Ok, so I've decided to go with variable rate coils and a front stabilizer/sway bar on my '68. The flyover ramps in STL induce a lot of body roll at even very moderate speeds, and are mildly disconcerting when you hit the road joints. I don't expect it to handle like the 2012 RAM I sold, to go back to my roots, but there is room for improvement.

When searching for say, Moog, VRCS' it lists the same coils (CC808) for my 302 equipped '68 (mine is not stock, its from a '70 F100) and Dad's '69 F100 with a 360.

Given the difference in the weight of the two engines, does it warrant different springs? Or does it really matter? Maintaining stock ride height is great.

 

One would think so. But not Ford. 67/early 71 F100/250 4x2 had 2 sets (one then replaced the other) all 8 cylinder. 2 more sets listed for 6 and 8 cyl. together. L/S and R/S specific part numbers. Me as a partsman would have to get what color paint stripes were painted on the original springs to find out what check load rating they were. So in some cases F100 and F250 with either a 6 cyl OR 8 cyl were the same part numbers. In 1971 as of ser # M00001 Ford changed all the spring part numbers and how they were assembled on the line. I would then had to know either paint stripes OR... SBF or FE,GVW,wheelbase,standard or H.D.,w/ or w/o A/C. But here again, in some cases the 302 and 360 got the same springs. And here again,Ford had side specific part numbers.

 

:-) Amazing. She's my daily driver, hauling the occassional couch or appliance and giggling grandkids. I'm guessing it'll be ok.

Don't know if the springs it has are original. Didn't see any color markings when we had it torn down. Though it was 240 equipped at the time of manufacture. (Extremely tired.) Dad wore out two 302's before I bought it as well. The springs are probably tired too.

 

FWIW, pretty much any new coil springs will perform better than 40+ yr. old springs. I have CC808s in my 72 with a heavy 460. They are great.
Give them a day or 4 to settle after installing them. You may have to trim 1/4 to 1/2 coil.

 

Anyone wanting coil spring insulators for the CC808s, I just bought a set of Energy Suspension urethane insulators (or Isolators, as they call them.)
Part # 9.6120G (G is for black ones, R is for Red.)
I haven't installed them yet, but they fit the springs perfectly. I will probably wind up shaping the top contour of them to replicate the stock insulators.

 

Interesting. My truck did not have insulators on them but then again I'm not the first person that has messed with that suspension since it left the factory.

 

Mine ain't got um either. What's their intended purpose?

 

I believe the suspension on my truck was stock. Pretty much everything else on the truck was stock. The original insulators are about half a coil in length. I'm sure they started out relatively pliable rubber, now they're harder than Chinese arithmetic, and one is in two pieces.

 

Ford doesn't list any spring insulators (basic #5415) for a Bump. Maybe PO installed them to get rid of a squeak?

 

It's possible but I doubt it. This truck was someone's hunting truck, I can't imagine they were worried about a squeak. The truck had 60,000 original miles on it when I got it. But I guess its possible. I couldn't find any part numbers on the insulators.

 

Rubber insulators were a cheap way of fixing sagging front springs, were usually installed by front end shops.

 

At the time I was looking for a front sway bar for my truck, I spied what I thought was a '75-'79 Dentside E-350 DRW Chassis Cab Cutaway cube van at a local scrap yard, --since it had the dent contour on the front fenders and doors, I naturally thought it was a '75-'79. I noticed from a distance that it had a front sway bar so, I went to check it out.

I noticed the sway bar shape didn't look quite right but the end link brackets, that mount on the forward ends of the radius arms, were correct for a '75-'79 Dent. I finally got everything loose and held the sway bar up under the front of my '69 F-100. Nope, wouldn't fit.

I went around to the drivers side door of the E-350 chassis cab, opened it and saw a factory tag that stated the vehicle complied with federal regulations for the model year 1987 (1987?!).

I didn't know, at the time, the same type sway bar end link brackets were still being used on that late of a vehicle. I got the brackets, came home and did some searching on the internet. I found that the lower end link brackets were still being used on these vehicles until 1991.

At any rate, while I was taking the large bolts loose to remove the coil springs, in order to get the brackets loose, there was a rubber insulator disc under the lower ends of the coil springs, approx. 1/8"-3/16" thick. I doubt this was added and suspect it was put there from the factory.

This is the sway bar lower end link bracket I put on my '69 F-100 that I had pulled from the '87 DRW E-350 chassis cab cutaway. --looks the same as the brackets that would be on a '75-'79 F-100/F-350 Dent with a front sway bar.



This is the large bolt, from the '87, that goes up through the lower end of the front coil spring. You can see the insulator that I was describing. You can also see the impression left in the insulator were the lower end of the coil spring had been in direct contact with the rubber disc (in 2nd photo).

 

Left: 1973/79 F100/350 2WD / Right: I've never heard of a 1975/91 Econoline referred to as a Dentside.

 

Guess that means you're not a virgin anymore.

What I'm saying is, the vehicle favored the look of the Dentside trucks, with its concave contour running along the belt line of the fender and door.

The '87 E-350 I pulled the sway bar lower end link brackets from looked pretty much like this '88 model except, the box didn't extend over the cab.

http://www.rockanddirt.com/thumbnail...10248489_e.jpg