Just wonder what other ways i could lift my 1988 f250 4x4 cause I'm on a budget (16 years old) and don't wanna pay for a 4-6" suspension lift I'm trying to put 35" tires on it. maybe a body lift or shackle flip? Thanks Dylan

 

The words "cheap" and "lift" do not belong in the same sentence. If you can't afford a lift right now then wait until you can.

Stay away from body lifts.

Honestly, my advice would be to keep the stock suspension and just run the tires you can comfortably fit under it.

 

well i already bought the rims and tires how bad are shackle flip kits?

 

I would just sell the wheels and tires. If you bought them used, you should be able to break even.

 

ON THE REAR YOU CAN DO A SHACKLE FLIP BUT NOT ON THE FRONT !
you can buy the drop brackets for the TTB from superlift i believe they are set for 2inch and 4inch ? then add the same to the bottom of the springs !

 

Don't put the cart in front of the horse. In your other post, you mention that the F250 has a 5.0, and you were wanting a cam to try and improve the performance, adding the lift and 35" tires before getting the power up on the 5.0 will definitely make it feel like a 98lb weakling. Roll the tires to the back of the garage out of the way, then start saving some money and getting parts a little at a time. Headers, gears, cam, lift, etc. Then when you have the parts all together you can add the power goodies to the truck, and THEN add the lift and tires.

As for the lift, unless you are wanting to do some real extreme wheeling, a 2.5" kit should give you enough lift to clear a set of 35"s. You're looking at about $500 for a decent kit with the drop brackets for the TTB Ford Lift Kits - 1997 Ford F250 4wd - 2.5" Suspension Lift Kit

 

haha alright sounds fair and when i put my 35's on do you think ill need a steering stabilzer?

 

Dude, You can put 2" body lift and be fine. Alot of haters here with body lifts, buts its your truck. do what you want. I think its the cheapest lift for the best results. I know that people have done shackle flips front and rear. Thats another option, but more expensive.
Remember, just a add a leaf in the front and you could go 33"

 

If the rest of your steering is in good shape (tie rods, etc) a steering stabilizer won't hurt but really isn't a "needed" item, if you aren't going real aggressive with the tires. On my 90 F250 w/6" lift, 315 Radial Mudders (equal to 35's) I am not running a stabilizer and have no complaints. On my old Bronco with the 38" Swampers, those tires wanted to go all over the place without a stabilizer.

 

[QUOTE=L. Ward;9592441]Don't put the cart in front of the horse. In your other post, you mention that the F250 has a 5.0, and you were wanting a cam to try and improve the performance, adding the lift and 35" tires before getting the power up on the 5.0 will definitely make it feel like a 98lb weakling. Roll the tires to the back of the garage out of the way, then start saving some money and getting parts a little at a time. Headers, gears, cam, lift, etc. Then when you have the parts all together you can add the power goodies to the truck, and THEN add the lift and tires.

As for the lift, unless you are wanting to do some real extreme wheeling, a 2.5" kit should give you enough lift to clear a set of 35"s. You're looking at about $500 for a decent kit with the drop brackets for the TTB Ford Lift Kits - 1997 Ford F250 4wd - 2.5" Suspension Lift Kit[/QUOTE

If his F250 has a 5.0 thats stock with stock gears that thing with 35s wont even be able to get moving muchless already being able to barely get moving with stock size tires if thats whats on it. Im also a youngester at 19 years old but with my 95 f150 with the 5.8 if i could run 35s and could even do the necessary gear swap i still wouldnt run 35s with out doing a full exhaust (LT headers, full 3" exhaust) and a descent size cam. Inless your parents are paying for gas i wouldnt even think about going any bigger then what you have cause going from stock size tires to 35s your going to lose about a mpg or two. Running 35s if your still absolutely stuck on running 35s and dont care if your gas mileage will be beyond crap, and your truck will be a gutless pig to drive you could swap the rear blocks from 2 inch to 3 inch which is the legal limit which will give you an inch in the rear. and run a spacer up in the front for about a inch and with some fender trimming you might be able to fit 35s thats the absolute cheapest way to go and IMO it will look like crap and if you go off roading at all the tires may end up hitting the inner fender. Like stated above "Cheap" and "Lift" do not belong in the same sentence i learned that on here from asking about a 6" kit.
You could also run a 3" body kit that would fit 35s but alot of people are against them but you get the most lift for your buck that way when the kit only costs roughly $130. Your not going to be able to run 35s without fender trimming with out atleast a 4 inch lift kit and it not hitting the inner fender when you go over a bump. Hopefully this helps you out abit.

