Ya. It would be very impressive if you could do it for less than the kit in a reasonable amount of time and make it alignable. Then you should make kits and sell them lol

 

Yeah mines not too bad. I think I'm going to hold off on the POR and just fluid film it for now to get through this winter.


Oh okay. I knew that the silver was for more heavier rusted surfaces but didn't know the rest of that. And with the black on black topcoating I didn't even think of that, that's a good idea though. It would be tuff to tell if you covered it all. I'll think I'll probably go with the silver when I get around to doing it on mine.


Oh ok, yeah I just finished up finals last week. I definitely have been pretty busy lately too, that's why I've been pretty much nonexistent on here lately lol. Yeah I really like the color of my 5000K's I got 35W ones. I know with the 55W it washes it out the color a bit, so I would probably go with a 6000K in 55W too, probably what I'd go with if I ever did it again.


Yeah it should look really good on your truck. That sucks that the 05 bumper is rusting. Thankfully my factory ones are pretty clean and in great shape, another reason why I want to do some kind of rust proofing.


Both look good, but I do really like the look of the Fab Fours rear bumper though.


I am by no means am I an expert on the coil over conversions or the 4-link and axle conversions, but just the way I'm looking at it, it just seems like a lot of money for a little better ride and a little better turning radius, and I'm just about as picky as it gets when it comes to my truck, but just seems like a bit much. Unless it really is that much better than the stock setup like you say it is, but even then is it still worth it? I mean do you really need all that? Not trying to be a smart *** or anything, just giving you something to think about, and maybe trying to actually save you some money for once haha.

 

Yeah although i don't really think it will be as good and probably run roughly the same price after the coil overs themselves....hmmm i will look into it though now since there's not much other than My truck rides great! reviews with the full traction set ups lol.

Did you stick with engineering? what major? Jeremy (wizkid) is an EE and I'm an almost ME while working as an FSE lol.


Yeah i like the FabFours also, my bumper is strictly because it is aftermarket though. My OEM 04 bumper before i got hit at work was 8 years old and not a spec of rust some pitting but no rust at all i got this and two years later its horrible.

Damn it man Jeremy and i were on a roll and you had to be all like...negative lol. No in all seriousness its more of an it would be nice kinda thing and I'm trying to find out how much of animprovement it really is becasue its so much money that the truck better see pot holes and float over them instead of hitting them for me lol.


Also i talked to Carli yesterday and they said they cannot guarantee that they will fit the 04 trucks but they do fit 05-07 which is the same so I am going to go through with their shock towers. Jeremy they said there was no issue with offset they simply state that because since they wrap the tower around the top of the shock unlike the OEM ones that had a stud sticking out they make they so that a 3" shock will fit in because the top is sometimes bigger depending on the company. I completely forgot to ask ho to tell which side is which because on the 05--7 trucks its a small note in the instructions that says 05-07 are side specific and that's it lol I will email them today for that.

 

So i Just spoke with a returning intern here at work who is a car enthusiast as well and also has built a few cars at school up at U-Maine. He was saying in his experience the coil overs will most likely not be worth it strictly because of the cost difference. He brought up which is true that leaf springs ride better with more weight on them and once i swap in the 12v the springs will ride much better than they do now most likely. But what it boiled down to was it would be easier and cheaper to convert to the 05+ coils and the ride will be just as good or only slightly worse than going to coilovers so for the cost vs the improvement it's probably not worth it if it was cheaper liek $2k then he said go for it lol.

I am thinking about some front lift springs then like i originally was and in that case i will need longer shocks so i may swap over to some nice rebuildable King shocks. Not sure if i want to go with dual shocks or not though since the Kings can be tuned but i have read that dual really helps with the power strokes and swaying around on the highway etc. Tylus also confirmed that its worth it for diesels or excursions but not for gassers really.

 

No I ended up deciding on Construction Management. And this isn't good but I'm having second thoughts about after the first semester. My grandpa has a construction that both my Dad and Uncle work at, and I work there in the summer, so its in my blood and I have experience in it. I mean I like it and I could see myself doing it in the future, but just not sure if I would like doing something else even more. If I were to do something else I think I would go for Mechanical Engineering like you. I do have a real interest in cars and trucks so I think it would be really cool to get involved in the automotive industry somehow. Which is feasible with ME right? But I'm just not sure, and I am a really indecisive person so that doesn't help lol. I'm at Kent State and I really do love the school, couldn't really see myself much anywhere else, but they don't offer ME. So I would have to completely change schools if I decided to go that route. I think I'm just going to really dive into my major and school in general next semester and get everything I can out of it. Then after that I'll see how I feel and make up my mind on what I want to do.

Yeah that sucks. That's why I always like to go OEM if I can, but sometimes they can be ridiculously expensive and hard to find too.

Haha, sorry to be all negative. But I did go back and look at the prices of everything and really they're not too terribly bad, depending on what you get. Are you planning on staying with the same lift height or going bigger? I was looking at the full-traction kits and really there isn't too much of a price difference between those and complete, top quality leaf spring kits. I mean the 4in kits are a little pricy but the bigger kits aren't too bad compared to the same size leaf spring kit, especially if there is that much of an improvement in control and ride quality. I think if there really is that great of an improvement, it might be worth it.


