but would the truck actually lower if I cut a couple coils off the springs and removed a couple leafs?

I know it's a dangerous and bad thing to do, but I was wondering if it can even be done because of the I-Beam.

Thanks,


Pete

 

You could chop a little off the coils and it would lower the truck but the alignment might not be able to set straight again.

You see thing about the I-beams is that they are dependant on ride height to properly set camber unless you change the pivots on the frame.

Raising the vehicle will set the camber too far positive ( top of the tire sticking out further than the bottom) causing exessive wear on the outside of the tire treads and making the steering a little squirrely.

Lowering the vehicle will do the opposite, too much negative camber (bottom of tire sticking out further than the top) Lowriders call this condition "butterfly" as it appears that the top balljoint has broken and the top of the tire has collapsed inward . This will cause the inside of the tire treads to wear prematurely.

The camber on I-beam suspension can be adjusted to some extent by bending the beams with a hydraulic ram but only so much. So be mindful how much you cut off the coil springs and you would be wise to first seek out an alignment shop that bends I beams as they are not very common. Otrherwise be prepared to trash some tires.

I'm not sure how much drop you'll get out of removing a leaf but it will seriously decrease the amount of weight you can carry in the bed safely. The leafs can be recurved to be lower or you can use drop hangars or even a new set of lowering leafs. In either case you should also check the pinion angle afterwards. You may need to shim the axle to regain the correct pinion angle.

Good luck.

 

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm really used to lowering cars. I've done it alot so I know the basics of camber adjustment and what not.

I think I'll go with Belltech kits or maybe the B&M Dream Beam set up.

Thanks again,

Pete

 

i wanted to lower my 95 f150 but had a few questions on what i should do;
I have the harley davidson 22's on it but I dont know the best way to lower the truck a few inches and still fit the rims? please can you help?