1948-56 Ford F-1 and F-100 Pickup Rear Suspension Kit, 4-in Drop

• Designed to fit popular 3-inch diameter axle tubes, like the Ford 9-inch
• Kit uses Speedway Motors’ Super Glide® reverse eye leaf springs
• AFCO Street Rod monotube gas-charged shocks provide a stable, controlled ride
• Shock mounting crossmember ties frame rails together for additional strength
• Leaf spring perch requires welding, all other components are bolt-on
• Relocates axle housing from under spring pack to over spring pack
• Axle relocation and springs provide approximately four inches of rear ride height drop
• Fits stock 1948-1956 Ford 1/2-ton pickup truck frames
• Complete rear suspension replacement solution offers better ride and handling
• Includes all mounting hardware, U-bolts, and brackets for installation

Improve Your ’48-’56 Ford F-1 or F-100’s Ride Quality and Handling

Pickup trucks are used as daily driven transportation for the whole family today. Their rides are more car like and feature vastly improved ride quality and handling that people have come to expect in modern vehicles. For those building on the 1948-1956 Ford 1/2-ton pickups, AKA the first gen Ford F1 truck or second gen F-100, these early F-series trucks leave a lot on the table in the way of ride and handling. Back in this time period trucks were built for specific jobs and to be work vehicles. Ride quality was secondary to load capacity and simplicity. If a truck broke down, it usually meant a business wasn’t making money. Today, however, these early F-series trucks are being snapped up as projects and people want a better ride, improved handling, and of course that perfect stance. The only way to achieve all three is with a major Ford F100 suspension upgrade.

Ditch Your Truck’s Leaf Springs for Our Super Glide® Leaf Springs with AFCO Shocks

We know there are a lot of options when it comes to rear suspension systems for the ’48 Ford truck (first gen up to 1952) and second gen ’53-’56 Ford pickups. Various four-link setups, air springs, coilover conversions, and more that often require major modifications to the Ford F100 frame. Most tout the fact that they ride better than a leaf spring setup. That may be true when compared to the factory Ford leaf springs and ancient Ford truck shocks, but our F100 lowering kit uses our Super Glide® springs, which offer much improved ride quality over the factory Ford leaf springs without reinventing the wheel. These F100 lowering springs feature four leaves with a reverse spring eye for the shackle end. Pairing these F100 lowering springs with AFCO’s Street Rod monotube gas-charged shocks provides an excellent ride and handling improvement without spending thousands of dollars on complicated rear suspension conversions that often require extensive welding and fabrication.

Designed For 3-Inch Axle Tubes to Support Popular 9-inch Axle Swaps

Many lowered F100 builders opt for Ford’s venerable 9-inch axle housing for its strength and vast aftermarket support of gear ratio, differential, and brake options. Knowing this, we provide compatible leaf spring mounts designed for the Ford 9-inch axle tube diameter of 3-inch OD. These pieces do require welding to your axle housing; however, the remaining leaf spring hanger/shackle brackets are bolt-in upgrades once you drill out the factory rivets and remove the original leaf spring mounts. These brackets, along with the leaf spring frame mounts, are all made from 7-gauge steel (3/16-inch thick). Also included are our zinc plated universal lower leaf spring mounting plates and zinc plated U-bolts to assemble the leaf springs to your axle housing. These 3/8-inch thick plates also pull double duty as the lower shock mounts, minimizing the welding required on your axle housing and providing maximum clearance for your exhaust system.

Bolt-In Shock Mounting Crossmember Ties Your Ford Truck Frame Rails Together

The factory Ford F100 frame uses a shock mounting crossmember rear of the axle housing. To maintain frame integrity and provide maximum exhaust clearance our shock mounting solution uses a similar crossmember that ties the rear half of your stock Ford pickup frame rails together. A simple bolt-in solution once the stock piece is removed, this crossmember provides an effective shock mounting solution without major fabrication work. This boxed steel brace features reinforced inserts that position inside the open frame rail channel, providing the strength of a boxed frame section while allowing a simple bolt-in solution. Add our 1948-1952 Ford pickup front frame boxing plates or 1953-1956 Ford pickup front frame boxing plates for even more strength.

Drops Your 1948-1956 Ford Truck Four Inches in The Rear with This Kit

Stance is critical to a vehicle’s appearance, and nothing is worse than having a sweet looking ride that looks like it’s on stilts! With our nearly 100 percent bolt-in rear suspension kit for your ’48-’56 Ford 1/2-ton pickup you can expect to see four inches of drop in the rear. This is attributed to relocating the axle housing to the top of the spring pack (factory has the axle under the spring pack) and our Super Glide® leaf spring’s reverse spring eye setup. To provide the total handling package and additional lowering for the front of your Ford 1/2-ton truck, pair this kit with either our ’48-’52 Mustang II IFS crossmember or ’53-’56 Mustang II IFS crossmember (depending upon the year of your project) to ditch the front straight axle for the increased handling, better braking, and sharper steering of an independent front suspension.