Dont think my 3/5 drop kit went well
 

Bought a Beltech 3/5 drop kit with Street Shocks all the way around for my 2010 Screw and it seems the rearend is lower than I wanted and the front end is higher than I wanted.....I know my way around a shop and have done drops before

I installed myself and followed the instructions and even called a Beltech rep to make sure about the spacers on the front struts. The rep said I needed to put ONE of the thick spacers on the front end struts and after reading the instructions it seems this to be true.

Also the back seems to be TOO low....One thing that concerned me was when I installed the rear shocks I had to lift the rearend housing with a jack to reach them..They seemed to short....Does anyone have any ideas??...Sorry but dont have any pics..Will be taking it to get aligned in the morning to see if that helps...I have looked at some pics on here on some other peoples drops and it dont seem the same.....Any help would be great

For a 3" drop on the front, you're supposed to omit all spacers. So if you're using one thick one, you're at a 2" drop on the front.

I had the same issue with my regular cab/short bed. After the drop, my rear sat a little lower than the front. I corrected this by adding Monroe Coil-Over shocks in the rear (part #58642). They're listed as fitting the 2004-2008 2WD F-150, but the length was perfect for a flipped 2009-2011 2WD. That added support in the rear and put the rear slightly higher than the front.

Before you get an alignment, you need to redo the front and remove the spacer. If the rear is still sagging, you need to invest in either coil-over shocks, or air bags to add some support and lift. The truck needs to have some rake (rear sitting higher than front) for the steering to feel right. If it's level or the rear is sagging, the steering will feel numb and somewhat sloppy.

In the end, I wasn't happy with the 3/5 drop. I put the springs back on top of the axle and got 2" drop shackles. Then I set the Belltech struts to 1.5" of drop (one thick and one thin spacer). But that's just me.

for 09 and up, you use one 16mm spacer (fatter one) to achieve a 3" drop..

How sure are you on that? EsJayEs has a 2009 and he is saying he is not running any spacers. Mine is a 2010 and I'm pretty sure I don't have any spacers in either. I didn't install my drop though so I'm not 100% sure. Just by logic though it would seem to me that the more spacers you have the higher you would be.

OP my truck has a slight "rake" because I have helper bags. Even with no air in the bags i still have "rake" because of where the bags are mounted. I plan to relocate the mounts and go another 2-3 inches lower in the rear so I have to run air in the bags all the time just to sit level. If you look at my brothers truck on here, "b_cirilla" you will notice his is slightly lower in the rear. He is not running helper bags yet. I am trying to get him to get his measurements right now.

Go take some measurements for us so we can compare. EVERYBODY needs to measure from the bottom of the fender to the center of the axle so we can get consistent measurements. Measuring to the tire or ground is not consistent from truck to truck because of the differences in tire and wheel size.

That being said here are my measurements from bottom of fender to center of axle.

FRONT = 17"
REAR = 17 1/2"

In my sig pic I am actually at 18" in the rear because I forgot to let ALL of the air out.

Ok, went back to the shop with the truck and looked under it to make sure that I didnt do something wrong. Everything is is tight and looks fine. My only concern with the back is that I had to lift up the rear end housing (while the rear wheels were off the ground) to put on the shocks. I called Beltech again with the measurements of the shock and they say it is the correct rear shock. This leaves the top of the fenders allmost flush with the top of the stock Perellies. Which seems a little TOO low for me.


Now to the front. The Beltech rep said that I had the correct amount of spacers on the front struts (One fat one). But that I could either put one smaller spacer OR no spacer at all. I have a week before I can use my buddy's shop again so Im thinking about maybe lifting the back. I will try to get a pic on here tonight (when it stops raining to show everyone what Im talking about....Thanx again

Ok going to try to load up these pics I took. Following Milt's advice I measured from top of fender well to middle of axle and came up with...