There ya go I'm not a total buzz kill haha. I like that though "the truck better see pot holes and float over them instead of hitting them" Damn right for that kind of money lol.


So after your last post. Whats your plan now? Just get some leaf springs and nice shocks? Ooo, just thought of this. Like you said it would be much cheaper to convert to the 05+ coil springs vs the coil-overs and still have a similar ride. So what if you converted to the 05+ springs and then got a 4-link system for that. Which is supposed to be a big improvement in itself right? Or would that not work on the 04 axle?


I've always been curios on the dual shocks too. To me its always made sense that two would ride better than one, but almost everything I've read, which isn't all too much, everybody says its not worth it and makes the truck ride harder. But it also makes sense that they help on the diesels and not the gassers because of the extra weight. I'd be interested in learning more on the dual shocks too, I'll have to look into it more.

 

I have dual fronts on my Ranger from James Duff. They have a very light compression but a fairly strong rebound. What you get from that is a front suspension that works really well on medium to large bumps. It hilly Western PA its a lot of fun taking railroad crossings at normal speed when most cars slow down to under 15 because they are so uneven.

Another advantage is dual shocks reduce body roll. I am running soft springs without a front sway bar. This would be a lot scarier with only 1 shock in each corner.



I did read on Super Duty's that you have to run shocks that were meant for a dual setup or the compression will be so stiff it will harden the suspension.

 

I'm the same way man my ultimate end goal would to work at a company like Ford or similar and engineer the new cars/trucks maybe even make them resistant to rust! lol but i have had those moments where i doubted my choice. ultimately i like what i do now and can see myself doing this in the future so i am going for it, i go back and forth and am also very indecisive but I've been working on that because its my worst trait lol makes decisions so much harder to be like that especially with a major like construction management you will be making decisions all the time.




I think if i was to do anything i would convert to coilovers vs coil springs just because it involves a new front axle new hubs with no replacements etc. I was originally going to get some BDS 4" front springs and they only run $290 each i already have my brop brackets and sway bar end links so the 4" lift cost for me is going to be $580 i will do more research though first before i make a final decision.


Yeah i read the same thing so i was thinking with some good adjustable shocks i could tune them for duals to really get what they are meant for vs look because we have potholes trail tracks and just bumps galor here lol. Not sure what shock i want to run though i was thinking king because i like them but there is also Fox racing.

 

I have a feeling with a shock of that caliber, singles would be fine. Duals would be for looks.

 

Ahh ok, thanks for explaining it Jeremy. That makes sense with the Super Duty's. That's probably what I had read about with people putting duals with shocks that weren't designed for that and in turn getting a hard ride.


Yeah that's exactly what I would like to do if I went with mechanical engineering. I'm sure everyone has their doubts every once in a while, I know I have haha. Yeah that's something I definitely have to work on too. I mean I guess its not terrible because it makes me easy-going and I just kind of go with the flow sometimes , but with construction management, you're making big time decisions every day so being indecisive isn't really an option, lol.




Oh ok, I thought you meant that it was possible to just swap the coils over to the 04 axle, that's what I wasn't sure about. It would definitely be a headache to have to get a whole new axle and everything.


Yeah there's plenty of good leaf spring kits out there. I know I've read of a lot of people are real happy with their Suprerlift springs, which I don't think are too expensive. I was looking at a nice Icon kit for when I finally do my full 4" lift, but those are a bit pricy.

 

Yeah i heard BDS and Icon are about equivalent ride wise so i go BDS usually for the lifetime warranty.

I was thinking that after i posted it because they can be tuned you ojly really need 1 lol.

 

I dont know if you saw any of my pics on FB, but i was just out in montana and drove my buddies 05 SC/LB 6.0 with snow plow coils and 2" spacers, and 35s and his truck rides much rougher than my 03 with the 4" superlift leaf springs. Railroad crossings, going into parking lots, anything...truck seems like its gonna rattle apart

I am also extremely indecisive and its really annoying...my girlfriend usually laughs at me because it takes me 5 minutes to decide what kind of drink i want at a gas station lol

 

I did. love the look of his truck, thats good to know because my front springs are plow prep springs. Miles did they settle at all till now on your truck? Everyone really seems to love superlift lol i will look into them. I am concerned about them sagging down after i drop the cummins in.

Yeah my fiance hates it because she is indecisive as well and just wants me to decide on things lol.

 

I guess since I have rode in pick up trucks all my life and only vechiles we have that ride like a car is the mustang (I am guessing) and mom's GMC. Personally I can't stand the soft ride I don't really understand the feeling you guys are seeing.


Heck even my 94 Explorer rides like the 02 F250 (that may be granted the shocks are bad on the 94 Explorer).
Trav

 

Yeah i know trav honestly the ride doesnt bother me its a truck so it should ride like a truck lol. I am thinking if i can make it ride a little softer it might be nice but i am ok with it staying the same. Its funny because the ride changes like you expect the 04 F250 rides like a work truck because it has tow and plow packages the 95 F150 rides pretty good because its light duty and the 07 Expy ride like a god damn cloud lol. I might swap my 04 speings to the 150 with the blocks and its like a free 6" lift all i need is coils and a drop bracket for the TTB.

 

What size tires would you run if you did that on the 95?
Is the SD springs 3" wide like the 95 4x4 springs?


I do so little work to the 02 that I don't really know that is why I am curious.
Trav