Lowering an '81 F-100

[Gary Lewis]

FF2,

Thanks for the comments and the links. I appreciate it all.

To all who have responded,

I have done some digging and found the front suspension on the '80-'82 F-100's to be confusing, at best. I haven't got into the Ford parts books yet (hopefully this weekend) and I think once I do it may tend to clear things up a bit, at least I hope so.

I did contact DJM tech line and asked if they had anything for an '81 or could make any recommendations. They responded yesterday and said they had a set of beams on the road now and were waiting for results before starting production. They did not say whether the beams were for the large or small kingpins. This morning I emailed the tech and asked if they had any estimate as to availability, but have not had a response as yet.

I will post back once I have more solid information.

I have some drawings and other info on the page Suspension & Steering/Front Suspension.

As for the parts book, I find this area to be quite complex. Start on Text Section 30 Page 9, as shown below, although yours won't have my notes in blue.

And, since that is hard to read, here is the part where I've made notes:

Then, note the number in the Parts List & Section column, to the right parts list pages. Let's take 30.1A as an example. Here's the page for it, which shows Section 30.1, and then the "A" column. And you see that the right-hand axle is E0TA 3006-FA and the left is 3007-FA. Make sense?

[FuzzFace2]

I have some drawings and other info on the page Suspension & Steering/Front Suspension.

As for the parts book, I find this area to be quite complex. Start on Text Section 30 Page 9, as shown below, although yours won't have my notes in blue.

And, since that is hard to read, here is the part where I've made notes:

Then, note the number in the Parts List & Section column, to the right parts list pages. Let's take 30.1A as an example. Here's the page for it, which shows Section 30.1, and then the "A" column. And you see that the right-hand axle is E0TA 3006-FA and the left is 3007-FA. Make sense?

Gary / others, What I see using the parts books and that Bill aka numbers dummy does, it ONLY shows what years that part fits NOT what they INTERCHANGE with.

Look at the 300six EFI exh manifolds. If you were to look up what they fit it will give you the years that EFI was installed on the 300 six engine. We now know the EFI exh manifolds will fit earlier 300 and think the other six motors with the intake/exh bolted together.

So with that said any front suspension parts with the same dimensions "should" swap as a whole.

So "should" be able to use stamped arms in place of cast if you swap all parts from the pivot on out.

You might get away with reusing say spindles on out or brake parts but to be safe pivot on out is best.

I would also check the pivot bolt size to see if the same bolt is used but I think they are.

I think I seen it posted the radius arm bracket bushings were different but someone did this swap just don't remember what was involved to do so?

Just my take on the parts interchange.

Dave ----

[FuzzFace2]

FF2,

Thanks for the comments and the links. I appreciate it all.

To all who have responded,

I have done some digging and found the front suspension on the '80-'82 F-100's to be confusing, at best. I haven't got into the Ford parts books yet (hopefully this weekend) and I think once I do it may tend to clear things up a bit, at least I hope so.

I did contact DJM tech line and asked if they had anything for an '81 or could make any recommendations. They responded yesterday and said they had a set of beams on the road now and were waiting for results before starting production. They did not say whether the beams were for the large or small kingpins. This morning I emailed the tech and asked if they had any estimate as to availability, but have not had a response as yet.

I will post back once I have more solid information.

Roger, Good to hear that DJM is looking in to making the beams again.

As for the kingpin beams and the different sizes in the pins and I have not looked into this, the beams "may be" the same size hole for the pin and the spindles may be different as are the pins you need for the different brakes?

One way I would look into this and maybe with what Gary posted (I have not looked) you could check if the part numbers for say, 81 or 82 with cast beams list the same numbers wither power/non-power brakes.

I do know there is for the ball joint beams a cast or stamped beam and as I posted in Gary's post I think if you were to swap out as a whole from pivot on out it would work.

Just me thinking and that can be a bad thing, look at the firewall swap to have AC and style side metal floor in place of flare side wood floor

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Gary / others, What I see using the parts books and that Bill aka numbers dummy does, it ONLY shows what years that part fits NOT what they INTERCHANGE with.

Look at the 300six EFI exh manifolds. If you were to look up what they fit it will give you the years that EFI was installed on the 300 six engine. We now know the EFI exh manifolds will fit earlier 300 and think the other six motors with the intake/exh bolted together.

So with that said any front suspension parts with the same dimensions "should" swap as a whole.

So "should" be able to use stamped arms in place of cast if you swap all parts from the pivot on out.

You might get away with reusing say spindles on out or brake parts but to be safe pivot on out is best.

I would also check the pivot bolt size to see if the same bolt is used but I think they are.

I think I seen it posted the radius arm bracket bushings were different but someone did this swap just don't remember what was involved to do so?

