Ultrastang sure looks like you got a real nice F100 to start with.

Wow - I would kill for a shop like that. Looks like you will have a very nice truck when you are completed with it. How is the Ultrastang doing? Will it ever be finished? (you and Hakan seem to have your cars in the long term rebuild/modify modes, right?)

MustangSteve wrote:

Why not just put the CV front end in it?

X-2!!
I feel the "split I Beam" was one of FoMoCo's worstest ideas....disc brakes or not.
Butt-hay...snot my truck!
6sal6
 

MustangSteve wrote:

Why not just put the CV front end in it?

The Crown Vic swap requires cutting out and welding in. I don't have everything needed to do that conversion yet. On the other hand, I do have everything to swap the disc/I beams in and those components don't require any cutting, fabricating or welding to install them. They are all bolt on components and they are vastly better than my current stock drums.

I don't want my truck down for a long period of time waiting for all the components and modifications necessary to swap both the front and rear assemblies for the Crown Victoria front end and the T-Bird IRS rear end.
 

GPatrick wrote:

I just (mostly) finished installing I-beam/radius arm bushings, gas shocks at four corners, and Moog progressive rate front springs in my "new" '70 F250 and as nice as it rides and feels, my plans for the CV conversion are on hold.  I already had discs and power steering so the mods so far have been minimal.

I have a power steering gearbox from a '78 F150 and the power steering pump (C-2 version) and pump brackets from a 300 inline six that was in an '82 model pickup. I also have a factory tilt column that came out of a '78 F150. I also grabbed the air conditioner brackets off the '82 pickup. Now, if I just had the rest of the A/C components that would really make the truck a lot more comfortable --especially here in hot, humid south Arkansas.
 

6sally6 wrote:

MustangSteve wrote:

Why not just put the CV front end in it?

X-2!!
I feel the "split I Beam" was one of FoMoCo's worstest ideas....disc brakes or not.
Butt-hay...snot my truck!
6sal6
 

The twin I beam came out in 1965 to replace the old straight front axle of the '64-earlier trucks.

In 1980, the twin I-beam continued on in the F-series trucks but the kingpins were replaced by ball joints. The twin I-beam was in use on the small Ranger 2WD pickups through 1997. The twin I beam (2WD trucks) and twin traction beam (4WD trucks) were used on various Ford F-series trucks all the way through 2002.

If you drove an old Ford pickup with twin I-Beams that was hard to hold in the road, it was likely due to component wear; worn or partially missing radius arm bushings, worn inner I-beam pivot bushings, worn king pins or saggy coil springs. If you keep these items in good shape the truck isn't hard to control.
 
King pins are far more durable than balljoints. Properly serviced (greased--like at every oil change) you could easily get a million miles out of them --assuming the vehicle would last that long. Balljoints would last about a tenth of that distance. Don't service/replace the balljoints and you'll be on the side of the road with 3 wheels still on the vehicle wishing you had serviced/replaced the balljoints sooner. If the king pins get worn, they just make the steering sloppy but the wheel isn't going to fall off.

I grew up driving a truck just like the one I have now so, I know what to expect from the way it handles and steers. But, as I said, if you keep some simple components on the front end in good repair, the twin I-beam drives and handles quite well.

ultrastang wrote:

If you drove an old Ford pickup with twin I-Beams that was hard to hold in the road, it was likely due to component wear; worn or partially missing radius arm bushings, worn inner I-beam pivot bushings, worn king pins or saggy coil springs. If you keep these items in good shape the truck isn't hard to control.

Agreed.  I've been driving my '91 F150 with twin I-beam suspension since I was 16 (I'm 33 now).  It is still my daily driver with 205,000 miles on it.  While it doesn't handle like a sports car, it handles just fine for a truck.

Last edited by Michael H. (5/27/2014 10:20 AM)

MustangSteve wrote:

When I did my stint in the oilfield in 1979, we had a brand new 3/4 ton Ford long bed pickup with twin I beams.  It had less than 100 miles on it when I had to run a hot-shot from Bryan to Dallas and back in the same day.  It was IMPOSSIBLE to hold that truck in a straight line.

My 67 shortbed F-100 with the 240 in it, twin I beams and drum brakes all around, would go down the road straight as an arrow, and I am SURE it had a lot of worn parts.  Go figure...

Anyway, ultra... You will LOVE having the disc brakes and tight kingpins on the truck after having lived with the drums for a while.

My dad's '68 Ranger (upgraded to '70 interior/exterior Ranger trim) with a 360 big-block, 3-on-the-tree, power nothing (but did have A/C) wasn't really hard to hold between the lines. My truck (currently) can be a handful but, I suspect nothing has ever been replaced on the suspension and the bushings are heavily worn.

With my dad's truck, it didn't matter if is was pulling a load, wasn't pulling load, going up hill or going down hill, it was still only going to get about 10 MPG. Even so, I really hate he sold that truck in 1988. I sure would like to have it now.




 

Last edited by ultrastang (5/27/2014 5:50 PM)

JamesW wrote:

We did the later model disc swap on my son's 72.  Between the discs and the new king pins and  bushings, it made a great deal of improvement.  

Looks like a nice truck. Are the wheel spacers configured for a 5-on-5.5" to a 5-on-4.5" lug pattern and do you have any more photos of the truck? I would like to see more of the F100.