after the ac is installed.It wa very easy to install with instructions for the wires and hoses. As for the bronco springs I didn't know they would fit, they didn't bolt in the same holes. What i did was grind the pins down and punch them out of the original spring brackets, grind the frame then centered the bronco springs nudge them around a bit, clamp them into place then drilled 3/8 inch holes then bolt them on with grade 8 bolts. You probably can use just about any spring as long as it is strong enough to handle the weight.

 

54Guy

I have a Volare clip in my 53 in my gallery. However, when I worked in a professional shop I frequently had leaf springs apart. When they get old, the individual leaves make wear tracks in each other which causes friction and decreased ride quality. Not to mention your truck was built to work in the first place. Just replacing the springs with fresh ones should improve the ride. Check your local spring shop to see if they can build a fresh set with teflon buttons or sleeves. The sleeves do tend to squirm out eventually but this doesn't sound like the vacation ride anyway. They should last a long time. They can also make the new set softer. I don't think there is an ultra cheap route to a smooth ride. Hope this helped.

Fatfenders
53 F100
Homepage http://www.clubfte.com/users/fatfenders/

 

Jaye - How did you install that anti-sway bar? Was it aftermarket, or from a wreck or what? I like that idea a lot too. Was it hard to install, needing a lot of fabrication of brackets, etc? -G.B.

 

Truckzilla
Pretty much what I suggested. Went to my local parts guy and got every part that was in the book that he had access to, what he didnt have NAPA did at a higher price. Took under a week to get everything.
Im talking wheel bearings to tie rod ends, kingpins, wheel bearings.....the works. I only wanted to take it apart once. Truck has 53K but doesnt look like anything was ever replaced prior. Bounced, shook and shimmied.

My local place does kingpins so that was a relief.

Then called around and found a spring shop to do a new set with buttons.
Eyeballed the alignment and drove down to have him do the spring swap, not my cup of tea, had no end of problems once before trying to do similar.
Drove home to my buds shop and put it on the alignment rack. What a difference after all done.


Havent done the rear yet. Still not sure if Im going to change the rear end. Right now Ive got several leaks in the dump hydraulics to worry about first.
This was a landscapers truck so it had some serious loads plus Ive hauled up to 4500# of engines/trannys. Really rides nice with a big load out back. Stock 130" WB and 9' bed.

 

G.B.
The sway bar came from Mid Fifty $189 + shipping, all I did was drill a few holes and bolt it in. It install reverse of what you will see on a modern truck. The ends are bolted next to the front spring shackles with "L" shaped brackets. This is the kicker, there are fabricated brackets that are attached to the axel with "U" bolts. If you can weld good you can fabricate them with some pieces of metal and purchase some "U" bolts.

Jaye - How did you install that anti-sway bar? Was it aftermarket, or from a wreck or what? I like that idea a lot too. Was it hard to install, needing a lot of fabrication of brackets, etc? -G.B.

 

fatfenders:

How easy (or hard) is it to get the springs back together after you take them apart to put the liners or buttons in? And what is the best liner material? Teflon, or...? The one site that I gave previously that told how to flip the rear bottom springs, said to "be careful taking out the bolt that holds them all together or it can be hard to put them back together afterwards". Did they just mean hard while you were crawling under the truck, or hard even if you had the springs on your work bench? After reading about the grooves that can wear into the springs (I had no idea, but it does seem logical that they would get wear grooves)I would really like to take mine apart to check. I have access to a pretty good sized bead-blaster where I work, so I could blast any rust and grime off too, and then paint them with some sort of anti-rust paint and install the liners or buttons (do you have to drill holes for the buttons...in spring steel?). I assume I would have to use some sort of C-clamps or something like that to squeeze 'em all back together again prior to reinstalling the bolts.

And there is another question: what is better - spring liners or buttons? Or what about both? This is foreign terrority to me somewhat, but seems like it wouldn't be too hard to get the whole setup in decent shape.Do the liners or buttons perform any other purpose other than elimninating squeeks? Thanks for any more info on this!
-G.B.

 

GB
The springs are really easy to take apart however you can cut the bolts in the center and also the ones holding them together, because you will need new ones. The center bolt will need to be cut off after you tighten the pack down. The other I just put them on hand tight and put a welded bead on the end so it doesn't back out. I also used the teflon padding I only put it between half of the leafs. If you put it in all of them you can't get the "U" bolts back on unless you buy longer ones I used my original. I used a grinder to knock off the major rust and took it down to the metal to inspect for cracks.

:-)

 

I too don't want to pay the high price of IFS. Also I like the straight axle for its simplicity. On my 1955 F100 my plans are to replace the front springs since mine are beyond help and install a Toyota power steering box to get power steering so I don't have to get the truck rolling to turn the wheels.

I did find a tip in the Mid Fifty catalog for a softer ride that is almost free. They show how to eliminate 3 leafs out of the original 7 to get a softer ride and a lower stance, but a reduced load capacity. I don't think this will work for everybody, but if you are like me I don't plan to use my '55 for a work truck. Mid Fifty would rather sell you new springs and admits the tip is not perfect. But you can replace the leafs if not happy with the results. OK to start, number the leafs with the smallest at the bottom of the stack as 1. Keep 1 remove 2, keep 3 remove 4, keep 5 remove 6. While you have them apart inspect for cracks and grind away grooves. Use some teflon liner between the remaining leafs to to reduce friction and allow the springs to work smoother. Teflon buttons could be used if you can drill spring steel. You will need to replace the bolts and brackets for the shorter spring stack. Before installing them inspect the spring hangers and bearings in the main leaf eyes for excessive wear and replace as necessary. Mid Fifty sells a tool to drive out the old bearing and install new ones and they sell all the spring parts separately or in kits. Try www.midfifty.com


rogerf100
55 F100
94 F150 Flareside