Guys,

Here is my 2004 Excursion PSD. The X was already lifted when we bought it, but I'd love to return it to stock ride height or near stock w/ the larger tires on 16's. So, not having been around 4x4's for long, how the heck do I figure out how it was lifted? Shackles, different springs, who knows??? Basically is just too much of a PITA not fitting into car washes and not being able to fit it in my garage for repairs.

 

Can you grab some pics for us?

Also, where are you located? I'm getting rid of my stock springs in favour of a lift, might be able to pass them along to you.

 

I'm in Denver, CO.

The top four pictures are of the front and the last two are of the rear. Hopefully this helps.

 

Fronts appear to be aftermarket leafs and rears are the short add a blocks. Rears are easy. Should really replace u bolts but all you need to do is pull the smaller blocks.

Fronts will require swapping springs back to stock, unless that's just a really great add a leaf pack. Iirc stock front springs are like 2 leafs. Someone will correct me but for some reason I think that's right.

 

After just doing leafs on my Ex and studying the spring/suspension setups used by various Ex owners....I will be your huckleberry and chime in.

First please provide us with measurements from the ground(make sure to measure in a straight line ...center of the axle hub) to the bottom of the fender flare. That will help us determine a few things.

Second after looking at your pictures, I must say someone spent some time and $ setting that up. It appears you have air bags or a RAS system on the rear along with an aftermarket sway bar.

Third, am I correct in my understanding that the Ex is to tall and will not fit in the garage or a drive thru carwash?


The front springs from the factory are a 2 leaf spring. I just put X codes on the front from ATS and they are a 2 leaf setup. In all the searching I did I did not find any factory springs like what are on your EX. Nothing else seems out of place as far as shackles or mounts on the front. It is possible the PO added a leveling kit to the front springs to take out the natural rake the truck has. My Ex has about a 2.5" rake front to back. Some folks do not like that rake.

The rears look to be a modded B code. This is why I asked for measurements. Somewhere on FTE there is a thread where a member put together a list of Factory spring codes with measurements. If you could take a picture of what the red tube(above the rear spring in the picture) attaches to on the rear that would be helpful.

IMHO ...

I would leave it as is. You will have a few grand in putting it back to stock if you have someone do it for you. If you do it yourself you are looking about $1k in parts if you buy new and you install yourself. I highly recommend ATS and the install kit they sell.

If you do not mind used leaf springs and taking a slight gamble look around for a used set from a bone yard. If possible verify the springs to the door jam sticker. That will tell you what the springs are.

 

I'll add my 2 cents.....


I agree the front is a pair of aftermarket leaf springs, along with dropped sway bar link brackets, no doubt longer shocks.....


The rear.... I can't tell by those pics. B or C code springs with the traction spring added? Or after market springs with the traction spring added? With the rear sway bar and Firestone (?) air bags. Someone spent some money setting the suspension up.


I also would never remove that suspension to go back to the mushy OEM suspension. How about just going back to an OEM aluminum wheel with a 265 or 285 tire.... would a smaller tire get you closer to where you want to be?

 

Thanks guys! How can you tell there are airbags on there? Yes there are. I don't think there is any RAS since that is an extra coil spring on top of the leaf spring, right? I bought a Hellwig rear sway to add to it.

From what I can tell the shocks are just normal Rancho 9000xls. I've put new ones on the back and have new ones for the front but just haven't swapped them yet.

So the bar on the bottom of the leaf springs that runs to the front w/ the bump stop isn't stock?

Do those numbers on the front springs mean anything? I googled the number and didn't find anything.

I'll measure tomorrow when we have daylight on the height. Thanks a ton for the feedback. I had no idea there was anything really but stock w/ a shackles or something.

Chris

 

I can see one bag in one of the pictures, as well as an air line and mounting brackets in a couple other pics. They don't look like my Air Lift brackets, which is why I guessed that are the Firestone bags.




The thick spring with the bump stop on it is a factory piece on an original Excursion spring, but wouldn't have been original to an aftermarket lift spring or an F250 / F350 rear spring. If the rear springs were changed from original (my guess based on the height of the truck), then someone disassembled the spring pack and added the original Excursion "traction spring' to whatever set of springs is under the truck.

 

Measures just under 41.5" on front and back.

 

Modify
Your
Garage
!!!!!!!!!

 

For the front, please measure from the center of the wheel hub to the bottom of the fender lip. For the rear, please measure from the center of the wheel hub to the bottom of the quarter panel lip.

Don't measure from the ground, otherwise tire size becomes a variable.

Stewart

 

I run v codes up front with a leveling leaf and I don't think your truck sits up any higher than mine and I have a Yakima roof rack too. I still fit in all the car washes near here but I don't fit in most of the parking garage in DC.

The trade off is that I don't thump the bump stops anymore and my truck doesn't wallow around every corner. Honestly you need to try stock springs before you switch back. They are really just too soft for that much truck and a little too low for the frame. There is a reason even guys that don't necessarily want the lift are taking the time and money to replace or supplement the stock setup with something a little taller.

 

Before you go and return it to the crappy stock setup you need some measurements, get the hub centers to wheel well lip distances like Stewart said and then get a good accurate height measurement to the highest point on the EX. I use a level with one end on the roof rack track then from the other end of the level to the ground. And lastly measure you garage door opening height. Working with those numbers we should be able to get you something better than stock that will still fit in your garage, hopefully.
Your front springs as others have pointed out do appear to be aftermarket units with the sway bar mounts flipped to the bottom (with a nice stiffener bracket added to outside of the frame rail) of the frame vs the stock position to keep the correct bar geometry. Your pics didn't show the rear shackles on the front springs so it's unknown if those are stock or longer units.
I think your rear springs look like they might possibly be a stock EX pack with the factory 2nd leaf down replaced by 2 add-a-leaves and of course the air bags. How much pressure is in those bags in the pictures? Some of the rear lift might be from the bags. If you have some decent pressure in the bags get a set of measurements as-is then a second set with the bags aired down.
Do you have a use for the bags? Do you tow or haul heavy loads in the EX? They may be able to go if you don't really need them for your typical usage.
Once you get all of your measurements then you will know just how much of a drop you'll need and from that we can work backwards to come up with a few ideas of how you could get there.

 

Haha I wish.
Thanks guys. I'll measure the right way tonight. If it is a lit of work and money I'm not going to switch back probably. Especially if it is a large downgrade from a ride quality perspective.
We are taking a trip to DC this summer and I was worried about hotel parking garages, etc.

Since we are looking, besides the bigger hellwig I have in my garage and the new shocks are there any other recommended upgrades or is it looking pretty good?

 

" If it is a lit of work and money I'm not going to switch back probably. Especially if it is a large downgrade from a ride quality perspective. "


Both of the above would occur.