In the process of building this pig. As a die hard car guy, I keep saying I'm in the final stages but in reality, there is still a lot of work to be done. Its a 1978 Ford F-350 with a 429 CJ. Its going well so far, all the new body parts are in the body shop getting prepped and primed. All the red pieces pictured are not being used. As for the questions I have, if anyone can help, please do. I decided to go with 38" tires that are 15.5" wide. In doing so, I need some nice fender flares to protect myself from the law. Bushwhacker makes the cut out ones now, but those are too bulky for me. They used to make a more sleek style, just wondering if anyone knows of any other place to get some nice ones or if anyone has the first style for sale? Also wondering if anyone has experience with L&L trac bars? Just looking for more ideas, anything is appreciated. I'll keep up on pictures of this project as well as a couple others my family has going. Thanks!

 

Nice garage

 

No such thing as a '78 F-350 4x4. Those in the dent side were '79 only.
Who makes those front springs ?

 

Its an F-250....I can smell it from here! haha

 

Nice build and X2 nice shop, 428 and a rear lift block....I would of ditched rear lift block all together and got some rear Atlas leaf springs.

Why...cause with all the HP that block is going to act like a fulcrum and cause a lot of axle/leaf spring twist and I doubt that the L&L ladder bars will stop it.

The rear leaf pack looks like an F250 pack, but its all good to me. 250 350 call it what you want. It really depends on that the 1st 3 #'s are on the VIN to really tell.

Explorer hood ornament, that is a different touch.

 

In all honesty, I'd love to re-spring it. I'm just a college kid, with a full time job in full time school trying to get by. I probably shouldn't have stared this project yet but now I'm in a hole and I'd better finish. In my situation, $70 rear blocks were more do-able than $500 rear leafs. It will get done, but probably after all the body work is finished and paid. I signify it as an F-350 because of the front and rear Dana 60's. Nothing more, but that's what makes it unique to me. In essence, there wasn't a 429 CJ in any truck ever made, and there sure as hell wasn't 38" mudders. Its fully custom, that's what I'm going for, something no one else has! And still, any help is appreciated!

 

Yes most of us are full time "living life folks" and have daily challenges too, like the rest of the world. Nice rig, stay motivated.

I pointed out the blocks, because when you hammer on the 429 and them big ol tires, the rear end will probably start to power hop.

Where did you get your front leaf springs from?

F36 will be the series code on the dvrs door tag, if it is a true 350

 

A lot of F250s had D60s front & rear, especially up north and midwest north. I have one. Called a "snowfighter package", although I'm sure there are others that got ordered with a front 60 or just got lucky. There are a lot around.....

Glad to hear yer gonna dump them blocks....eventually. Good luck and stay with it.

 

Honestly, I got the front leafs back when I was in high school and I had some summer money, and unfortunately, I cant remember. I'm still looking and I'll let you guys know if I find them.
So, what rear leafs are the best to run? And what would be my rough price?

 

You get what you pay for in rear leaves. Cheep ones will be just that, adding shims till they settle, not being able to handle much weight, maybe even bending with a high h.p. motor that can put out a little axle wrap.

 

I had 2k in my 4 leafs from Deaver - shipping was a killer to PA.

I would do a 4" Deaver softride pack from JBG.

 

What site did you get those leafs from? Btw, love the crew cab, that thing is bad as hell.

 

Here is a place to start looking. Deaver Spring | Leaf Springs, Suspension, 4x4 Off Roading

 

Sweet truck! I'm also a college student working on a dentside resto. My biggest issue is a lack of free time though..
Just curious, why aren't you using any of the red body parts? They look to be in pretty good shape in the pictures.
But anyway, nice build. Keep it up and stay motivated

 

A lot of the bed is full of bondo. The guy I got it from apparently didn't have a clue what he was doing with body work. Other big killer on the cab is that someone put in a sunroof, but did a terrible job and it leaks like crazy. It is such a big hole, I can't patch it with enough support. I got lucky and ran across an entire running truck for $250. It had no title so I stripped it of the bed and cab to use on this big restoration. That's awesome man, but I have absolutely no time either. Full time school and full time work makes for a long, drawn out project for a broke college kid.