Hi,

This is my first Ford truck, in fact first non Jeep! My dad bought the truck new in 2004 for his maintenance business, and recently replaced it with a 2012 6.2L. It has about 195k miles and runs pretty damn good. First let me introduce the truck and what I have done so far.

I really like this truck as it is the last year of front leaf springs, first year of the d60 front (F250 SD), last year of the 'simpler' 2v 5.4 and its an XL so it has vinyl floor I can hose out and a manual shift NV271!



Its a pretty clean truck overall, its got some rust on the bed, but the cab is clean. Eventually going to take a needle scaler and POR15 as much as I can. First thing I did to it was add those 33" treadwrite tires. Mounted them myself with dyna beads and painted the stock steel wheels white. Really like this style of wheel, almost looks like a cragar.

Seat cover I added:

With the column shift auto I can fit 3 people no problem!

Finally, I added a brake controller: (eventually getting a higher end OEM ford radio with CD/Tape/ Aux)


My main goal with this truck is to fix the minor issues and tow my Jeep to the trails. I am hoping to make the drivetrain last atleast another 50K miles so I can drive it as I finish school. My long term goal is to replace the 5.4/4R100 with a cummins 12V I6 and a 5spd. Would love a truck thats completely mechanical and I believe I could tune that engine to get easily double the mileage that I am getting now!

Recently bought this Bri Mar:

 

Issues:

Besides the surface rust I have two current issues.

The driver side add-a-leaf is broken. The truck still sits level, but this is something I want to fix asap. Its the bottom most leaf (above the overload), added in 2004 to compensate for the utility body.



The passenger side is fine, but I think the best course of action would be to replace both add-a-leafs and all the U bolts at this time. The factory springs seem in great shape all around.

Can anyone recommend a good set of replacement leafs? I do not think they provide lift, they just prevent sag.

Is this an acceptable support while I unbolt the axle? Or should I go buy some taller jack stands and support it on the frame in front of the spring?


Finally, does anyone have a diagram for the OEM trailer plug connector? Its wasted, the new one has different colored wires.

 

These are not things I need assistance with, but I thought Id share some other maintenance items I am doing:

Flowmaster 70 series muffler kit. Factory heat shield fell off and exposed nice sized hole in muffler.



And basically every other fluid is getting changed out. Also doing new monroe magnum shocks and stabilizer (still running OEM all around!!). Trans is getting new filter, gasket and 5 quarts of Mercon V conventional. Dont really think I should do a flush at this point in the life of the 4R100. Finally doing the rear brake shields and parking brake shields.





Thanks for any input and help! Austin

 

You can replace just one side but we always recommend replacing in pairs so nothing leans.

We can offer you a leaf that would be a direct fit, nothing to lift you just basically a replacement that has a matching arch to your current spring. You may see a slight increase to the rear height just because you are putting in a leaf with brand new, stronger steel.

Give us a call or send me a message if your interested!


-Junior

 

Wow this is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Spent a while today looking at aftermarket suspention websites and didnt really find anything. So you do have a leaf that would replace it? I dont want to replace the whole pack. You have new U bolts too I assume?

You know what, ill try to give you a call later today, or monday at the latest.

THANKS!

 

It looks like a nice truck/project! You should have no issues getting another 50,000 miles from it! Keep up on maintaince and with simple oil changes I wouldn't be suprised if you got close to 300,000 miles from the drivetrain. If you plan on towing I highly recommend a larger transmission cooler and a temperature gauge. It's a cheap investment to prevent transmission issues down the road.

 

^^^ x1000. I have a lot of friends that have decided not to spend the extra money and they find themselves regretting it down the road.


-Junior

 

I was already thinking about a trans temp gauge, but was under the impression that the OEM external cooler was pretty large. I really like the B&M stacked plate type coolers though, so may add one. Any pics of a good mounting spot? I assume you keep your stock cooler and just plumb a new one inline?

-and I have read this online, but my new Chiltons guide has me second guessing again. The new Mercon V is ok to top off my trans with right!!?? Just gonna use conventional house brand. Current fluid looks good, just changing that filter.

Got the flowmaster 70 series installed. Nice piece of kit for $250. Kinda sorta wished I spent more for a stainless kit, but I this will definitely last until this drive train is done. This muffler is very quite. Nice tone, sounds like a truck, but not obnoxious at all!




One problem with replacing the muffler was my manifold leak is now MUCH more noticeable. Its missing a stud, yet it feels like its leaking on that far bolt.



Found this pretty darn good write up of changing the manifolds and getting rid of that 'T pipe' (something I noticed about that exhaust right away, but wrote off in my head as normal!). Think I should get headers? They do look very cool. I dont mind spending the money, especially because the truck was essentially free, to upgrade failed parts.

Can you still get the Ford racing shorty headers? Can not seem to find them.