Front= 19 1/4
Back= 17 1/4

Profile shot
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...4-img-0011.jpg
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...4-img-0011.jpg

Front= 19 1/4 from wheel well to center axle
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...5-img-0012.jpg

Rear= 17 1/4 from wheel well to center axle

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...6-img-0013.jpg

Yes in sure. least thats what the directions say.

Well I had to read it to believe it. They've revised the instructions. The original copy I had did not mention anything unique about the 2009+. Still doesn't change the fact that I had a sagging rear even with no spacers. But it wasn't as severe as katpeeler's.

And now my OCD is commanding me to take my front struts apart and compare them with the original ones. Might bring the front up slightly while I'm in there. When I get around to the comparison I'll post.

Damn it!

http://belltech-store.com/aca_php/im...ages/25001.pdf

Well........After looking at my pics, and the measurements that Milt has it seems Im about 2 inches high in the front....WITH the recomended fat spacer....But after thinking of the assembly that I did on the front, there is one thing that I didnt do that was recomendded and that was install the small sleeve that goes on the TOP of the strut right below the center nut on top...But I dont think this will give me the extra lift I got on the front without it. So at this point I think I might take the front spacer out in a few days. I think this is my problem...Im too HIGH in the front and it is making my back look TOO low....After looking at my pics what do yall think???

well sir I can tell you that i did the same i bought a 3"x5" bell tech drop kit the directions to achieve 3" up front for a 2008 f 150 screw with 5.4 I used no spacers and 1/2 moon notch on lower control armes front and back for alignment. I have an screw 6.5 long bed with oversized fuel tank 35.7 those two options alone dropped me from 5" to 6" so to get my height back to 5" i used air lift slamed air. Part # 52910fit hope this info will help u

HLB

OK so I just got off a 30 min. phone call with belltech tech support and here is what I have come up with.

They have informed me that some of our trucks, 2009-2011, came with the 3pack rear leaf and some with the 4pack rear leaf. Now you would think that this is based on whether or not the truck is equiped with the tow package. That is obviously not the case though because I have the tow pkg and I have a 3pack leaf, that's including the overload leaf. This has been a big issue at belltech because the difference in leaf packs is giving people different drops with the flip kit. Perhaps the 4pack leafs came on the 4x4. That would explain why some people are lower in the rear than others but in this particular instance our rears seem to be measuring the same and it is the front that is off. Granted all of us are 2wd.

What they explained to me about the front adjustable struts is as follows. To achieve maximum lift from the strut you run ALL of the spacers. To achieve maximum drop you would run NO spacers. However belltech does not recommend running no spacer because it puts too much stress on the ball joint. That is why they recommend running one thick spacer which they state will give you 3" of drop from factory. They also stated that they have different adjustable struts for 4wd and 2wd. It is possible that Kat received the struts for the 4wd instead of the 2wd and that is why he is sitting higher in the front even though he is running the sugested spacer. I can't confirm this because I can't see what spacer, if any, I am running because there is a rubber boot around them.

I am going to go to the dealership across the street from my work and see if I can get a measurement from a stock FX2 so we will have a base to determine the amount of drop we have all actually achieved. I recommend that everybody check their leaf packs in the rear too.

This is driving me nuts. I think we should just all switch to custom four links in the rear and air bags in all four corners. :rocker: :lol:

So here is katpeeler, b_cirilla, and myself all running the exact same kit on the exact same year models, exact same trim line, exact same wheels and tires, and exact same cab and bed size and look at the differences. The pic I posted of mine was taken before I had the helper bags so we are all on the the same setup.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...4-img-0011.jpg
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...5-img-2032.jpg
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...6-100-2390.jpg

Well I just got back from measuring a few stock crew cabs at the dealership and I am more confused than ever. I found several 2wd that had the 3pack leaf and several 2wd that had the 4pack leaf. All of the 4wd I looked at had the 3pack leaf. My logic tells me that the more leafs you have the stiffer your suspension would be and the more load it could handle. That being said I would think the tow package would include the 4pack leafs. Well I have the tow package and I have the 3pack leafs so I don't know what to think.

