Hi all,

I have a 1990 Ford F250 4x4, extended cab with a 7.3 diesel. I have had this truck for several years now and am finally ready to give it a lift. I don't plan on doing any serious mudding or even any extreme off-roading, but I still want it to be a fun, yet somewhat functional truck.

At this point, here is what I'd like to do, and I would really appreciate any experienced members' feedback on this plan . . .

Either a 6" suspension lift
or
A 4" suspension lift with a 2 or 3" body lift
with
35 or 37" tires . . .

I have been looking around a LOT and can't find any lift kit other than a 4" Rough Country lift for $600. This kit seems to have new springs in the front and blocks for the back. Here's where my questions come in . . .

1. What other lift kits are available for my 90 F250 diesel other than the Rough Country Kit?

2. There is a spring company where I live in St. Louis that will add a few leaves to boost my springs and can do so for $150-200 per spring . . . is this a more cost-effective solution? I know I would have to end up buying new shocks anyways, so perhaps this may not be as desirable . . . I have also seen the "add-a-leaf" options on Summit Racing.

3. If I install a 2 or 3" body lift over the 4" suspension lift, am I going to be in for a mountain of headaches? (other than having to raise the bumpers?)

4. Is it totally unrealistic to try and do this lift kit for less than or around $750? (not including tires, of course) . . . I would do most of the installation myself.

5. I am guessing that the 4" suspension lift plus a 2 or 3" body lift is probably the most economical option . . . would I be able to clear 37" tires with that?

6. Finally, I've been searching around here and was wondering if anyone has any photos of an extended cab 87-96 F-Series extended cabs with this type of combination? I'd really appreciate any links to photos to see exactly how that will look . . .

Thanks, everybody, for your patience with me in this endeavor. I have done a lot of wrenching, but venturing into suspension lifts is new territory for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

the leap sprung ttb sucks, but it doesn't sound like a d60 swap is right for you. a 4'' suspension lift is more than plenty for 35's or 37's on an f250. basically forget the body lift all together. here is a pick of my friends 94 f250 w/460 on a set of 1 ton 4x4 diesel springs and 35's with a slight clearance trim on the bumper ends.

highly functional and looks great. it gave him roughly 1.2-2''s of lift. with a 4'' and slight trim on the bumper ends you can fit 37's and look nice and proportionate without being too tall or less than functional.

rough country and their cousin tuff country kind of corner the market for these trucks when it comes to "kits". if you call them up through a distributor you can add upgrades such as rear leafs, shocks and better steering, but that all depends on use and how much you are willing to spend. do you tow a lot and plan to play a fair amount? if so try to go for the rear springs over blocks and add a leafs or get a shackle flip from ruffstuff or sky manufacturing to bring the rear up, but if you tow a lot, go full rear spring lift if possible. idk price, but google shopping can be your friend when searching to be cheap.

 

Hey Dan,

Thanks for your response. I'm not too clear on the benefits and drawbacks of a shackle flip. Could you explain that? I googled it and I understand the concept, but the pros and cons are still a bit of a mystery to me.

My primary use for this truck would be an occasional weekend hauler. About once every other month I need to pull a trailer or a boat or something, but never anything extreme or grueling. Could I get away with the blocks, or should I get lifted rear springs? I'll never be hauling a giant camper or horse trailer . . . the biggest thing I'll haul is probably a 1/2 ton pickup or a large tractor.

I looked at the Rough Country Lifts, and it looks like I can get a decent deal . . . looks like right around $639 with Nitro Shocks . . . then I'd probably have to put in a little extra for the extended sway bar links. I'm probably going to max out around $750 for the kit itself . . . I can't see myself spending too much more on the lift. It would be wonderful if I could find something cheaper

To answer your question . . . at this point, cheaper is better . . . I guess it always is for all of us . . . :-)


The reason I was thinking of throwing a 2" body lift in there as well is because before I put in the lift, I'll be pulling the bed off to wire brush and POR-15 the rear part of the frame. I thought that would be a pretty easy thing to do -- stick the blocks in and reattach the bed. Will this cause me problems with my steering column and other stuff if I were to lift the cab 2"?

