I'm looking to just level my 89 F250 idi out a bit. The front is a good few inches lower than the rear. Has anyone had good experiences with adding a leaf? How's the ride/suspension? This will simply be a fun vehicle and to haul things around the farm so I won't be driving family around long distances or anything but I've heard the ride can be hindered pretty bad. I'd like to stay away from the 2.5" overall lift and just level but maybe that's the best option? Anyone with good experiences with the add a leaf?

 

I haven't personally but it's on my list if I can't find SD axles. A member here recently did, here's the thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1401565-where-to-start-94-idit-3.html he experienced better ride as well as leveling.

 

I did it on my 89 and it turned it into a kidney buster! If you ran over a cow pile it would bounce you into the roof. Ended up swapping in a D60 and it is great for driving around on the farm now.

 

That's what I've heard! I just want a fairly inexpensive way to level it out but I don't want to hinder the driving. Its already 4.10 gears which doesn't make it ideal when driving highway speeds! The last thing I need is crying every time I hit a pot hole.

 

I assumed the stock trucks come with a slight rake but maybe I'm wrong? If I'm wrong then I'd like to just get the front end back up...maybe I just need new springs/leafs? I do have a pretty heavy bumper guard on the front that may be pulling the front end down a bit too.

Looking at this picture any thoughts? Is this a stock rake or is it definitely sag?

 

I personally think your ride height looks about right. I went from the 150 spring setup adding a leaf to go probably to your 250 setup in stock setup. My ride is pretty firm and would not recommend going further unless substantially loaded most of the time, just my 2 cents .... I can add a few hundred pounds without noticing anything as far a sag goes, however when I carted home a 351 did notice the weight ......

 

Sorry, strike that, I was referring to rear, I think you're referring to the front .... and she does look just a little low ..... however I have coil fronts so not speaking from good experience ....

 

It doesn't look too bad to me. The real test is your alignment. If the camber isn't out of whack, you probably aren't sagged out too bad.

The rake is done on purpose, it seems like people forget about that. The whole point is so when you're loaded down, your headlights will still actually be useful. (more or less). I like the looks of a leveled truck, but functionally it's not ideal.

 

I agree - I know the rake is intentional and I'm definitely function over fashion. But I came from a 95 PSD that seemed to be fairly level stock and I haven't seen any other trucks that seem this low compared to rear. Alignment seems to be good. I drove it about 2 hours home after I bought it on highway mostly and it drove pretty well. No shaking, jumping, scooting, or anything else.

 

I put add a leaf in my 96 three days after I picked it up from the dealer. It definitely stiffened it up, but it was not a horrible ride.

This is probably the best option for leveling and keeping the same ride.
Steel Front 2 5" Lift Kit F250 F350 80 98 4WD | eBay

 

The mini spring pack does not go the full length and force your front springs to rearch. It also has a new center pin to add the mini pack right to the existing suspending, no chance of it spitting out.

 

Interesting. Do you know of anyone with experience with this? I've never seen it and it's a reasonable price. Just curious how the installation goes, ride height after time ( any settling?) and ride quality vs stock. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Ride will be the same, you're not changing the spring rate.

It will sit 2 1/2" taller in the front then what it does right now.

Very easy install, I have done a bunch of these. I do not have any pictures though as it was 20+ years ago.

With the add a leaf you are forcing the spring to change its shape to raise the front end, this also will make the ride stiffer. With this mini pack it is only about 6-8" long at the longest spring and uses the center pin to hold everything together. This also keeps it legal, many states have laws about putting just a block in the front to raise a vehicle.

 

I have a 91 and I went outside about 4 times comparing different points of the truck Looks exactly like mine and it seems we have about the same size tires and I know mine is bone stock.