Writeup: 2004 F250 Broken Exhuast Manifold Stud

 

Finally, I found this plastic ring loose on my passenger side front axle. Broken outer axle seal? I have never torn a SD Dana 60 down before. It also seems to be weeping on the driver side. Not a drop, just 'wet'. Think I should do all the seals? Would it be that much different then a 78/79 HP 60? Anyone have a list of part numbers, so I dont get the dana 50 seals on accident?




Reason I want the front axle sealed up is because I have a gallon of magnet paints chassis saver and a gallon of flat rustoleum to coat these axles up. Also have that synthetic lucas gear oil that I hope will be in there a while!

Also changing my oil today, switching to 5 quarts of conventional 5w20 and 1 quart of this stuff:
Hy-per Lube Oil Supplement | Oil Stabilizer | Oil Additive

Dont know what it will do, but I saw it on one of the shows on Velocity and wanted to give it a try. Plus it was all the same price as one 5 quart jug of the Motor craft blend. I am using a motorcraft filter though.

 

Forget the snake oil additives. In most cases they do more harm than good.

That is a dust seal. The oil seal is on either side of the pumpkin on the outer side of the carrier bearings. Gear oil is not supposed to be inside the front axle tubes. Unless the truck needs new ball joints, u joint or a unit bearing I would just let the dust seals go for now. But if the inner axle seal is leaking and you plan on replacing it then do the dust seal while you are in there.

I have installed and use myself the Flowmaster catbacks. The clamps that come with the aluminized system are not even useable IMO. I did not use them on either of the aluminized kits I did. The stainless kit comes with good quality clamps though.

 

Hmm well I will have to see how this hyper lube stuff does. It has been on the market for a long time. Thanks for the tip on the dust seal. I think I am going to go ahead and cut that seal off then, because it does make a noise (especially when I am right up against a jersey barrier on the highway). Going to go ahead and clean up and paint the axle.

Also, just finished changing the fuel filter with a usa made motorcraft (had a rusty el cheapo unit installed). Does that rear plastic connector really just pull on and off? Wonder why they didnt just use to AC style disconnects, would be more secure IMO.

What was your problem with the clamps? The exhaust seems to be tight. Thanks for the info.


EDIT: And any information on the exhaust manifolds would be nice. How is the long term durability on the tube style? I am kinda thinking now about just spending around $150 on a pair of cast iron replacements and be done with it. Will the 05+ 3v style bolt on? Ive also read about the aftermarket chinese manifolds cracking due to poor casting methods. What would you do?

 

Having trouble deciding what manifolds to buy.

The dorman ones are $75 from advance auto. They are in stock. Cheaper still online, but easier to warrantee in a brick and mortar store. Some of the reviews said they cracked completely in 6 months, then cracked again when they replaced them.

The ford cast iron replacements are about $150 each through my local dealer (atleast through the official ford parts site). But then I have also read that the dorman ones appear much stronger then the factory ones.

Id like to do tube headers, but I can not find the Ford ones anywhere! The other brands are all over in price 450-850. Dont really know what to do.

 

The 3V manifolds won't fit. Your options are either stock style cast manifolds or short tube headers. The short tube headers will give a little more power, solve the stud breakage issues however they will be a little louder and require the bolts to be retightened every now and then.

The clamps that come with the flowmaster aluminized kit are thin flimsy clamps that will rust out quickly. When I saw them I laughed.

 

When I my rear leaf springs I used the rear spring hanger to put the jackstands under. The shackle comes up out of it vertically so I figured it normally carries all the weight anyways and it didn't seem to cause any issues.

If you have 6 ton jackstands that aren't tall enough (which it looks like is the case from your picture), build a crib to set them on. I used ~18" pieces of 2x4, made three layers with the center one set 90* to the other two, and sandwiched them in between some OSB. Fairly light, and definitely strong enough to hold up the truck on a stand. I have three sets now, and one set is significantly larger (24" on the long side, 5 layers tall), and they're very solid so long as the foot print is large enough relative to the height you're adding. I've used crossed rail road ties to hold up tractors, so these little things that are entirely nailed together are great for getting the height you need to put the frame or hangers on stands.

 

GREAT tip on the jack stand bases. Ill see what I can come up with.

-I will have to keep an eye on those clamps then. They honestly look identical to many OEM clamps I have seen. Just replaced one on a WJ grand cherokee that had rusted out... but it was 10 years old.



I am going to call my local ford dealer and see if they still make the ford racing headers. Otherwise I am very tempted to buy the OEM ford manifolds.Checking the bolts is not an issue, and I will probably just make it a habit at an oil change.


And about that fuel filter, I pretty much just pulled the rear connector off. I did NOT do this: Everything You Want to Know About the Blue Clips! Changing Fuel Filter - F150online Forums

I never forced it and it pushed back on pretty easily. It does not leak at all, but my best guess is someone forced it at one point. Should I find a replacement? Again it does not leak, but I dont want it to start while driving down the highway!