hi im lookin at getting a 83 f350 crewcab 4x4 and was lookin at lift kits and all i can can come up with is a 6" i want atleast 8" or 10" wanna clear 40-44 inch tires (aint decided yet). so my question is does anyone make a kit thats 8 or 10" or would i have to make one myself using 6" springs and just bulding leaf drop brakets with square tube, along with making a drop pitman and tracbar braket??
also wanted to know what year f350s came with solid axle front ends, im under the impression it left in 1980 and came back in 82-96 f350s only, is this correct?

thanks for any input,
bradley

 

The straight axle came back in 85 1/2 in the f350's only.

8 to 10 inches is really high, and is going to require a lot of work and money. The driveshafts will need work/lengthening. The 6 inch kits come with special springs, dropped pitman arm, special longer shocks, longer brake lines, and if you run a staight axle, a dropped panhard bar bracket. A kit with more lift requires all that, but even with even more drop/length. You might even have to lower the tranny/transfer case some to make the driveline work.

Very expensive project you have in mind there. A cheaper/easier way to go would be a 6 inch lift with a 2 inch body lift.

 

Are you willing to cut fenders and modify axle location?
This is a 3" body lift and a home built shackle reversal with super duty springs. The suspension is a grand total of 2.75" above stock solid axle F350, with the axle 4" forward.


The rear is just a shackle flip, and, the tires are 44's. No need to go nearly as tall as you are talking.

 

Not when you're an actual wheeler. But when you're a mall-crawler........

 

im in no way a mall crawler have u seen my profile pic? well thats my daily driver it sees highway miles as much as mud up to the headlights. but anyway so 6" lift would clear about 44s?

 

I've seen tractors find their way out of deeper mud holes than some of the lifted trucks that run around here.

A 10" lift isn't gonna help get you through mud any better than a 6" lift. The right gearing, and tire will help get you through mud better than any lift.

 

look man i aint cuttin no fenders or trimmin nothin its gonna be all suspension lift cuz body lift looks goofy, so idk why youre gettin the impression that i cant build a truck i never have bought a lift kit before ive always made em and the 6" lift said i could only fit 38s so thats why i was wanting more lift but if it will clear then great but this was gonna be a exception for me to just buy a kit.

 

well in order to have the right tire it has to clear right? i mean this aint no straight up mud truck its gonna get painted nice and done up right. i aint riggin nothin up

 

well were on a differnt page apparently ill make it simple its gonna be a show truck and also a mud truck at the same time. thats the best i can explain it therefore im not cuttin or movin axles up when i can just lift it higher to clear with no rubbing thats all im after

 

Well, I do not think you are going to find a pre-made lift that high. Since you have made your own lifts before, I guess you know what's all involved. I am guessing a 8 or 10 inch lift is just too high and unsafe for a manufacturer to produce and sell to the general public with some sort of warranty.

I have never lifted anything that high, but here are some of my thoughts;

1. You are not going to be able to lift the ttb front axle that high without serious problems. Your plans to convert to a solid axle would probably be a must. You could then probably buy some 6 inch lift springs, and also buy the reverse shackle kit from sky manufacturing, which will give you either 3 inches of lift or 5 inches of lift. So that would give you 9 or 11 inches of lift in the front.

2. You could then buy 6 inch rear lift springs for the rear, and also so a sky shackle flip with that, and get around 9 inches back there, and then tweak it with some small blocks(maybe the factory ones) for a level ride height

3. You would probably need to re-mount the brake line brackets, and get longer lines also.
4. I don't know what you are going to do about shocks, I guess someone makes some super long ones?

5. I don't know what you are going to do about a pitman arm. If it's going to be strictly off road, could you go to a full hydraulic steering setup? A very long drop on the pitman arm sure does put a lot of strain on the frame and the box itself.

6. Then you are going to need custom driveshafts made up.

7. I am sure you make make something up yourself for the trac bar/panhard bar for the front.

 

yea thats what i figured they wouldent make em that high, but yea i was thinking about moving the shackles to the back but one question is what is the benefit of doing that?

 

I personally wouldn't build a show truck as a mud truck. If I was building a show truck, it'd be a frame off restoration. At least, that's what comes to mind for me.

If you were building a show truck setup as an off-roader, why not something a little more modest and cheaper that could make a good daily driver (if you chose to drive it a while)? You could always turn your current truck into a show truck (already has the lift and tires).

I'd get an 82 or 83 F150 4x4 long bed standard cab with an automatic and put a 4'' lift on it and a set of 33'' all-terrain tires with wagon wheel rims. Tune up the motor a little bit (intake, carb, headers), throw on some fresh paint (motor and body), and do a restore on the interior. Then, clean up the engine bay, wrap all the electrical wiring in black wire loom, do a bed liner in the bed of the truck and under the engine bay, and call it quits. It'd not only get a lot of compliments, but it'd be a great all around vehicle.

 

Generally, show truck and mud truck are two phrases that don't fit well together.

If you can make it happen without destroying the paint, more power to you.

 

Fender flares, mahn!

Barkin' 40's, Shaun can show you how to do an easy straight axle conversion to the TTB if you can't find a Dana 60 for that F350.

 

There is a big debate on whether a vehicle should have the shackles in the front or in the rear of the front springs. Most people seem to think the truck rides and handles better with the shackles in the rear, even though the factory put them in the front on many different vehicles. I think someone mentioned that Ford actually started putting them in the rear on some of the later trucks?(not sure about that, going by my memory).

And most people want some lift to their truck, and it so happens the brackets and everything to swap the shackles around will give you 3 inches of lift, or pay a little more and they have some that will give you 5 inches of lift.

It's also way to change a 2wd f250/350 to 4x4. The very front of the frame is different on a 2wd f250/350, and will not accommodate the front shackles of the factory setup without some fabrication. The shackle reversal kit is a elegant way to solve this problem since it's already setup and comes with a crossmember that gives the front of a 2wd frame the strength it needs for the conversion.

The main reason I mentioned it was because it was a way I thought of that you could combine two different types of lifts and get to where you want to be.