bending i beams

[dolinick]

Has anyone actually done this? I mean for the purpose of lowering your truck. Actually I'd like to know if it would work in lifting the truck as well. And finally how far in inches would you lower it or lift it by using this method?

And on another subject. How much would lifting an F750 effect handling or safety. I was thinking if I did a body swap and put f100 fenders and bed on the f750 one way to help the tires clear the wheel wells would be to simply lift it. It appears that simply adding blocks to the front and rear axles would be a simple and relatively easy way to lift it. The F750 has a straight front axle btw. Pardon my ignorance.

Thanks,

Dan

[FORDification]

Bending an I-beam doesn't lift or lower a truck...all it does is correct the camber. To lower the front end, you'd have to use lowering springs or cut the originals, which will throw the camber off, and is then corrected by bending the I-beam to bring the camber back to stock settings.

[dolinick]

Bending an I-beam doesn't lift or lower a truck...all it does is correct the camber. To lower the front end, you'd have to use lowering springs or cut the originals, which will throw the camber off, and is then corrected by bending the I-beam to bring the camber back to stock settings.

I guess I wasn't clear. That is what I meant. Bending the beams instead of buying drop beams or otherwise aftermarked beams or parts.

[FORDification]

You can't bend a stock I-beam to lower (or raise) a vehicle. Drop beams lower a vehicle's ride height by raising the kingpin journal from the stock position, they aren't just bent a little differently. And you can't do that with a stock I-beam.

[1971ford]

You could still cut your coils and bend the beams to compensate.
I don't think you could drop it as much as the drop beams get you.
You can bend beams yourself... I have done it a couple times and I get my truck airborn, no issues but you have to do it right.

[dolinick]

You can't bend a stock I-beam to lower (or raise) a vehicle. Drop beams lower a vehicle's ride height by raising the kingpin journal from the stock position, they aren't just bent a little differently. And you can't do that with a stock I-beam.

well i realize that.

say you flipped the hanger in the rear then cut the spring in the front... then how much drop do you get? The only thing left would be to figure out the angle. the amount to bend the beam right? I just don't know how or who would bend the beam but if you put your mind to it i think it could get done.

[1971ford]

I bend my beams by pie cutting them 2.5" in from the radius arm bolt then heating the remaining part of the beam in the pie-cut, then lift up on the pivot end of the beam, closing in the pie-cut gap. get it where you want it and make sure the other one matches. weld the pie-cut then plate over the weld.
If you don't have experience welding then find someone who knows their stuff, and who has a welder capable of melting thick steel.

[dolinick]

Sounds very cool. Maybe someday I'll have a workshop of my own to play in. Most likely it will just be a woodworking shop mostly.

[fordman]

i like to bend things while holding them over my head. thats so i can show off. usually i bend things withmy knees as a brace whiel i use my hands to bend it. but that has kinked soem lighter materials. so i have used proper tols such as a pipe bender to bend pipe and a hammer and square edge like a tail gate to bend flat metal. other times i lie about size to women. and it works too.

[wt4speed#2]

Correcting the camber portion of the alignment on our vehicles by hydralically adjusting (bending) them should never I repeat never involve heating or cutting the beams. If you dont have the proper "iron" ,clevis's and hydralic equiptment,caster and camber gauges and an alignment pit you are just compound your already difficult situation. Saftey factor of the bending procedure alone, I'd deal with the tire wear. This a dying art, but there shops out there that still do it(anyone that can get to Ft Worth 8a-5p M-F conact me i'll hook you up) and the cost should be in the $ 75.00 to $150.00 range (the front end guy has to hang the iron twice, once on the left and once on the right) Please guys do not attempt this in your driveway.

[dolinick]

Correcting the camber portion of the alignment on our vehicles by hydralically adjusting (bending) them should never I repeat never involve heating or cutting the beams. If you dont have the proper "iron" ,clevis's and hydralic equiptment,caster and camber gauges and an alignment pit you are just compound your already difficult situation. Saftey factor of the bending procedure alone, I'd deal with the tire wear. This a dying art, but there shops out there that still do it(anyone that can get to Ft Worth 8a-5p M-F conact me i'll hook you up) and the cost should be in the $ 75.00 to $150.00 range (the front end guy has to hang the iron twice, once on the left and once on the right) Please guys do not attempt this in your driveway.

Thank you! Sounds good.

[1971ford]

Correcting the camber portion of the alignment on our vehicles by hydralically adjusting (bending) them should never I repeat never involve heating or cutting the beams. If you dont have the proper "iron" ,clevis's and hydralic equiptment,caster and camber gauges and an alignment pit you are just compound your already difficult situation. Saftey factor of the bending procedure alone, I'd deal with the tire wear. This a dying art, but there shops out there that still do it(anyone that can get to Ft Worth 8a-5p M-F conact me i'll hook you up) and the cost should be in the $ 75.00 to $150.00 range (the front end guy has to hang the iron twice, once on the left and once on the right) Please guys do not attempt this in your driveway.

I was just saying yes you can bend your beams yourself as I and thousands of other people in the offroad racing community have done to eliminate drastic camber change in "lifting" a i-beam truck. No, you don't want to do it to change slight camber, and you better know what you're doing to get perfect alignment again.

He was questioning bending the beams while referring to lower the truck a ways so it would be quite the hydraulic bend.