Believe it or not, it snows here in Southern California just as much as anywhere else, enough to make snowballs. Too bad most of this arctic weather happens in the garage--you know, when a project starts to snowball. Not to say it gets out of control, just that it's taking a bit of a different course than you planned. Sometimes, no matter how bad you want to just get one thing done, you wind up having to jump around and put the puzzle together differently.
We were hoping to show you how to lower a '57-60 F-100's backside while retaining a good ride that would wrap up the new Currie rearend story nicely, but we might have been putting the cart before the horse, so to speak, taking into consideration the truck's stance at the end of said alterations. It was deemed that the front should have a slight rake while sitting low or at least level. The rear suspension is easy to deal with in a few different ways and shouldn't be a problem, but up front we decided to stick with a solid axle of the dropped variety from Classic Performance Products, or CPP, instead of trying to hassle with an IFS. Granted, the IFS would get the truck lower in the long run, but it isn't an option for everyone, so we needed to see where the front was going to wind up, as it will dictate where the rear will come to rest.
CPP has been trying to branch out and provide products to those outside the mainstay '53-56 F-100s, and in doing so they have had to do some R&D work to make great new products for the "other" makes, models, and years out there. What you see here being done to this '60 F-100 will be available as a kit or individual pieces by the time this prints. In the past many people have had to make do and fit parts from earlier trucks since they are readily available new, but that can lead to more work than necessary, like retrofitting different leaf springs because there were little to none available for the '57-60 models. Well, thanks to knowledgeable help from area legends Deaver Spring, CPP now offers dropped bolt-in versions of the stock parallel leaf springs that ride better than OEM thanks to Teflon sliders.
After all is said and done, this swap could be done in less than a day by a first-timer, with the only holdup being if you need to have a machine shop install and ream the new kingpin bushings, which is generally inexpensive. CPP will be setting in the motor and trans soon to make way for more new products, and next month we'll be able to get this sucker back down on the ground where it belongs! Call, click or stop by CPP for more info, and keep reading Classic Trucks for the latest and greatest.
 |
The goods! CPP has been working hard to bring the post '56 F-100s some love, and this is the first of much more to come for these boxy Fords. The new leaf springs are the product of a collaboration between CPP and Deaver Spring to provide these trucks with a bolt-in stock upgrade that not only lowers the truck, but also rides better as well. New U-bolts, shackles, shocks, lower shock mounts, kingpins, tie rod bars, tie rod ends, and tie rod drop-brackets are all part of the package. |
The first order of business was to get the front-end sheetmetal out of the way to make things much easier, since the truck will soon be the recipient of a Smeding-built 392 Ford motor, amongst other things like CPP power steering, but don't worry, the dropped axle and spring switch can be done easily without removing all the tin. |
Here's the almost stock front suspension ripe for the plucking. Many of you might remember that we already began the Master Power disc brake upgrade, but the axle and springs were left stock, so off with the rotor, calipers, and spindles. |
The stock spindles and steering arms will be used with the new low-down setup, so take care in removing them, followed by a good scrubbing or bead blasting and a fresh coat of shiny stuff. |
The rest of the front suspension can be undone at the shackles and drug out from underneath without separating the axle and springs at the U-bolts. Due to space restraints and the portability of the old parts, everything was disassembled. Watch the dirty old grease! |
The other part of the CPP transformation is their new 2-inch dropped axle. It has CNC-machined dropped ends with 2-inch seamless tubing for the center. |
See the difference in height from where the spring mounts to the top of the axle end? |
The new CPP/Deaver leaf springs are the first to go on with the help of the new shackles. The springs provide a 3-inch drop and have Teflon buttons, or sliders, at the end of each leaf to make the whole leaf ride more fluidly. Some of the stock leafs both front and rear were cracked all the way through. Spring steel doesn't last forever. |
The rear of the springs doesn't have shackles; they just pivot on a bolt, but new bushings were installed. |
Before the axle went in, the guys opened the U-bolt holes toward the outside of each pair of holes 1/8 inch to accommodate the '57's wider spring. This is one of the few holdover parts that works for '53-60 trucks, but it provides an inch less drop on '57-60 trucks due to their slightly dropped axle from the factory compared to pre-'56 F-100s. |
You can open the bolt holes with a sharp round file or a carbide bit on a die grinder. Safety first! |