Flipping I-Beams?
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 218
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From: Enid, Ok
Flipping I-Beams?
i can just picture my truck lifted with 38" or so mud tires. i am not going to do any serious off roading in mine eather if i lift it. i just want to be able to get to some of the places my friens with lifted 4x4's can go.
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 218
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From: Enid, Ok
Flipping I-Beams?
broncobomber i am not trying to shoot you down or anything like that. i am 18 and working with a severely limited budget. tires and wheels alone almost break my budget. i looked in your galery and that is quite a pre runner bronco you are building.
Junior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 59
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From: Monroe, WA
Flipping I-Beams?
Hummmm.... Lifted truck, no offroad??? I don't comprehend this concept 
I looked at mine, and the only major probles I see are the same: brakes and allignment. As far as the breaks are concearnes, it is considerd out dated to have the caliper in front of the rotor, as it boggs down the front end more when you stop. So I can't see why flipping them to the rear would hurt the truck, as long as they still bolt on straight. As far as the allignment thig is concearned, have the old arm cut, then weld a pice of steel in there equal to the height of the lift. This can be a problem if you don't have a welder or a cutting torch, but Im sure it could be done easilly at a local muffler or machine shop, or a tech collage.
Im all for it, and I would follow suit, unfortunitly the Corps has me on a tight scedule right now with little time to do much of anything. But as soon as I get the chance, my sargent and I will tackle this.... eventually....
I looked at mine, and the only major probles I see are the same: brakes and allignment. As far as the breaks are concearnes, it is considerd out dated to have the caliper in front of the rotor, as it boggs down the front end more when you stop. So I can't see why flipping them to the rear would hurt the truck, as long as they still bolt on straight. As far as the allignment thig is concearned, have the old arm cut, then weld a pice of steel in there equal to the height of the lift. This can be a problem if you don't have a welder or a cutting torch, but Im sure it could be done easilly at a local muffler or machine shop, or a tech collage.
Im all for it, and I would follow suit, unfortunitly the Corps has me on a tight scedule right now with little time to do much of anything. But as soon as I get the chance, my sargent and I will tackle this.... eventually....
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
From: Florida
Flipping I-Beams?
Im sure you could off road mildly....With this setup....
Thats the problem I am having Now Berlinetta..I have manual steering and they dont sell a droped pitman arm anywhere for mine So I have to get one made with the aid of a welder..like u say ive been thinking about that...
So I will get a sacrificial pitman arm from the yard for the modified version is case i have a problen i can at least go back to original configuration...
and it will have to be extended in such a way......
Or convert manual steering over to power steering..
So did u check to see if u have Power or manual.....Which would be nice but then U miss out on the work out with the steering ...
There should be a way to flip breaks to the rear I have to look into it further....U knock out the king pins flip another thing over ...
The Way I vision it while looking under truck is that U are only flipping the I beam....keep everything else the same..
I am not in any hurry with the suspension..I will be painting this truck first before this that and the other...
Thats the problem I am having Now Berlinetta..I have manual steering and they dont sell a droped pitman arm anywhere for mine So I have to get one made with the aid of a welder..like u say ive been thinking about that...
So I will get a sacrificial pitman arm from the yard for the modified version is case i have a problen i can at least go back to original configuration...
and it will have to be extended in such a way......
Or convert manual steering over to power steering..
So did u check to see if u have Power or manual.....Which would be nice but then U miss out on the work out with the steering ...
There should be a way to flip breaks to the rear I have to look into it further....U knock out the king pins flip another thing over ...
The Way I vision it while looking under truck is that U are only flipping the I beam....keep everything else the same..
I am not in any hurry with the suspension..I will be painting this truck first before this that and the other...
Last edited by quantalimo; Jun 14, 2003 at 03:56 AM.
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
Flipping I-Beams?
You will need to make a good sized adjustment to your camber if you flip the beams. Caster angle remains the same when flipped. Camber angle goes opposite.
Use poly bushings on the front end.
Use poly bushings on the front end.
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From: Enid, Ok
Flipping I-Beams?
if someone does this post lots of pictures. i am going to do this eventually. i need to save up tor tires/wheels now.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
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From: Dryden, ON, Canada
Flipping I-Beams?
I vaguely remember talking to a friend of mine who had done this, I'm pretty sure he had flipped the beams, swapped them side for side, and also flipped the spindles, and didn't have too much problems getting it aligned.
As for bent I-beams, they are for a different application alltogether, with flipped beams, you get lift, and do not gain any travel over the stock suspension(you may gain some do to added leverage do to your new big tires, but, that's about it.)
Evan
As for bent I-beams, they are for a different application alltogether, with flipped beams, you get lift, and do not gain any travel over the stock suspension(you may gain some do to added leverage do to your new big tires, but, that's about it.)
Evan
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 525
Likes: 2
From: Mansfield, Texas
I don’t want to burst any bubbles buuuuuutttttt, here I go.
In my gallery I have posted a drawing showing the degrees of chamber and the pivot bracket; before and after flipping. Gallery. These drawings show the reasons why Autofabs says on their webpage that they straighten and then rebend, to the correct specs. As Eric (tourqe1st) posted earlier….. not only the chamber, but the pivot point on the end of the I-beam changes in degrees when there are flipped.
If you are one that now owns a truck that had the I-beams flipped? Then you are lucky that you did not have to go through the process of having someone rework your fomoco beams for you.
For the price of some of the kits out there; Autofabs for instance; you would be insane in attempting to do this on your own. I am one for searching all angles, especially if I thought no one had done it before. And sometimes too stubborn to admit when my idea needs to be put on a shelf.
Leave the hard work up to the guys at Autofab, and spend that extra time on something else.
PS. I also understand that money doesn’t grow on trees but, wouldn’t it be better to plant a full grown tree, rather than trying to make it grow by pulling on its trunk.
Robert P.
In my gallery I have posted a drawing showing the degrees of chamber and the pivot bracket; before and after flipping. Gallery. These drawings show the reasons why Autofabs says on their webpage that they straighten and then rebend, to the correct specs. As Eric (tourqe1st) posted earlier….. not only the chamber, but the pivot point on the end of the I-beam changes in degrees when there are flipped.
If you are one that now owns a truck that had the I-beams flipped? Then you are lucky that you did not have to go through the process of having someone rework your fomoco beams for you.
For the price of some of the kits out there; Autofabs for instance; you would be insane in attempting to do this on your own. I am one for searching all angles, especially if I thought no one had done it before. And sometimes too stubborn to admit when my idea needs to be put on a shelf.
Leave the hard work up to the guys at Autofab, and spend that extra time on something else.
PS. I also understand that money doesn’t grow on trees but, wouldn’t it be better to plant a full grown tree, rather than trying to make it grow by pulling on its trunk.
Robert P.
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