As far as the stock ride height goes I measured the 2wd with the 3pack and the 4pack and they BOTH measured 21 1/2" in the front and 23 1/2" in the rear stock. Why would they measure the same when one has an extra leaf in the rear? I didn't even bother to measure the 4wd because that would be one more variable we don't even need in the equation.

Knowing that the trucks sit at 21 1/2" in the front and 23 1/2" in the rear at stock ride height the belltech 3/5 drop should put the truck at 18 1/2" in the front and 18 1/2" in the rear.

I have come to the conclusion that I am either running no spacers in the front or my struts and springs have settled drasticaly over the course of the 35K miles they have been installed because I just measured mine again and I am definitely at 17" in the front. That is a total of 4 1/2" of drop.

My rear is at 18" again so now I am starting to wonder if air is leaking from my tank back into my bags because I just had two buddies sit on the tailgate the other day while I held my switch open to get the rest of the air out of the bags and I was at 17 1/2 in the rear with all the air out. I haven't aired up since then and I just tried to let any excess air out with nobody on the tailgate and no air was released. Either way it looks like I got either 6" or 5 1/2" out of the flip kit.

I am still waiting to hear from my brother, b_cirilla, on his measurements. He says he is going to take them when he gets home from work but I'll believe that when me shat turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet.

This is really messing with my head. LOL

Do I really sound like that when I say It?

I agree

I am seriously going to talk to two different shops about a full air ride setup to lay frame. I'm tired of hitting the bumpstops. I'm tired of not having full control over my ride height. I'm tired of not tucking wheel up in the fender well when I'm parked. lol :thumbsup:

Just don't waste your money on the ART stuff you wont be happy with it

I vaguely remember the 04-08 trucks are the same way with the leafs, sure do wish I had an extra leaf

Might eventually go back to my old setup but a 3" drop shackle flip and these
Attachment 37614

04+ trucks can't fit a 3" drop shackle, much less no one makes one as a 3"

Belltech does
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shackle-2-3-...item415855d1a2

Spring tech does
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2or3-drop-Lo...item51887c5c66

I didn't believe it either untill I saw the parts and someone on here said they have put on the spring tech one. I know I had to bend over my pintch weld to fit a 2" in there. I'd imagine you would have to cut it out for it to fit

Hmm I did just have the thought that possibly they mean 3" if you remove the stock block in a 4wd and add their shim....BUT the guy on here from the suspension source says belltech has a 3" shackle for 04+

Milt....I appreciate all this leg work your doing. Since my last post I have went to my local Ford dealership with a tape measure and measured 3 different models...Regular Cab XL, 4 door XLT and a 4 door Lariat. The front ends all ranged from the XL with 22 1/2 in the front to the Lariat that was 21 1/2 in the front. The reason of the difference could be my eyes. BUT what I did find interesting is that ALL trucks were 24 in the rear. Knowing that Ive never seen a truck/car on a car lot that has more than 1/8 of a tank of gas in it could be the difference. I measured mine AGAIN on a different parking lot and coming up with 19 in the front and 17 1/2 in the rear (with half a tank of gas).

SO......after doing the math it would seem to me that my 19 front should be correct (give or take a half inch for eye error) and espcialy looking at other trucks the front end looks fine. BUT with my rear being 17 1/2 and a stock truck being 24 that is a difference of 6 1/2..a full 1 1/2 TOO low. I did look and I have a 3 leaf setup in the back.
I have called Bellteck with my reart shock part number AND the overall lenth of the shock and they again tell me that it is the correct rear shock. But I swear I have never had to lift the rear end (tires off the ground) to install a shock.

With all this info that Milt has told me I think I will get back on the phone with beltech and see if they can help me out with this.
I might have to go with a different set of rear shocks OR some helper bags in the back.
This whole experience Ive had with Beltech is uncalled for

Time to add more information to the pile. Just got done tearing apart my struts and comparing them to the OE. It took three 16mm spacers for it to match OE. So the revised instructions are right, sorta...

