Making the L road race ready

[NateLightning]

I plan on lowering my Lightning and upgrading the suspension to make my truck take turn like an indy car as best I can. Give me some idea's on how to spend my pay checks guys! Shocks? Lowering kit? Springs? Swaybars? Bushings? Anything!

 

[Fasttruck93L]

Do some looking. I'm sure someone like bilstein makes a kit. I would definately get brakes too. These trucks stop good, but why not make it stop great. I'll look around and get back with you. I would buy a kit if I could. It'd be cheaper.

 

[Lightning Struck]

Go down to the Road Racing thread, and talk to Ruslow, he can help you out a ton.. He adapted basically Winston Cup brakes to his Gen1, put in a good cage, and the like... Wait a few months if you're really serious to do any major suspension work... "Trust me"

 

[NateLightning]

Thanks for the replys. I'm dont think I need the Winston cup car things, being that I dont have the power yet to need it. Dang lack of money.

 

[68 F100]

Maybe, but why not have everything else ready for it before you get the power. it sucks I know, but it's worth it when the neighbors dog or worse yet kid runs out in the street...

 

[Daniniowa]

The first thing to making the L handle even better than what it does stock, it to get rid of the 60 series tires! The sidewall is huge, and flexes a lot. Get a set of 40 series tires! Anything you like that is sticky and most likely expensive. This is THEE first thing to do to make the biggest improvement in handling.

Poly bushings would be next. Everywhere you can replace the stock rubber bushings, do so. Energy Suspension can get you bushings. Front radius arm bushings, front sway bar, rear sway bar.

Shocks are tough. I don't really know what would be good. I've often pondered about replacing both the front spring and shock for a fully adjustable coil over unit. It wouldn't be cheap. $400-$600 each, but it would be everything you would need. I'd also try to have some kind of rear link suspension installed, along with coilovers.

If you are road racing, I think the rear springs are too stiff to work well. They are extra stiff to help with payload weight, but this is bad because the springs are too stiff when you don't have any weight in the rear.

 

[NateLightning]

Ok there is no way I'm putting 40 series rubber bands on my truck unless I get another set of rims just for that. I was thinking lowering it 1f/2r Bilstein shocks, bigger sway bars poly bushings everywere possible, rear discs sloted and drilled roters all the way arround.

 

[Lightning Struck]

So do you actually want to autocross/ open track event? Or do you just want a cool street ride?

 

[NateLightning]

If your asking do i want to make it a designated race truck the answer is no. But yes I do wana try to make it down to Mid Ohio Raceway. I wana make the truck more rounded out, be able to drag race on saterday, road race on sunday, and drive it to work on monday.

 

[Daniniowa]

Bigger sway bars will do no good, unless you get rid of the sidewall flex of the tires. The stock sway bars are 1" front and rear! I've looked plenty already, and I haven't been able to find bigger bars that will bolt directly in place of the stock sway bars. I've found bigger bars, but they bolt with U-bolt clamps around the I-beams. Looks really crappy.

A 1"/2" drop really won't make much of a difference. How do I know, well my L is lowered this. It looks better, but not a noticeable difference. A 3"/4" drop will make a noticeable difference in handling. Ask anyone on here that has there truck dropped this far.

I too am in search of a more extreme handling Lightning. (Extreme may be overused, but damn, there are only about 5% of other cars that handle better.) I have purchased Nitto NT-450 275/50-17 tires for the front. Only about 1.5 shorter overall, compared to stock tires. They won't look like rubberbands, and you will notice the improvement. I also think the 40 series look like rubber bands, but I'd only buy them for track tires.

I've tried to feel out where improvements can be made that will be noticed. In a large sweeping corner at above 50mph,with the truck on the verge of traction, you can slightly move the steering wheel side to side and feel a LARGE! amount of flex coming specifically from the sidewalls. I get the same feeling when I'm driving on my 235/75-15 winter tires, and I don't even need to be cornering.

The poly bushings are worth their money to improve handling. Any money spent on larger sway bars will just be wasted if you are on 60 series tires! Go ahead and spend the $300 on sway bars, if you can find them, but the smart money to make a Gen 1 Lightning handle better would be on tires with shorter sidewalls.

If you really don't want to drive on 40 series tires, purchase a set of cheap 17" rims and some really grippy tires for the purpose of only track duty. Use the bed of your truck to haul them to the track, bolt them on at the track, and go racing. :tu:

Curt, or anyone else, I would be interested in your input on how much you think a panhard bar on the rear axle would help handling? Anyone know where to get one for our Lightnings?

 

[Lightning Struck]

Dan,

I think a PanHard bar would really help with locating the rear axle. We're asking alot of our leaf springs at .8-.9g's.. Positively locating the rear axle is alot like you're shorter side walls, just makes the truck much more settled, consistent, and more secure feeling... Whether you'd be faster depends on alot of things.. But it would keep the rear end from shifting, and possibly putting bind on the rear springs.. What we really need to do is have a good video of a Gen1 at a road course and see how the truck reacts to corners and such...Hard to do while you're in the drivers seat..

 

[olefafl]

Dan,

I think a PanHard bar would really help with locating the rear axle. We're asking alot of our leaf springs at .8-.9g's.. Positively locating the rear axle is alot like you're shorter side walls, just makes the truck much more settled, consistent, and more secure feeling... Whether you'd be faster depends on alot of things.. But it would keep the rear end from shifting, and possibly putting bind on the rear springs.. What we really need to do is have a good video of a Gen1 at a road course and see how the truck reacts to corners and such...Hard to do while you're in the drivers seat..

I am making a PanHard bar for my truck (not a Lightning- 95 XLT, ext-cab, short bed, 5.0L). I should have it done in a week or two.
I have the bar, and the cover bracket done, but not the frame bracket. I am also putting drop shackels on at the same time.

I will let you guys know how it does.

 

[Daniniowa]

olefafl-

You mention a cover bracket? Is it a differential cover bracket? I've seen a picture of a Gen 2 with a supposed panhard bar running from a frame rail to the top of the differential. It was only about 2 feet long.

I'm really confused. I thought a panhard bar was supposed to be parallel to the entire differential, usually in back of it, running from a frame bracket on one frame rail, having the bar about 5 feet long, and attaching to the rear axle just below the frame rail on the other side.

A short (2 ft) panhard bar would push and pull the axle left and right considerably during vertical suspension movement, compared to a long (5 ft) bar. The bar is attached to the frame, and then to the axle. That means the axle has to travel in the arc of the panhard bar, as it moves vertically. Thus, the bar should be as long as possible to minimize left to right movement under suspension travel.

Maybe the people that have the 2 ft. panhard bars don't use there Lightnings much as a truck, and never have to worry about compressed suspension?

Any comments?

 

[68 F100]

Why not use a watts linkage? If I remember the name right, your suspension can go up and down just fine but it still limits body roll