3/5.5 Belltech Drop 05 F150

gilbertma · #1 06-01-2008, 03:28 PM

I did a Belltech drop in March using their 2" drop spindles and coil over struts with a 1" drop spacer in the front. In the back I used a Belltech flip kit with 5" drop shocks. I did not want to lose the ability to tow or carry loads so I added a McGaughys air bag kit. This air bag kit is not designed for a flip so I used 3" steel spacers that are made for lifted trucks to bridge the gap. The Belltech drop uses the factory springs front and back with no cutting or heating, it just changes the location of the suspension parts relative to the frame and keeps the same ride and suspension feel as before. I keep about 15-20 psi in the bags when not loaded and it rides great. If you go over a speed bump too fast you will tap the thin bump stops on the axle slightly, similar to what my 2000 Mustang GT does. I'm very happy with this drop so far and have not had any problems. I'm running 275/45/20 Cooper Zeons on American Racing Torque wheels, 20's are the minimum size you can go with this drop spindle for clearance. The top of the wheel well lip is 31.5" from the ground at all four corners.

gilbertma · #2 06-01-2008, 03:30 PM

The scale in the pictures is 12" for reference.

Tycoz · #3 06-01-2008, 05:28 PM

Very nice, love it. I'm getting ready to drop my truck too, I have 24s though, do you think they will fit with this kit? How much did everything cost you and do you have to go with the spindles or what else can be used to cut cost???

gilbertma · #4 06-01-2008, 09:43 PM

Those 24's look pretty big, if you go with a lower profile tire- maybe. My 275/45/20's are 29" tall and I have 2.5" of gap to the wheel well lip. The measurement from the center of my hub to the w/w lip is 17.5". If your truck is 4w drive you can't use drop spindles. Go to Belltech's website and download their pdf brochure and there is a matrix that shows different combinations of front and rear drop methods combined into kit #'s. My particular kit was #1416, 2/5 drop with spindles/rear flip (actually 5.5 in real life) and cost $602. I used drop struts #25001 to drop the front another 1"(0-2" available) for $149/set. The 5" drop shocks for the rear were #221155 for $100/set. I got these parts from Performancecenter.com. The Mcgaughy's airbag kit was $269 from Street Pros. The 3" airbag spacers were made by EZ-Ride and were about $48. So that comes to just under $1200. I don't recommend doing a rear flip without using airbags, you will be constantly hitting the bumpstops without them plus losing your ability to carry anything heavy. Don't cheap out and try to use the stock rear shocks either, the factory ones are too long and won't control airbag/leaf bounce, the drop shocks work great. There are cheaper ways to do a 3/5 drop, but it won't ride as good, you get what you pay for.

Tycoz · #5 06-02-2008, 04:35 AM

If your referring to the wheels in my sig, that is my old set up-33" tires on 18s with a 2.5 inch spacer. My truck is 2 wheel drive so I sold that whole set up, now I have 24s just not an updated sig yet.
Thanks for all the info, do I have to do it all at once or can it be done it stages, I want to drop the rear asap cause my a$$ end is sticking up now with the old spacers taken out and I hate the look of it slanted down in the front....but I don't have $1200 to be spending right now. Also, yours is nice but not sure if I want to go that low, is there an in between???

gilbertma · #6 06-02-2008, 08:31 AM

If you want to just lower the back you could use 2" drop shackles, Ground Force makes a set that comes with shims for pinion angle. Then later you could use drop leafs in the rear with the shackles and Belltech makes a nice adjustable coil over strut for matching the front to the back. This coil over is pricey though, the one I used has spacers that allow you to choose between 0,1, and 2 inches of drop and is cheaper, the other one is infinitely adjustable. If you drop more than 2" in the back you're probably going to need airbags or you will lose load carrying/towing capabilities.

Beaus Truck · #7 06-02-2008, 05:44 PM

If you dont mind what model # is on the airbags and the spacers. I need to get a set asap. Thanks

Screw-Me-05 · #8 06-02-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tycoz

If your referring to the wheels in my sig, that is my old set up-33" tires on 18s with a 2.5 inch spacer. My truck is 2 wheel drive so I sold that whole set up, now I have 24s just not an updated sig yet.
Thanks for all the info, do I have to do it all at once or can it be done it stages, I want to drop the rear asap cause my a$$ end is sticking up now with the old spacers taken out and I hate the look of it slanted down in the front....but I don't have $1200 to be spending right now. Also, yours is nice but not sure if I want to go that low, is there an in between???

EIBACH 2/4 with 24's no rubbing

Patman03SprCrw · #9 06-02-2008, 08:50 PM

Gilbertma, looks great!!! I love seeing any truck lowered

gilbertma · #10 06-02-2008, 08:50 PM

Here is where I got the airbags, http://www.streetpros.com/product_in...ucts_id/31838/

Here is where I got the bag spacers, http://www.suspensionconnection.com/...con/30001.html

Keep in mind the airbags are designed by McGaughy's to be used with their drop leafs, if used with a flip kit there will be about a 3" space, that's why you have to use a spacer. The u-bolts that come with the airbag kit will be too short if you are using your overload spring in your leaf packs, I didn't feel like removing mine so I got longer u-bolts at the hardware store. You are also supposed to drill three holes in your frame for each upper airbag bracket, I just drilled the two horizontal ones and it has worked great, no problems.

gilbertma · #11 06-02-2008, 09:04 PM

Nice wheels screw-me-05, I might go up to a 22" when I get tired of these 20"s. I like having a 29" tire diameter with 3.73 gears though, it gives you an effective gear ratio similar to having 3.90 gearset. That comes in handy when you're trying to get 5200 lbs moving from a stop.

Screw-Me-05 · #12 06-02-2008, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilbertma

Nice wheels screw-me-05, I might go up to a 22" when I get tired of these 20"s. I like having a 29" tire diameter with 3.73 gears though, it gives you an effective gear ratio similar to having 3.90 gearset. That comes in handy when you're trying to get 5200 lbs moving from a stop.

I hear ya on the speed thing but im just into looks on this truck besides i have an 06 gt for the speed part or jump on one of the bikes

Arca_ex · #13 06-04-2008, 08:00 PM

Thanks for that link on the bag spacers, I didn't know they existed. I have that exact same helper kit with a 3 gal tank some pressure guages and a switch. I have a small compressor here that I'm waiting to put in too because filling the system is really annoying.
I've been using a couple of blocks of wood and they keep moving around.

Drop looks good btw, I like the look.

gilbertma · #14 06-04-2008, 10:49 PM

Thanks Arca Ex, by the way, you gave me the idea of using the McGaughy's airbags when you posted your photos last year, all the other kits mount on the axle instead of behind the axle and I think that way works better for a flip. When I saw the problem you had with the extra space I typed "airbag spacers" into Google and eventually found the ones I'm using. If you're not using a drop shock with your flip I highly recommend the Belltech ones #221155, the difference is night and day over the factory ones, it rides a lot smoother.

Arca_ex · #15 06-04-2008, 11:18 PM

Yeah I'm just using the stock shocks with the extender tabs that came with my drop kit. I'll look into those shocks, the air assist is pretty smooth already so when I replace my shocks I'll pick up some of those.

I think my local shop might be able to get some for me cheap. I got drop kit and air assist kit from streetbeatcustoms.com, that's their website but I usually just drive down there.