1968 Ford F100 - The Bumpside Build-Off Part 1

What a mess! It was time to clean up and get ready for the fun part-the installation! It took a lot of welding to get the boxing plates done. Make sure to protect your arms and other areas of exposed skin, or you'll be sorry.

I cheated and mocked everything up to try and figure out where my ride height would be using the spindle centerline and a 27-inch-tall tire for the 18-inch American Racing 500 wheels I'm planning on using. I then leveled the truck side-to-side, but not front-to-back. Most cars and trucks sit on a forward rake, which is usually around 3 degrees, and if this is how you want yours to sit, then you need to set the truck on that angle now. I chose a 1 1/2-degree rake for more of a level and low look, but this is all a matter of taste. Regardless, it's important to have your truck on whatever rake you choose before installing the Fatman crossmember. If you change your rake later, it'll mess with the geometry built into these parts. With the axle centerline scribed into all sides of the frame and the new crossmember, it was time to jack it up in place and give it a look-see.

With the truck and Fatman crossmember level side-to-side and the crossmember level front-to-back as well as centered in the frame, I tacked it in place. Things can move around while welding, so double-check it afterward, too.

The crossmember has holes in it to mount the lower A-arms, so we need to set up the upper A-arm and coilover mounts. Centering the coilover mount front-to-back off the axle centerline, I scribed the outside dimensions on top of the frame.

Using the scribe marks, I positioned the coilover mount and leveled it front-to-back before tacking it in place. The upper A-arm mount is the bracket on top of the frame with the slots in it that slide over the coilover mount's legs. From the outside of this A-arm mount to the outside of the driver-side A-arm mount, it needs to be 32 inches, as well as an equal distance from the coilover mount, as shown here. Using the squares and scales can make a tricky job a little easier.

With the lower A-arm in place and a bolt through its lower coilover mount, we can see that the upper and lower mounts are parallel and won't put the coilover bushings in a bind. The upper A-arm mount's angle is intentional for correct geometry. I took a few minutes before this went together to weld up the holes in the outside and top of the frame to clean things up, plus it'd be way more work later with all the brackets welded to the frame.

With the upper A-arm and spindle in place, we can see the upper and lower coilover mounts are parallel on this plane as well, which means things are going right!

Once I had double- and triple-checked my measurements and dimensions, I began the final welding. Because of the crossmember's heavily rounded corners, it leaves a deep "V." After a single pass on each side (alternating side to side and letting it cool), I made a second pass with the MIG welder to ensure that it wasn't going anywhere. If you aren't sure of your welding skills at any time during this process, don't be afraid to have someone step in and help; structural chassis welding isn't the best time to practice your welding. The weld on the left is the second pass on the outside, while the weld to the right is the first pass in front under the frame.

After lots of skipping around on each side and side to side, all the Fatman crossmember pieces were welded in place. How exciting!

The 2-inch dropped spindles I decided to use from Fatman got the truck that much lower. I didn't tighten any of the included stainless hardware with nylocks, but I did use antiseize because I need to take it all apart to notch the frame for steering clearance to set up the rack-and-pinion, which we'll cover next month. Stay tuned!