too low?

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 21, 2012, 10:45 pm

right now i have djm's drop shackles and hangers on the rear of my uni. i was thinking about doing an axle flip with a mini notch and was wondering if that would be too low. should i re install the original suspension hangers and just go with the flip? inquiring minds want to know.

CLM · Post by **CLM** » February 21, 2012, 11:00 pm

I didn't do the axle flip myself (the PO did), but he says he only flipped the axle, didn't do anything else. With a 27" tire on the back, the rockers in front of the tires measure 9.5" to the ground. Maybe that will give you somewhere to base off of.

Another way to look at it is, by doing the axle flip/spring over, you are basicly lowering the back by however thick your springs and axle combined are. So, go measure from the top of the spring to the bottom of the axle (should be around 6") and then see if you have that much clearance on things like wheel wells, drive shaft, etc. Also subtract that from the distance from your rockers down to see where the truck would sit. Don't forget to consider how much drop you plan on getting out of the front end.

Also, don't forget you still need to be able to get the wheels on and off. I know we ran into that problem after lowering and tubbing my friends Fairlane Thunderbolt clone. He actually has to jack the car up, put it on jack stands, pull the coil-overs loose and lower the axle back down to get the tires out of the wheel wells. So, its not really a roadside fix if he blows a rear tire.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 21, 2012, 11:06 pm

thanks for the 9.5" number. that will help some with what i am wanting to know.

CLM · Post by **CLM** » February 21, 2012, 11:12 pm

Oh, forgot to mention, the frame is c-notched about 4". Not sure if you have had to do that yet for the drop you currently have.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 21, 2012, 11:19 pm

no, but i will for anything lower. i am thinking about using some 4" tubing to just cut the lower portion of the frame without really notching the whole thing.

http://forums.minitruckinweb.com/70/728 ... index.html

TXSlick · Post by **TXSlick** » February 21, 2012, 11:22 pm

Don't you have to have the same tire size on both your trucks to be able top compare that 9.5" dimension? Better way to measure ride height is from center of wheel to top of fender lip. That way, you are taking wheel DIAMETER out of the equation. Obviously a taller tire will raise it up, but doesn't change the relationship between the wheel center and fender lip. Just sayin...

Truckrat · Post by **Truckrat** » February 21, 2012, 11:24 pm

Chris you might want to consider going to a pair of reverse eye rear monoleaf springs instead of the axle flip.
Why you ask? For one thing, the springs are a bolt in and can be done in one afternoon.
To flip the axle to above the springs you will need to C notch your frame above the axle for clearance and weld on new axle saddles on the bottom of the axle housing.
Not a hard job by any means, just more work involved.
The springs can be put back like before easily if it comes down to it.
Might not go quite as low as the axle flip, but it adds 4.5 more inches of drop.
I have plans to do that on a truck I want to build after my flatbed is done.
Just an idea that would save you some time. TR

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 21, 2012, 11:47 pm

i have thought about monos for the rear, but at almost 500$ that is a hell of a bite. the flip is cheap, but needs some fabbing.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 21, 2012, 11:48 pm

TXSlick wrote:Don't you have to have the same tire size on both your trucks to be able top compare that 9.5" dimension? Better way to measure ride height is from center of wheel to top of fender lip. That way, you are taking wheel DIAMETER out of the equation. Obviously a taller tire will raise it up, but doesn't change the relationship between the wheel center and fender lip. Just sayin...

correct, but it gives me a ballpark. right now i am sure i'm in the 12" + area.

62galxe · Post by **62galxe** » February 22, 2012, 3:14 am

I wish I would have done the axle flip. Dont know if its the springs or shocks but it rides like a logwagon. Ive got 2" between the spring and frame and it never hits the frame.

thenephilm · Post by **thenephilm** » February 22, 2012, 9:49 am

Not sure that too low is really possible lol.

CLM · Post by **CLM** » February 22, 2012, 9:52 am

Actually the difference in tire size is not a big deal. That is why I posted that I was running a 27" tall tire, that way if he is running a 28" tall tire he can just add 1/2" to the 9.5" that I have. So his rockers would be at 10". Just always remember that for every extra inch, only half of it is on the bottom of the tire, therefore your only raising/lowering the truck that much. This is a hard concept for some people (including my buddy that was helping me measure). Also, don't forget the numbers aren't exact due to the tire not being made of metal.

As an example. I am going from a 24.5 inch tire on the front to a 26", so the front is going to raise 3/4". Going from a 27" on the back to a 28", so that will be 1/2" higher.

Not trying to be a smart a$$, just wanted to put the info out there for people that might be looking for the same thing. We have setup a few cars with new suspension and tire sizes and it takes a ton of figuring to get exactly what you looking for. Right now my rockers sit level, but the truck looks like its nose high.

To make things more complicated, I am going to put a Sid's 3" drop axle on this summer, which will net me somewhere up to 3" of drop. So using the tire size changes above, my current level rockers of 9.5" should end up with 10" in front of the rear wheel and 7 1/4" behind the front wheels, so I think it will have a nice stance to it.

rickairmedic · Post by **rickairmedic** » February 22, 2012, 5:23 pm

Ok I have to say I dont quite understand the question fully . You are asking if there is such as thing as going too low ? The only time I can see this being a problem is when the bottom of the doors scrape the ground as you open them

. That problem is solved easily with a pair of airbags mounted along with the leaf springs and a 5 gallon air tank in the bed

.

Rick

shocker998md · Post by **shocker998md** » February 22, 2012, 5:53 pm

Ill be flipping mine. I noticed on my leaves someone put some extra ones in there, so keep that in mind too. If you have more leaves and you flip it it will lower it more. Tire size also plays a huge deal in this too.

I agree with rickairmedic, no such thing as too low.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 22, 2012, 8:57 pm

i am in agreement. my question was really, would an axle flip along with djm lowering shackles and hangers be too low for a mini notch.

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » February 22, 2012, 9:12 pm

Hey Chris, Ive Looked Into This. By The Time You Get The Materials For This Modification, Steel Plate And 4" Pipe For The Mild C-Notch, U-Bolts Spring Hangers, Shocks, Welding Materials And So Forth. The $450.00 Price For The Rear Mono Leafs Isn't Much Different. The Mono's Come With U-Bolts And Bushings. You Are Already Running The Mono Leafs Up Front. Just Sayin.......

UNIFAN · Post by **UNIFAN** » February 22, 2012, 9:32 pm

ezernut9mm wrote:i am in agreement. my question was really, would an axle flip along with djm lowering shackles and hangers be too low for a mini notch.

Yes it would be too low for a small (2.5-3") notch. A flip with the stock hardware and a small notch is the best route IMO. If you're concerned with the rearend housing contacting the floor you may need an even smaller notch. And it will cost about $150 plus your time depending on brand of shock of course. The labor is the expense.

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » February 22, 2012, 9:42 pm

no, having a pro fix my mistakes is the expense. lol

TheOPWK · Post by **TheOPWK** » February 23, 2012, 12:13 am

I think with e flip kit and the hanger flip, you will end up caving to cut into the bed. Please dont cut into the bedfloor on that truck. Please.
Flip the hanger back to stock. Then do the flip.

And for those of you who think its priced about the same as monos:
Buy 2 of these: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL56126/
Buy 4 of these: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/AFC-20238/
Thats $32 in parts. You need $20 in plate steel and a $15 5 inch pipe remnant. My last piece of $15 pipe i bought still has 2.5 feet on it. I can do 3 or so more trucks.

Post by **Greg D** » February 23, 2012, 7:15 am

thenephilm wrote:Not sure that too low is really possible lol.

Amen

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