Thanks, again, Dan. That truck pic looks awesome, btw.

 

idk where you live, but rust is evil and generally makes body lifts cost way the hell more than most would imagine. body mounts and radiator supports will function for years in stock locations without letting you know they are shot, try to add a body lift and then you start to realize how much stuff is fubared and must be fixed to save the truck. it's a can of worms some aren't ready for.

the way you describe it's use you should be a-ok with an add a leaf/block combo. shackle flips make the shackle act different with a lot of weight on it, but it's not a major issue if you don't tow heavy or often with substantial loads. i'm boozed up and can't explain it better, but here are some pics. this is a flipped shackle

this is how they are stock

 

Thanks for the info on the body lift. I'll have to check out my body mounts and my radiator mounts and see how they look. If they don't look too bad, perhaps a body lift could be a good thing because then I can get everything sanded down and repainted with POR-15 . . . kind of nip it in the bud before it turns into something worse....

I do understand about the rusting body and rad. mounts. I had a 66 F100 pickup and the body sheet metal was great but the cab and rad. mounts were completely shot.

Thanks for the pictures of the shackle flip. I see how it will raise the rear of the pickup. I'm still a little unclear on how adding more weight in the bed would cause the shackle to "act different" though . . . I don't want to give you a headache, especially if you are boozed up . . .

Thanks, again, Dan

 

i agree with Dan. a 4 inch suspension is all you will need. i put the trailmaster 4 inch lift on my 250's and 350's, and they all wore 35 and 37 inch tires fine. the only difference i did was remove the front bumper for push bumpers and plow frames
while this pic is of my modified 88 superduty with 37 inch tires on it, the other trucks looked and stood just like this:

 

i will get a pic of mine when i get home i am on vaca right now but i have 3 inch body and 4 inch suspension that i put together myself. add a leaf 1.5 inches and 2.5 inch leaf pack up front for 4 inches on the suspension bought the drop brackets seperatly. i can tell you that 7 inches makes the 35's look real small i need a set of 40's under it now but i only have about 600 miles on the 35's so if you want to buy em let me know so i can get 40's lol

 

You would be surprised with what you can do with a stock truck. With 35's and a couple inches of lift you could do pretty much everything other than hardcore mudding. I understand driving through mud, but when people drive though small lakes i just don't get it... a boat would actually work in some of the cases I have seen.

 

89 F250 351 4" rough country suspension lift, 37" tires:

 

BlueRebel,

Great looking lift! It looks great with the 4" Rough Country Suspension lift and 37" tires . . . I do wonder though about the front bumper. Since mine is stock, would I need to either cut it or replace it with something else?

Whack&Stack,
Thanks for your input. Your lift looks positively awesome as well. I really like that extra few inches of body lift. How did the body lift affect your steering column, fuel filler necks, wiring, and such?

 

you will need to either trim the bumper or replace it.

 

you are really pushin it ain't you??

 

35's don't really require any lift.


The front bumper is trimmed, and that is all, the rear wheelwells are opened up at the top due to rust, but only at the top of the arches.
It only rubbed the springs at full lock to the left, nothing else ever touched anything, have to love the TTB's lack of movement.

I need a lift now due to having a flatdeck and not a bed, and am debating a 4" or a 60 swap. I hate to lift a TTB, but I also hate to waste a D60 on an F250 that has a finite life due to rust... LOL

 

Kinda digging up an old thread. But I have an 89 f250 with an IDI in it. Want to run 35s on it but its all stock right now. What's the cheapest way to do that? And if I can about 2 or 3 inches of lift or a bit more for a small amount that would be great. Budget is small but workable. Can be made to accomadate some extra cost if need be.

 

the cheapst way cut the fenders or get a 2 lich leveing kit