Just my take on the parts interchange.

Dave ----

Dave - I agree that at first blush the catalog shows what parts came on which trucks, but not what they will interchange with. However, with some digging you can often figure out the interchange bit.

For example, on the EFI manifold, if you look at the engine block you might find that the same block was used for several years, and that during that time both EFI and carb intakes were used. So both intakes will bolt to the same block.

Same thing on the axles. The frames were the same, but things like the pivot brackets could have changed. And, on the other end, what spindles were used. Those are in the catalog so, with great effort, you can usually figure that out as well.

The catalog isn’t easy, and it isn’t perfect, but with a lot of work you can figure a bunch of things out by digging into it.

[FuzzFace2]

Dave - I agree that at first blush the catalog shows what parts came on which trucks, but not what they will interchange with. However, with some digging you can often figure out the interchange bit.

For example, on the EFI manifold, if you look at the engine block you might find that the same block was used for several years, and that during that time both EFI and carb intakes were used. So both intakes will bolt to the same block.

Same thing on the axles. The frames were the same, but things like the pivot brackets could have changed. And, on the other end, what spindles were used. Those are in the catalog so, with great effort, you can usually figure that out as well.

The catalog isn’t easy, and it isn’t perfect, but with a lot of work you can figure a bunch of things out by digging into it.

You said it "A LOT OF WORK" if using the Ford parts "book".

1 section to look at a picture and get a part of the part number then another area to look up the right part number for year truck.

Then Ford calls the part something else than what everyone else calls it so trying to find it in the first place is a job. I already have one of them

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

You said it "A LOT OF WORK" if using the Ford parts "book".

1 section to look at a picture and get a part of the part number then another area to look up the right part number for year truck.

Then Ford calls the part something else than what everyone else calls it so trying to find it in the first place is a job. I already have one of them

Dave ----

Yes, Ford went to great lengths to make finding part numbers in the catalog WORK, as Maynard G would have said. And, they were successful.

The best way I’ve found to get around the issue of what Ford called it is to find it in an illustration, get the generic part number, and go look that up.

[Roger Carter]

Yes, Ford went to great lengths to make finding part numbers in the catalog WORK, as Maynard G would have said. And, they were successful.

The best way I’ve found to get around the issue of what Ford called it is to find it in an illustration, get the generic part number, and go look that up.

Happy Thanksgiving All, don't overdo with the turkey and such today. At least not too much..

I appreciate everyone taking the time to post on this thread. I am taking it all in. When I first asked for help I didn't realize how convoluted the front suspension was on these early Bullnose trucks. I am used to working with the '65-'79 trucks.

Gary, I agree with you on the use of the parts books. Find the illustration and then go to the text. That is the way I was taught many years back.

I have learned when digging for old Ford information is to use the earliest parts books available for the year in question. Ford did a lot of part number superseding over the years and sometimes the original part number can get lost. Using the Ford "Standard Parts" (?) manual is helpful as well. It defines the nuts, bolts, clips, clamps, etc. used in the illustrations by the part numbers called out in the illustrations and text.

As for interchange, the Hollander interchange manuals are invaluable. They don't spell out everything, but they can get you pointed in the right direction and they typically use readily available identifiers rather than part numbers.

Again, thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving.

[Gary Lewis]

Happy Thanksgiving All, don't overdo with the turkey and such today. At least not too much..

I appreciate everyone taking the time to post on this thread. I am taking it all in. When I first asked for help I didn't realize how convoluted the front suspension was on these early Bullnose trucks. I am used to working with the '65-'79 trucks.

Gary, I agree with you on the use of the parts books. Find the illustration and then go to the text. That is the way I was taught many years back.

I have learned when digging for old Ford information is to use the earliest parts books available for the year in question. Ford did a lot of part number superseding over the years and sometimes the original part number can get lost. Using the Ford "Standard Parts" (?) manual is helpful as well. It defines the nuts, bolts, clips, clamps, etc. used in the illustrations by the part numbers called out in the illustrations and text.

As for interchange, the Hollander interchange manuals are invaluable. They don't spell out everything, but they can get you pointed in the right direction and they typically use readily available identifiers rather than part numbers.

Again, thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving.

Roger - You are right about Ford's parts catalog. In their infinite wisdom they frequently deleted numbers when they were replaced by a later part or when they were no longer available - to Ford. But, some of them are floating around "out there" and come up for sale from time to time and we can't figure out what they are since the numbers are no longer in the catalog.

Most, if not all of us, are working from the 1994 version of the catalog, the one available on CD. And by then many things were no longer shown in the catalog. Fortunately I have on loan a set of microfiche of the catalog as of 1988, and a microfiche viewer. So I do have a chance of finding some of the numbers. But, it is a laborious process.