I will give the most detail I can. I am new to the forums and looked all over and could not find anything about "P" code rear leafs. So here is what I have...

2003 Excursion, Eddie Bauer, 6.0, 255,000 miles, Bilstein 5100's in front including steering stabilizer shock and Bilstein 4600's in the rear (blue and yellow). 285/75r16 tires with stock wheels. 4" straight pipe w/ no muffler & no cat. K&N air filter. No programmer. No EGR delete. Rear 3rd seat is in. 33" spare tire inside on back wall. Yakima Mega Warrior rack with extension. Rigid driving lights in place of stock fogs.

Before the swap:




The stock height measured both ways to lowest point of fender molding (rear measured to inside of fender molding at lowest point) before the upgrade are as follows: The first number is the ground to molding, second number is from the center of the hub to molding.

Front left- 37 3/4" ground 22 1/4" hub
Front right- 38" ground 22 1/2" hub
Rear left- 38 5/8" ground 23 3/8" hub
Rear right- 38 1/2" ground 23" hub
Bottom of factory tow hitch at receiver: 15.5"

The Super duty springs (v/p) came off of a 2003 F250 XLT, crew cab long bed with a 6.0 and 30,000 miles on it. They were kept in storage for all these years and the bushings were perfect.

So the rear was done first in the install process to the "P" codes. The overload spring was removed from the 250 springs and I followed the regular directions and discarded the "axle wrap leaf" and used the two springs above the axle wrap and the thicker Excursion shim inserts and put the leaf pack back together and installed with the factory 2" blocks. We ended up using 12" U-bolts for the rear.





After the install was completed and we lowered it back down the rear end was sitting 3.5" taller! Yikes!!! I started to panic as the mechanic (who has done 7-8 Excursions mods previously) originally told me that we didn't need to do the "mod" to the factory 250 leafs and that it would have been fine. Well, I said I wanted to stick to what I had read and insisted that we do the"B code mod" to the P codes. The result of that portion added 1" back to the pack thickness of the stock 250 w/ overload removed. I most certainly did not want my rig to look like a 1970 Challenger with 3" of rake in the rear!





So in the front to compensate for the additional (unexpected) height, he got out a piece of 1" thick steal (roughly 3x6x1") and he drilled a hole through it and replaced the center pin through it to make it part of the connected spring pack. It IS NOT floating on the front end like a "liftblock". It is bolted to the spring pack. (Photo shows the "modded V" on left and the stock Excursion front leaf on the right).




When the install was completed and I have driven the rig now 100 miles or so the measurements are now as follows:

Front left 40 1/4" ground 25" hub
Front right 40 1/2" ground 25 1/4" hub
Rear left 41 ground 25 3/4" hub
Rear right 41 ground 25 3/4" hub
Bottom of factory tow hitch at receiver: 18 1/4"




I feel super fortunate that I was getting it done at a place that makes U-bolts and is an actual "Spring shop" and not in my own garage...as I would not have been able to correct the front end height. I wanted my rig to sit level or close to it without a noticeable rake.

The work was done by Mike at Right Way Spring in Tacoma, Wa. (Phone number (253)272-4022) If you live in Western Washington...I would highly recommend you take it to them! Mike even knew the ins and outs of not having to remove the front bumper. Bonus was that I was able to sit in the shop with him as the work was being completed and was able to take measurements as we went along. Mike also mentioned that he would guess that with the mod to the stock 250 pack we increased the load capacity by an additional 500-800 pounds as well.


So for wrap up and test drive with final thoughts:

This was exactly what the Excursion needed! I had replaced the worn out stock Motorcraft shocks 3000 miles before the spring swap. The Bilstein upgrade was tremendous! It was a noticeable difference in roll/sway and definitely dampened the ride of the old worn out, frowning stock suspension and it also helped eliminate about 35% of the steering wander and over correcting to keep it going in a straight line. After the upgrade to the modded V and modded P's the Excursion now rides, like an F250/350, the steering play in the wheel previously felt loose from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock now is only from 11 to 1, it tracks straight down the road and I no longer feel like I am having to correct the steering all the time. I can actually let go of the wheel at 70 mph on the highway for more than 3 seconds without feeling like you’re going to end up in the ditch. The upper body sway has been completely eliminated and it doesn't feel like you are driving an old motorhome or a truck with a camper on it! This was hands down the best investment I have made on the Excursion. It feels like I am driving a new truck. In fact...it doesn't feel like a truck. I would say the ride quality feels like an F250/350 but the drivability and handling feels more like a small station wagon! I even had my buddy drive it who owns an F350 and has driven my Ex a ton. He even said that is was a night and day improvement and he couldn't believe how awesome it handled. I would say overall the ride quality now is crisp and firm but not harsh in any way.


If you have been contemplating doing this to your Excursion or have one that is still running the stock suspension...don't wait any longer. Go do it! You will not regret it!!!


If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to help with what I can!

 

Nice post, thanks for sharing!

 

Looks great! We just had the Redhead installed and could not believe the difference. Sounds like this could probably provide even better handling.

