Thursday, August 26, 2010

Front Suspension Removal




After work tonight, I removed the front suspension completely. This sounds like a big job, but Ford switched to a system they called "Twin I Beam" in 1965. Basically, instead of one straight axle in the front of the truck, they gave each wheel its own axle which was suspended at the opposite side of the truck and directly beneath the floor of the cab at the rear through what they called radius arms. It provided a much smoother ride over a straight axle since bumps in the road could be absorbed by one side of the suspension rather than the entire front. The system is prone to alignment issues as components wear and it won't quite give me the ride I'm going for.
It all drops out by removing one nut on each radius arm, one bolt at the end of each I beam, two small bolts holding on the springs, the brake lines and the shocks. That's it.
I had to pull the truck out from the wall to get around to the driver's side. SWMBO has already staked her winter claim to the garage insisting that the truck not encroach the space her car will occupy when the first frost hits.
Next, I'll remove the slushbox and monster 460. The truck was originally an I6 3 speed. I'm not totally set on the powerplant and transmission yet, but there's plenty of time to decide. After that, it's off with the cab for the frame work.

1 comment:

  1. Pretty cool. i didnt realize how east it is to remove. I am planning on changing out hte front brakes this winter. I guess i'll have to see what happens. Oh, its a 68 f100.. thanks.

    ReplyDelete