You are making this too complicated. I don't care what you call those short stack leaves and how they connect,,, THEY are blocks. lol I had a truck that had blocks with bolts through them,, still blocks.

Anyways, your pic with the steel pole showing the center of the wheel/wheel well is inaccurate. If you want to see how far forward your wheel is then you need to make sure the frame is level. In that pic the frame is def leaning forward which will throw off your measurements. It doesn't really matter except for appearance, if it's ok where it is then leave it. Just pointing that out.

I used Superduty springs on my Scab, 8" lift in the rear (so it would compensate for taking out the rear blocks while giving me a 6" lift) and unknown on the fronts though we should have part numbers somewhere. I turned the rears backwards, ground a little off the ends of the bushings, drilled out the holes on the brackets and they went right in. My wheels are EXACTLY where they were with the stock springs, not forward/backward. Rich and I kind of pieced mine together and really just got lucky how it came out. His post has a lot of good info. Really, your last post had wayyyyy too many quotes and pix for me to read through the whole thing, so maybe you covered this stuff already. Just thought I'd give a little more advice.

No disrespect meant, just trying to help. :P

 

But they aren't blocks. They are leaf springs, they are just shorter than you are used to seeing.


Lets just make this perfectly clear. If I wanted an off the shelf solution.
ND law says no lift kits over 4", I need 4" up front to level this truck with the current rear suspension setup.

SuperDuty front leaf springs, when installed on an truck of this vintage (73-79) are roughly 2" taller than advertised. So a 2" SD spring nets 4" of lift on a dentside, slightly more according to some internet threads.

I could call up Summit and order
Pro Comp Lifted Leaf Springs 22210 2" lift Springs @ $128.99/each plus shipping (lets call it $260)
plus I still have to buy U-bolts and make shackles.

Shackle material 3/8"x2"x8.5" with 5/8" holes on 5.75" centers $15
I still need U-bolts, the last time I bought just U-bolts it cost me $48.50

So the procomp solution and what some on here would say is the correct solution would cost me $325 (ish) and I would forever have a 'custom' leaf spring.

*or* I pickup some stock '04 leaf springs locally for $75 each ($172 after taxes) and have the same $15 shackles, but buy the $59.99 ($60) zero rate kit, and have $247 invested plus I'd be able to find a replacement spring anywhere in the US.

Here's another rub, I might not want the rearend as high as it is. I have a wife and little people in my life (ages 5, 7, and undisclosed) they have a hard time getting into raised vehicles, I may not want it that tall when I am towing, to keep COG down. I may decide that I really don't like the feel of the rearend with the shackle down and I may change it back to shackle up and then reintroduce a lift block to the rear suspension.

How many times do YOU like to buy custom leaf springs?If my frame was level, this thread never would have been created...

And when you say 'level frame' which part of it are you putting the level on?What year SuperDuty Springs? As noted in my previous posts, 2008 was a crossover year.

This is what I'm talking about, lack of detail. No pictures, impossible to decipher information.Don't worry, I only cry at night, alone, in the dark...

And for the record, I never made this complicated.
I asked about rake, front, rear, or level.

And only one responder has provided his opinion.
Thank you turbohunter

 

1st 3 pic the axle position (looking at the tire) and the fenderwell gap, it LOOKS, meaning appears to ME to be further forward in the wheel well. Then I stated why I thought it looked that way.

I believe F350's advice to use 2wd rear leaf spring (front) hanger, (on the front) of a 4wd rear leaf springs set up was because it is longer than a 4wd one. And works well with a shackle flip. Your reason for using 09 springs, I got it. That math thing not so much...lol

I have read alot of F350 advice and applied some of it thru the years and it all makes sense to me, the non collage educated type I am. lol x2 I am not going to try to explain all HIS advice, because I do not understand it all either and have not tried to apply ALL of it. To bad he is not around anymore to answer it for us.

Yes no kidding do not torch bushings with leaf spring still on the vehicle...besides how would you remove it once you torched it? Pirate must have eased up over the years, way back in the banana leaf spring days, they were rough.

So do you feel that removing the rear block all together and getting rear leaf springs with enough lift to allow that, is a good thing? I though I did give an opinion in my 1st replay and some advice to go with it. Fail on my part then.

 

Brian can you get the Fabtech leaf spring #'s off them? I know it was still on there when you picked them up.

