build your own dream beams

[lightning_msd]

you guys are getting way to technical for me, im a farm boy and i really dont need to buy steel because we have enuff as it is, i tore down some pieces off an old pivot to make my engine stand, it'll probably hold up better than any bought one. not just that, if something gets broken, we dont haul it into town to get it fixed, we fix it ourselves. and farm equipment is a lot more heavy duty than doing something like front suspension work on a half ton. i thought it just might be a good idea to do it yourself. now everyones shooting down the idea, are you those people that send your truck to a bodyshop and pay 10 grande to get your truck done for a paint job? if so then ignore this thread. if you want to spend the money instead of learning something new go ahead be my guest if youve got the money. the reason i thought of making my own is because i have more than one truck i want to lower and i dont want to spend 2000 for lowered beams without the shipping or frieght cost. not just that, i want to know every piece that goes on my truck and how it was installed in case something happens, i know how to fix it. i dont have to haul it to a shop if something happens. i want something i can afford to play with and make as nice as the millionare next door. just cus you dont have money, doesnt mean you cant do it.

[FORDification]

Then maybe you should consider the idea of simply building a device to bend the stock I-beams, something comparable to what the factory would've used. You'd probably have a lot less money involved, and there wouldn't be any other aftermarket parts to buy to get it to work...you'd simply trim your front springs to the height you want, and then bend the beams to compensate. Just a thought....

I've been giving this considerable thought over the past month or so, and believe I've come up with some ideas that just might work for an I-beam bender, so I'll be getting starting on putting it together soon.

[customcrewcab]

i would think you would lose distance out if you did that. i guess you just move you spring brackets but then you have steering and other clearance issues. if you bend them 4 inches is your tire going to move in 2? i think i would build the long part of the i beam and make it jump up 4 to 6 inches. cut and use the outer stock i beam and have it fit inside. this way you could get a good drop and run bolts into it and i would have it welded too. maybe even acouple a plug welds. the outer side is the hard part and you most work. is there enough room to do that?

[MadMaxetc]

Not trying to shoot down the Idea. I just want you to know what you are getting into.

[marz68]

if you start bending the I beam to much it will narrow down your suspension some.

[wt4speed#2]

I have an idea for a jig I'm no fabricator , not draftsman by any means , but I do understand that keeping the change to front end geometry to minamal is key. I can see it in my head but get it on paper sucks .

[snake]

I'm certainly not trying to 'shoot down' anyone's ideas here either but here are a couple other thoughts to consider.......

When bending the stock I-beams, the more you drop, the more you must bend and thus the more suspension travel you will lose. There definitely will be a limit there on how far you can bend and maintain adequate suspension travel, but I'm not sure what it is.

As far as fabricating dropped beams with more drop than what is currently available, there are limits there too - based on the geometry of the mounting/contact points. I don't know this for a fact, but I'd guess that the 3" drop currently available is at or near the limit without widening the front track width. As you can see with either the stock beams or the aftermarket drop beams, the beam runs at an angle (not horizontal or vertical) between the radius arm/spring mount and the king pin. That horizontal distance between those two points is fixed (without other alterations). To achieve more drop, that section of beam must get more vertical. In order to prevent flexing, it will also have to get much thicker.

Again, I'm not saying that it can't be done - just offering other potential issues to consider.........

[SMF Speed&Custom]

Good points made here but here are my questions for you and please don't take this in the wrong way, I am not saying you cannot do it or being mean at all... Can you weld CORRECTLY and know what to look for? Do you have a welder and if so then what kind and 110 or 220? From the questions you seem to be asking, some are reasonable to get an idea from but some of the questions you ask show to me that you may not have what it takes to do this correctly if you know what I mean. What I am trying to say is if your asking these kinds of questions then this might be a little over your head. Sorry if that sounds mean, kind of hard to show expressions and such over the internet by typing but that's the only way I can think of putting it. I'd hate to see you do something like this and use some kind of metal you just found that seems like it will work and weld it up, etc and later down the road have a failure and get hurt and ruin the truck.
By the time you made a JIG, got the materials (not just metal but the bushings, welding equipment, money to pay a machine shop, etc you will have around 500 bucks into the things. Look on Ebay for some. I got my DJM beams brand new from a guy on here I think that lives near me for 300 bucks. He just decided not to use them and wanted them gone...

[lightning_msd]

your right, maybe i am way over my head, but that hasnt stopped me before. i have a stick 220 and a mig 110, i would probably use 220 stick on something like this. im not the best welder but i have made and fixed hydrolic buckets and forks on our front end loader, and its holding up pretty good. among other things. i dont really care what i have to learn to get there, i would just like to learn. when it comes to anything with vehicles i want to learn. and i dont scare very easily. i dont like paying for something i think i can do myself. its all trial and error. im asking these questions to see if anyone had any good ideas if they were looking to do the same thing, why not? its not like anyone with mechanical ability can do it, do you think they pay highly payed engineers and welders at DJM or AIM? probably not, here in medicine hat, if you can point a welder and are over 18 you can build garbage trucks and oil tankers. like ive said, i just want to learn, i might spend the same money for the first pair, but i can do it for almost free after that for all the trucks i have in my future right

[SMF Speed&Custom]

I understand what your saying and I respect what you are trying to do 100%. I hope you come up with a design/idea and it works out for you. Who know's, you might come up with an idea for a 4 or 5 inch drop beam instead of a 3 inch like they make now but if I remember correctly, there is a reason that it's not more than 3" and I might have read about it over at slick60's website.

[layedout72]

I understand what your saying and I respect what you are trying to do 100%. I hope you come up with a design/idea and it works out for you. Who know's, you might come up with an idea for a 4 or 5 inch drop beam instead of a 3 inch like they make now but if I remember correctly, there is a reason that it's not more than 3" and I might have read about it over at slick60's website.

A guy by the name of Jamey Jordan cut some down into a 6 inch drop beam. I believe he started with dream beams though. Regardless, you doubled the drop.