Although mine was a '56 I installed a Volarie front suspension with torsion bars so I could adjust the ride height. 18,000 miles with no problems at all.This pic was taken in 1979 parked next to an old friend's roadster........Mike
I finally remebered to do this shot. This is from almost 3 years ago. Bottom pic is how it looks today with big/littles and the bumper tucked. Later,Bill 2" drop axle, 4.5 mono up front. 6" mono out back and a "c" notch 205/75/15 and 235/75/15 on stock steelies. You could get it lower with shorter tires, but those tuck nicely.
A HAMBers truck, this was taken at the HAMB drags at MOKAN, this is one of the nicest 57-60 P.U.s I have seen, perfect stance.
Moving the axle will lower the truck pretty close to the diameter of the axle tube within about a quarter inch or so. If that's any help. Probably consider about a 3-4" drop axle. That would be 3-4" more than your stock axle. It should still have a little rake. If not then afterwards you can have the springs dearched to compensate.
Actually it will lower it quite a bit more than the diameter of the rear axle tube. Don't forget the thickness of the spring pack, etc
I'm going to try to have it there. I've still got quiet a bit of work to do. I'll be there even if the truck doesn't make it though. Hope to see you there.
I've never been even though I threaten to go every year. I've made it a mission this year though. I hope to see you rollin around in the 60. GET TO WORK!
I've been torn on this since the day I bought my truck. Flipping the axle I don't like how close the pumpkin comes to the bottom of the bed , and I'm not cutting the bed. Its' a truck used for hauling. That pretty much rules out the axle flip and makes it less than 6 inches. There's room in the rear for moving the spring hangers up. The front eye could be moved up 6" or so. I think I could use a 70's f100 rear frame hanger bracket inverted on the front. The rear eye could be moved up 2" or so by just extending the shackles. You'd have to shim the axle to get it back straight, but I think you would still get 4-5" lower in the rear. And you still may have to notch the frame. Having the front springs directly under the frame is a pain. Flipping the axle I don't like how close the axle comes to the oil pan and the frame. But if you keep the axle under the spring it almost forces you to use mono leaves to get any sort of drop and still have some frame clearance. As tempting as it is to ditch all of this and just swap a bagged c10 frame under it, a major portion of the trucks mojo is the straight axles, leaf springs, and worm gear steering.
I added a nice set of air shocks on the rear of my truck. At 80psi I can keep the pumpkin off the bed floor no rpblem and the truck still rides well. With no air in them I still have clearance but I like knowing I can add 1.5" to 2" if Im hauling something in the bed
If you were to flip the rear axle over the springs & arch the springs an inch or two more, would that kill the ride? I've never had any dealings with leaf springs before.
My rear leafs are pretty de-arched do to age. New leafs would likely make a differance rather than adding an arch. 98% of the rears are lowered by an axle flip on these trucks. You should be fine with clearance. If you do have an issue with the pumpin hitting the bed floor there are plenty of ways to amend the situation...airshocks etc
Thanks Matt, but the clearance isn't what worries me. I have all but decided on dropping the truck down only four inches in the front and don't want the rear to be lower than the front. Although I like the look of these trucks down 6" or so, my plans are to eventually build a monster Caddy motor for this thing and think that it would be better suited if it wasn't laying so low. I just want to take the space out between the fenders and tires. KK
How much is moving the front axle above the springs in my 63 F100 going to lower it? I'm hoping to get enough drop in the front without doing a dropped axle to keep it even with the rear after I flip it. Is there enough room to even do this with a small notch up front? And can I get away with maybe 1" more?
Here's my 6cyl 57. 3" Sids axle, overload leafs taken out of the rear,6.70x15 front tire and 8.20x15 rear. I plan on reversing the eyes on the front springs and flipping the front hanger on the rear to get a little more drop out of it.
I like your truck, how about some photos of the "nuts and bolts " of your drop?. Like the bend in the steering arm, or a shot underneath, to get an idea of clearances (scrub line/tie rod drop, etc.) thanks, I'll post some new shots of my '57 I just mounted my Firestones !
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