 

Maybe I should just install a flatbed (my wife did suggest it a few times)I got the same thing out of it, I've seen it done that way and it looks goofy to see a front spring hanger at the rear of a spring.Most people tone me out after 5 minutes or so.I read a lot of his advice too and I *almost* went with the 64" GM leaf springs in the rear and then I remember that I was a Ford guy and that 2008+ SuperDuty rear leaf springs are 66". And who doesn't want an extra 2"
Not that it matters much, but I do have a college degree in computer science, that I paid for by being an ASE certified mechanic.

I still do stupid stuff.My real guess is that once the bushing is heated up, it will pop out, much like setting together a cam and timing gear.

But I contend still, fire plus rubber = badMy account over there was created in Sep 2005, I have ZERO posts. I read quite, buggy leaf springs, revolver shackles, sliding shackles, 3 and 4 link suspensions, cut and turn TTB, how to separate a front axle from the radius arm so it can rotate freely.... and then I realized I'd never live someplace with hills.

Note the lack of hills and a lackluster attempt at a donut.


It is 25 miles to work and elevation only changes 9ftI am *hoping* that without the lift blocks I won't have the extra leverage and therefore less/no axle wrap. My 2005 hops like crazy when it is digging in deep snow, sand, and mud... it drives me crazy, if this thing hops at all, I'm making a single axle mounted track bar with a shackle on the front, and I'm going to mount it on the passenger side of the axle.

 

Rich, here are the rear springs: Search For 003809 | BDS Suspension

these are what I have on front: http://www.jcwhitney.com/pro-comp-li...?skuId=2206190

 

Flat bed, cool.

No tone out, just trying to follow along and learn something different and some what difficult at times to understand. That math diagram gave me an aneurysm, I do not have a collage degree.

Ck out Atlas suspension they have an option to delete the rear block. http://www.atlassuspension.com/

Easiest way to pop a bushing out is with the leaf spring removed and put it under a press, a smoke wrench is old school cave man style. I own a smoke wrench and a BFH.

BDS oops, not Fabtech. Thanks Brian, can you give me the # for your front springs they will not pull up on the JCW site?

 

Personally I'd go level or front slightly higher.

Just for reference I swapped in the pro comp 2" lift springs. They did not add 4" of lift. They measure 26" center of hub to bottom of fender.

So just keep that in mind swapping in the stock SD springs

 

WHen comparing front to rear, I always made my measurements from center of hub to bottom line of dent.

I like 'em with 1" of rake or less.

 

I need to stick my head under there and measure that. Remember earlier when I said I had a bad experience with the local welding/spring company? I admitted it was partially my fault by providing bad measurement. What I had done was told them that I needed 3.5" BETWEEN the threaded bolt sections, instead of telling them that the bolts were 3.5" center-to-center on the bolts/threaded sections.

*if* the front axle is 3.5" in diameter, I may already have accidently had the proper u-bolts made for this application.


I'll admit that I don't know my axles very well, I have no idea if this thing is a D44 or D60. I probably should have positively identified it by now, but for my use, it just doesn't matter.

The wetness was from the previous owners neglect, the fuel pump was pushing gas out between the cast and stamped parts, and it was literally running onto the front end, how does one not notice that? I have since replaced the pump.


I do know that it his a High pinion, and that makes me happy either way.


See those shocks, they only allow 2" of axle down travel before they reach full extension. And those brake lines are 22" long, they start looking very tight at 2" of axle down travel.. both will need to be replaced after the front leaf spring swap is complete and I am able to flex it to find out how much travel is needed. (I'll use a forklift)

Good call on the measuring tip, I knew the wheel well openings were different shapes, but wasn't quite sure where to measure to.

I'll get the axle center to dent bottom edge measure tonight.

 

Any updates Ron?

 

Not really.
I lost shop space for a while so my wife could "organize".
I bought the stock X-code from springs.
I plan on installing them as they are and then deciding whether the front should go up.
Or the back should go down.

This morning I pulled the 63 falcon into the shop and pulled its wheels so I could verify the brake sizes, I'll get full replacement hydraulics ordered for it today.

I've been shopping for a cheap (sub $500) truck to put a 300/4bbl/5speed into to use as basic transportation. My crew cabs are nice but 90% of the time I just need wheels, something that keep the weather out and my feet off the pavement.

I have a '65 f100 reg cab/short step side and a '66 reg cab/long step side in the trees with no titles, so I am starting the process with the NDDOT to fail for lost titles.

And I completely redrew the block/bell housing adapter plate that I need to put the small (170) ford six into a case skid steer (1830)

It's been pretty quiet around my house.