lowering a 65 f100
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Elder User
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Lawrenceville, Ga
lowering a 65 f100
Hey guys, I have a 65 f100 I bought for $300 a few years back. It has a 429 and c6, runs and drives. Had some body work done to it by previous owner and is sprayed with red oxide primer. Id like to maintain a rat rod look as well as spend the least amount of money possible as I am building a 79 250 on rockwells and 53s too. The local pull a part sells leaf springs for $10 a piece and coils for $10 a piece. My question is, what year trucks can I pull leaves and coils out of to fit this truck. Id like to set aside the stock suspension so I can put it back to normal but take a leaf or two out of the junk yard springs and heat up the junk coils for a couple cheap, very temporary inches. Any info would be appreciated!
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Elder User
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Lawrenceville, Ga
If I had all the answers, I wouldn't have bothered you good folks with my original question. But it's obvious you didn't read that part.. Thanks though!
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Joined: May 2010
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I am going with the same rat rod theme as well with my 66 f-250....but mine will be primer black with a white roof. I heated my front coils and dropped it almost to the bump stops....it has a little bit of camber but nothing that bad. I want to go lower so I might try moving the pivot points up an inch or whatever I got room for and then drop the coil a bit more. I find it rediculous with how expensive drop beams that I will never buy any! For the rear I just pulled 4 leafs out of the pack and Im gonna run a drop shackle...looks great and still rides down the road pretty well!
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: tulsa
I was always told if you heat a spring you ruin it.Although I think you can cut shorten one with a torch,but if you get it red hot to re-shape it somehow...well...then I'd rather be in the vehicle AHEAD of you on the road! Garbz..your voice of experience please.
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Elder User
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Lawrenceville, Ga
Thanks for the info guys. What year trucks can I pull coils out of at the junk yard to put in the '65?
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Elder User
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 581
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From: Montana
FWIW- i built my own jig to adjust the camber in my trucks , works fine. i lowered the front on one of them and bent the I-beams to do it. i might add here that it prolly wont work if you get radical with the lowering to much. may wanna get the drop axles then. i only lowered mine about an inch and a half and i could tell that my homemade jig prolly would not have handled more of a bend. it's to bad they dip the drop axles in gold when they make them. also fwiw. i did notice some wear on the inside of one tire after about 6000 miles. this is due to not having the proper alignment equipment that a alignment shop will have. one shop wouldn't even do it and the other said 400 bucks and didn't even go out and look at it. so there's the down side of doing it your self. Dutch
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,060
Likes: 7
From: Glendale Arizona
You can remove a coil by cutting with a chop saw. Heat destroys the spring and changes the weight rating. However the camber must be reset to stock.
As to the camber being off it is a big deal. Not having it correct will lead to excessive loading of the upper bushing and failure and excsessive wear of the steering components. It is why there are no cheap and easy ways to lower stock beams.
One must also remember to not cut springs with aftermarket beams as there is ZERO camber adjustment avalible in them as they are fabricarted pieces of junk.
Garbz
As to the camber being off it is a big deal. Not having it correct will lead to excessive loading of the upper bushing and failure and excsessive wear of the steering components. It is why there are no cheap and easy ways to lower stock beams.
One must also remember to not cut springs with aftermarket beams as there is ZERO camber adjustment avalible in them as they are fabricarted pieces of junk.
Garbz
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,060
Likes: 7
From: Glendale Arizona
Garbz