 

NEVER run blocks in the front, it is a recipe for disaster!!! 4Wheel&Off Road has a good article explaining the "why not to do it" concerning lift blocks in the front. Do it right, or don't do it at all. Doing it wrong only guarantees we see more stupid politicians protecting us from ourselves by passing more and more laws.

Courtesy of Petersen's 4Wheel&Off Road ©
4x4 Front Lift Blocks - Stop The Blockade!

Scary Truth Behind Front Lift Blocks
From the February, 2009 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road
By Ali Mansour
Photography by Ali Mansour



For years we've been telling you to stay away from front lift blocks. Not only are they a danger to you, but to everyone around you as well. What makes them so bad? It all boils down to simple physics. Whether driving off-road at high speeds or cruising down the freeway at a normal pace, your vehicle creates a certain amount of rolling momentum. Whenever the brakes are applied, roughly 70 percent of the vehicle's weight is transferred to the front axle. This pitching action causes the front axle to roll forward, thus applying extreme pressure on the front U-bolts and springs. When you add a block into the equation it elevates the leverage point on the front axle, causing the axle roll to become even more dramatic. Enough force or pressure can be applied to fire the front block out from between the axle and the spring. This will result in loss of steering and frontend control, which may have a tragic result for you and the vehicle.

Some argue that welding the front blocks to the axle can eliminate the block from shooting out, and in their mind it's a safe fix. True or not, when you raise the spring perches higher on the axle you place a greater amount of force on the spring. The springs are now working harder to control the vehicle's vertical and lateral movement and can cause the axle to travel unpredictably, cause spring deformation, and also raise the leverage point on the axle. Sure, you won't shoot the block out, but instead the entire axle will wrap violently under the vehicle. Simply put: Don't run front lift blocks.



4x4 Front Lift Blocks - Stop The Blockade!
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"> Welding front blocks or building tall perches creates a high leverage point that creates more stress for the leaf spring. This diagram illustrates the forces the vehicle encounters during cornering (shown turning left). The lateral force is now intensified as much of the vehicle's leverage is placed high above the axle. Axlewrap during acceleration is also compounded. </td></tr></tbody></table>



4x4 Front Lift Blocks - Stop The Blockade!
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"> This diagram illustrates the forces the vehicle encounters during braking. The front lift block sits in a high-pressure area and as a result could easily be ejected from between the spring and the axle resulting in complete loss of control over the front end. This only intensifies as tire sizes become larger due to greater leverage. </td></tr></tbody></table>

4x4 Front Lift Blocks - Stop The Blockade!
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"> The only thing worse than having one block in the front is having two! Not only has this truck raised the leverage point by creating a taller perch, but having a loose block resting between the spring and the perch is a recipe for disaster. Seventy percent of your vehicle's braking power comes from the front. Although the blocks here are only a few inches tall, they can easily distort the leaf springs and become deadly projectiles. Another note to mention is welding anything cast is terribly difficult and requires a skilled professional welder to lay a solid bead. So don't do it! </td></tr></tbody></table>

 

Just wait, save your money and do a 4'' suspension lift with 33'' tires. Best way to go.

And by the way, your 302 will hate those tall tires. You should gear it to 4.56. This isn't cheap, either.

Again, just wait and save your money. You'll need lots of it to do it right - and trust me, you'll want to do it right.

 

^^^^ Exactly!^^^^

 

I think he was talking a spacer under the front coils, he doesn't have leaf springs up front.


I always recomend against body lifts. As a firefighter, I have seen the wrecks when they fail. body lift exponentially increase the side loads on the body mount bolts. They are NOT a good idea..... A 1" body lift may be okay, but I still would be leary. Besides the fact they look like ****.

 

An 88 F250 4x4 is front leafs, so I wanted to make sure and head that one off at the pass. Additionally, I am not even a fan of rear blocks, even though I have them on my F250 for now, for some of the same reasons. While a stock motor/stock gear might never notice it. The axle wrap on mine is horrible with close to 500hp and 3.55 gears, forget about doing a launch from a stoplight. And with the 429 race motor (around 600hp) that used to be in it, if you let it do a full throttle shift from 1st to 2nd, it felt like the rear end was going to rip out, the wrap was so bad! One of the things that is definitely being changed when I pull the body off to put the new one on is loosing the rear blocks/extra leaf and going strictly springs on the back