• Twin I Beams aligned for 3" lift. This is the key to it all . First we check the king pin hole and make sure it is within specifications. The second step is to straighten the beam to its original intended form. Believe me I have seen enough Ford beams to know what they are supposed to look like! Then we assemble the beams to spindles and the jig fixture for alignment work. At this time we do major bending for the camber adjustment. This is to correct the change when we put a bigger coil spring in.

• The stock radius arms are maintained with the 3 inch lift. The bushings can take this angle without too much problem. On the bigger lifts or wheel travel kits we make the radius arms longer to take care of this problem. However since we are using stock radius arms our castor alignment angles are affected by the lift. So the other part of our alignment work is to compensate for the castor change. We also add castor to the older Ford trucks because it helps them steer straighter on the freeways. Most of our customers have power steering so it is not that noticeable. Back in the old Ford days a lot of trucks were sold without power steering. You know the trucks your old man or grandfather bought. They would never own a new fangled idea like power steering so Ford obliged those folks with manual steering.  Ford did not put much castor in the beams because of this.

• A new adjustable drag link is fabricated to replace the stock one piece unit. It is important to be able to adjust each wheel for alignment purposes. Ford of course disagreed with me and continued to make them one piece. So, you get the Autofab unit and now you can properly center the steering gear and toe each wheel for straight direction. Our lifted rear steer trucks drive better than factory original when dialed in. 

• Lift coils designed to give a boost in ride height and feel comfortable enough for street use. Remember a coil has to be stronger too lift your Ford so you will notice a firmer ride. Most ladies I know prefer the firmer ride also. He he.

• Shown with double shock option. Add $150 for this option. Double shocks on older Ford 2wd trucks was invented in Lemon Grove I understand years ago about 1968 or so. Somebody figured out the Ford coil bucket/shock mount was made to go on both sides of the Ford truck frame. Now you have 2 sets of holes for upper shock mounts. How handy. Ford never intended for this it was some back yard desert rat fabricater offroad welder guy that figured that one out. Might even have been Frank Howarth of ORD back in the day. That would be my bet. He also used to race International Scouts in SCORE offroad racing if I remember right.

Send E-mail to john@autofab.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: July 30, 2008