Believe it or not, it snows here in Southern California just as much as anywhere else, enough to make snowballs. Too bad most of this arctic weather happens in the garage--you know, when a project starts to snowball. Not to say it gets out of control, just that it's taking a bit of a different course than you planned. Sometimes, no matter how bad you want to just get one thing done, you wind up having to jump around and put the puzzle together differently.
We were hoping to show you how to lower a '57-60 F-100's backside while retaining a good ride that would wrap up the new Currie rearend story nicely, but we might have been putting the cart before the horse, so to speak, taking into consideration the truck's stance at the end of said alterations. It was deemed that the front should have a slight rake while sitting low or at least level. The rear suspension is easy to deal with in a few different ways and shouldn't be a problem, but up front we decided to stick with a solid axle of the dropped variety from Classic Performance Products, or CPP, instead of trying to hassle with an IFS. Granted, the IFS would get the truck lower in the long run, but it isn't an option for everyone, so we needed to see where the front was going to wind up, as it will dictate where the rear will come to rest.
CPP has been trying to branch out and provide products to those outside the mainstay '53-56 F-100s, and in doing so they have had to do some R&D work to make great new products for the "other" makes, models, and years out there. What you see here being done to this '60 F-100 will be available as a kit or individual pieces by the time this prints. In the past many people have had to make do and fit parts from earlier trucks since they are readily available new, but that can lead to more work than necessary, like retrofitting different leaf springs because there were little to none available for the '57-60 models. Well, thanks to knowledgeable help from area legends Deaver Spring, CPP now offers dropped bolt-in versions of the stock parallel leaf springs that ride better than OEM thanks to Teflon sliders.
After all is said and done, this swap could be done in less than a day by a first-timer, with the only holdup being if you need to have a machine shop install and ream the new kingpin bushings, which is generally inexpensive. CPP will be setting in the motor and trans soon to make way for more new products, and next month we'll be able to get this sucker back down on the ground where it belongs! Call, click or stop by CPP for more info, and keep reading Classic Trucks for the latest and greatest.