I was sitting at 19.25" in the front (1x16mm and 1x8mm spacer in the struts), 22" in the rear (2" drop shackle). I decided to add 1" to the front, so I threw in another 16mm spacer (totalling 2x16mm and 1x8mm). After that my front jumped way the **** up to 21". Rear still at 22". This looked really stupid. So I tore it all down again and took out the 8mm spacer. Now I'm at an even 20" in the front and 22" in the rear.

About the rear leafs, I have a 3-pack. My truck does have the factory towing package. So going back to the beginning, my ass was sagging with the flip and no spacers. It was slight, but it was definitely sagging.

If some company out there would get off their lazy ass and make REASONABLY priced lowering leafs for the 2009+, I'd be one of the first in line. But I guess as long as Ground Force is the only company making it, they can charge whatever they want. Some idiot will pay it. Just not me.

That's interesting that we both got the same 21 1/2" stock front but we got a 1/2" variance in the stock rear. Did you notice what leaf packs they had or if they were 4wd? Both of the ones I measured were 2wd but one had the 3pack leaf and the other a 4pack leaf but both measured 23 1/2".

If you are at 19" in the front then you are actually a 1/2" in to high right? Going that extra 1/2" would make the rear look less "saggy" but I also agree that we are both sitting lower than a 5" drop in the rear.

I don't mind digging into this kinda stuff. I like to know for my own benefit as well as being able to help you and people in the future.

the first one lists for a 4wd for sure

There just isnt enough room under the bed to put a 2" longer shackle then the 2" drop shackle is

I agree

Didnt look at the leaf packs on the trucks since I didnt see you post about the difference until I got back home. But they were all 2wd. And yes with the measurements that I had gotten I might be 1/2 high on my front. But that just could be user error. If you look back at the pics that you posted of all our trucks (with stock rims) they look very similiar in the front. But Im almost 2 inches low in the rear. Havent called Beltech yet but will be on the phone with them in the next couple hours. If what your saying is true about the leaf spring packs then they should be able to send me something to fix my sagging rear. If not they need to re-thinik there drop kits...

I agree, I'm just going by what people have said to me

UPDATE===========
Got off the phone with Beltech. Very good customer service. I explained that the rear end is about 2" low and they said that they were aware of the problem with there kits and are in R/D stage with a fix. Even if someone was wanting to buy the kit they would not sell it to them.
The man on the phone gave me the guys email that is over fixing the problem and gave him my contact info so hopefuly I will hear something back from them soon.

I juSt ordered that kit yesterday... Well guess I'll see how mine fares.....

So belltech is working on the problem. hopefully theyl have it fixed before I buy the flip kit.
so milt do u like your bags? And do you ride around with air in them. and if so how's the ride.
In putting my strife on the front this weekend. ill post pics and measurements.

After your install would you please post on this thread with your end result??

I talked to the girl from the vendor and she told me that they stopped my order until she talked to me. She told me this same stuff and the fix should be ready within 3 weeks. She said I can still get the kit and if it don't work I can return it for the new fix or get a different rear drop. I'll find out what I'm doing and more info Monday. This blows big nasty balls!

Yall think the 4 inch rear leaf spring drop with a 2" or 1" shackle will work to get me to the 5 or 6" drop??

It does blow big nasty balls...At least your not driving around for 3 WEEKS with a sagging truck...They werent able to tell me a date...This might be asking alot but if there is a moderator that might could sticky this thread and rename it "Beltech 3/5 drop recall" or something similar so other fellow members can keep up with this??...thanx

They don't make leafs do they.

Groundforce does.

And they only sell them with their drop kit. I spoke with them directly about a year ago hoping that they'd sell me just the leafs. They were not interested. Kit sells for around $1,000 which is just stupid. If a more reputable company like Eibach was making them, they'd be half the price.

I got my order in with TSS(the suspension source) a vendor on here. And there working with me.

:wave:Ordered what? leafs? I just emailed him and he said they don't have leafs.