Im new to the F series trucks. Anyways i got this truck and previous owner had the truck lifted only in the front just slightly. He called it a Level Lift. It has 2 struts per side and they are Bilstiens and pretty old. After I drove in a buddys' F-350 Dually which was stock suspension i really want mine to feel the same way or as close as possible. My question is what is required to replace with the stock components. I was told i will have to replace the Axle pivot arm. I know i have to put back the stock radius arms. Appreciate the help. I use this truck pretty much everyday and then i tow my race car with it all over SoCal and Vegas.
Here is a pic of the suspension.

 

here's the thing... you're never going to ride anything like a f350 unless you want to pour $3000 into a SAS (solid axle swap) for the front end. your buddy's truck rides the way it does b/c it has a solid axle not a TTB (twin traction beam) like yours... Plus he has leaf spring fronts not coils like you... You might want to take off the Bilsteins and see if you have any pressure left in them... if not replace with new ones or Rancho's... Also it looks like you need some MOOG replacement bushings on your endlinks and sway bar. You'll be surprised what some new shocks and suspension bushings can do for your ride quality...

 

have a look and read here... I just did my F250 suspension... And just so you know the TTB suspensions are better for road use since they ride better than 1ton suspensions. The ride is softer than a F350...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...with-pics.html

 

It's called a leveling kit. It's a 2" lift kit for the front only. It consists of 2" lift springs and the good ones come with the camber alignment bushings needed to align the front end correctly.

They're shocks, not struts.

A 1/2 ton is not supposed to ride like a 1 ton truck. I guess you could make it do that, but why? It's going to be a lot of work to end up with a harsh ride. Is your buddy's truck a 4x4? What year is it?

You mean the I-beam? It looks like yours was bent to align the truck instead of using the camber bushing. In that case, yes, you would need to replace the I-beams to restore the truck to stock height but it won't change the ride a bit.

I can't see the radius arms in the pic. Why do you think they were changed? They don't have to be replaced for a small lift like yours.

That depends - is his buddy's truck a 4x4 and from the same generation? Because if not, it's a coil-sprung twin I-beam just like his.

Also, $3k for a SAS? That seems really high, even if you're paying someone to do all the work for you.

 

Well that's for someone else doing it and I figure $1000 is average for a kingpin D60... then you have $200-$400 in regearing it b/c chances are you got a axle with gears that don't match your rear end... Plus incidentals... Need to swap to leaf fronts??? those might not come with axle $200... Might need new rotors and pads... $100...

Add it all up... and then figure the average person probably won't do this on their own... Shop costs and beer for friends cost money too... I am sure others can get it done cheaper but $3000 is enough to get it all done with enough fudge room in the budget so if you run into something else that's going to cost you money you won't be high and dry without your truck when the money runs out. F350 2wd's are coils???? Well I'm sure that might be the case but I don't own a F350... As for the 4x4 comment... I do have to ask why the F*** would you ever spend the money on a SAS if your not going to run bigger tires and be off road?

As for the D50 riding better than the D60... Again I am talking 4x4 and I'm sure there are plenty of guys that would agree with me that for general driving manners and light 4x4 off road use the d50 rides a lot better... The D60 is just less maintence and works better for HD off road with huge tires and better articulation... If you have a solid front axle and hit a big bump or pot hole your entire front end is going to be affected compensating for the articulation it needs for said obsticle... Conversly a TTB will hit the obsticle with one wheel, and only one wheel will be affected which would isolate the bump being felt by the driver to only that corner of the vehicle... Also I do assume that the F350 he is refering to is the same Gen or close... b/c I wouldn't compair the ride of trucks that have a significant difference in age... or are from the newer "redesigned" fords...

I will admit I am talking stock form TTB and D60 setups because that is what the OP was relating to... A stock F350... There are of course aftermarket improvements that can be made to the D60 front ends to make them ride better.

 

Did you guys realize the OP has a 2wd truck? It looks to me like the I beams were replaced as part of the lift kit, so you'd need them and springs, I'm ASSuming. I'd do a little searching for a lift kit for that truck and see what components come with it. BTW, what is truck were talking about? Kinda looks like a F150 but I cantr tell for sure.

 

good call... no transfer case in sight! I would assume it's a 1/2ton with replaced I-beams???? Although I'm not sure what 2wd F250 front end looks like... I still stick with my origional comment... replace all sway bar bushings with MOOG aftermarkets and get new shocks if the old ones are shot.

 

Sorry I forgot to say what I have, its a 92 3/4 ton f250 xlt and 2 wheel drive. My buddy has a 2wheel drive dually 96. He has I beams but straigj not like mine. Ok I have 2 shocks on each side, is that necessary to have two per side?

 

the 2 shocks per side i believe was a factory option... makes the ride better/firmer or something...

I think a couple of us are in agreement that those I-beams aren't stock. A "leveling" kit on my truck would have been an extra leaf to add to the leaf packs. I think the leveling kit for yours would have only been taller spring coils, and maybe taller shocks... You might want to check your I-beams for a part number and google it. That will tell you what suspension kit you have. There are tons of "leveling kits" out there b/c guys that drive their trucks as DD's don't like the "raked" or slopped look when the rear end wheel wells are 2in higher than the front. So the leveling kits adjust for this factory raked look and make the wheel wells sit evenly when not loaded. I can't imagine that the leveling kit is affecting your ride quality if at all (over the factory).

Like I said earlier you'll see a ride improvement with new shocks and bushings. The sway bar controls the "body roll" of your truck, and rubber (OEM) bushings aren't helping you AT ALL! If your shocks are worn out it can significantly add to a "Rough Ride." It is easy enough to pull your shocks (one bolt top and one bolt bottom) and test them by pushing in and pulling out to see if they have any pressure and recoil on their own without weight on them. Hell the ones on my truck recoiled on their own but gave a crappy ride since the weight of the truck was on them...

You never really said what was so much better about your buddy's suspension over yours...????

 

I know I need new shocks for sure, the I beams have ford emblem on them. The radius arms are deff after market. What are the moog bushings?

 

moog is a company that makes high quality suspension parts, ball joints, tie rods, bushings...

 

So wut shocks do you guys reccomend for a softer ride.

 

Monroe SensaTrac
Gabrial GR2's
or Motorcraft...
all found here under OEM ride quality: RockAuto Auto Parts

Moog bushings: best bushings EVER! go back to the link of the post i made a few weeks back. You'll see the blue bushings in my front end and what to replace. Moog bushings can also be found at rockauto or local auto parts.

PS if you need new shocks Monroe is doing the buy 3 and get 4th free right now. And the cheapest way to get them is by using the part numbers from rock auto and plugging them into www.amazon.com (you get cheaper prices and free supersaver shipping). It will be way cheaper than going to the local parts store guarenteed! The only catch is you have to wait for the 5-8 day shipping from amazon... which from my experiance is almost always 3-4 days max to me here in DSM IA.

 

Guys... the I-beams are stock. They have been bent to compensate for the lift.

 

Thanks I will try changing the shocks and bushings and go from there.