 

Nice

This is my 2nd X and I've done spring upgrade twice now. Hands down, best money ever spent on a vehicle.


What shocks are you running? F-250 or X specific? F-250 are 1" longer
Only reason I ask is that X spec shocks have a bit of risk of max extension on wheel flex

 

Nice looking EX and the new springs bump it right up to where it should be!
I know that following my spring mods and swap that the EX was like a completely different (and better!) vehicle.

 

Nice pictures and description. I would like to do similar but I'm concerned the raised height would not let me get into my garage.

 

Nice write-up. Nice pics. Nice detail. Nice job.

I felt the same way after I did the spring swap in mine. This is the way it should have come from the factory. Night and day difference in handling.

Next step... a Hellwig adjustable sway bar. It will nearly do for your new suspension what the spring upgrade did for the old suspension.

How much does your RV weigh?

 

It looks like it can clear 35" tires with no issues. That is my ultimate goal.
Not to hijack the thread, but I've seen 2" front shackle lift but is there a 1" one out there? Would that not ultimately be a better option than even a 1" block type no matter if it bolted to the pack or not? Just curious.......

 

Here is one made by Zone Offroad:

Zone Offroad 1" Front Shackle Lift F5101

 

I have the Bilstein 5100 part number 33-187297. They are the 0-2.5" for the F250 so they are spot on for the Ex with the spring mod. The rears are the Bilstein 4600 for the Excursion. I purchased all the shocks 3,000 miles before I did the spring swap (I actually found the springs unintentionally on OfferUp in Southern California while on vacation, I got a crazy good deal on them so I bought them and hauled them home.) I was going to originally get the 5100's for the rear as well and when I measured the rear shock from top to bottom, there was not enough clearance because of the rear height difference between the Ex and the f250 (2" rear blocks vs 4" blocks). I also contemplated buying the 5100's for the rear so that they all match but honestly it rides really, really nice. The valving in the 5100's are a little tighter and I think it would be just a little too firm.

I will update this thread after I tow my 30' TT as to how the modded rear P codes do when loaded.

 

This wasn't about shackles. It was an oversight in my research when I decided to do this. I had no idea that the modded P spring pack was going to 4" difference in the hitch height (**Disclosure!! The rear was done first. That measurement was taken after the rear was completed and taken off the jack stands and set back down on the tires BEFORE the front was done. So it was sitting with a rake.) I started to panick as I knew I was only going to get 1.5-2" out of the "V" codes up front and didn't want the back end to sit 2" taller than the front.

I was left with two options. Purchase "X" codes that they had in stock at the spring shop OR use a solid 1" thick piece of stainless and build a "false spring" (holes were drilled and then were placed back into the original "V" code leaf pack and the center pin runs through the plate so it is not a free floating block that is only held by the U-bolts).

Yes, they make lift shackles. I even considered that I might have to just leave the V codes as is and then do a measurement after it was done and possibly have to order a 1-2" lift shackle set to make up the difference. However, the "modded V" pack worked perfectly. That is the reason that I wrote this up the way that I did as I haven't come across another thread with someone left with that situation. (I have someone say that they used old Ex's the axle wrap leaf for extra height by cutting it in half and then drilling it out and adding it back to the pack. I was advised not to do that because it's a tapered metal and it will cause heat and friction while rubbing against the other leafs under load and it can cause a potential failure over time.)

If someone wants a picture of what mine looks like after the install, just let me know and I will post it.

 

I may look into the Hellwig after I take the trailer out. I would like to see what the difference is after the leaf swap. I am also considering putting Timbrens on it as well.

As for the travel trailer, it's a 30ft bunkhouse with a mega slide. It's a spring over trailer and I think is just short of 12" tall a the top of the AC unit. It's a 10,000 lb gross weight tandem axle and is 850lbs on the hitch. Last camping trip out I pulled the Ex and trailer across the scales and with ALL tanks empty (potable, grey and black all empty) and with the wife, two kids and 100lb dog we were 18,000 pounds combined. Also...the last trip coming home from California, I took the Excursion across the scale by itself to see what it weighed (I was also hauling the extra leaf springs back) and we were 9,350 pounds!!!

 

I'm about 2 hours north of the shop you used. Did you find the cost reasonable?

 

I think their rate was very fair. As it started it was to be 6 hours on the book but with from and rear done at the same time they only charge for 5 labor hours @ $85 hr = $425. I had all 8 U-bolts made, new washers + nuts as well as center pins. They added about $60-70 for the additional labor (disassembling all eight leaf packs and reassembling the 4 good ones + drilling the wholes in the 1" stainless blocks and painting them black. There was also about $40 for the charge of the blocks.

All said and done done I paid $650 in cash and gave Mike a little extra to buy a steak dinner. I paid $50 for my donor springs which was a fantastic deal to start with. I was going to do the work myself but after realizing I would have to buy four 6 ton jack stands and probably another floor jack, and a 200lb torque wrench...you can do the math on that part. Then consider that if all went perfect it would have likely taken me 12 hours to do it.

Had I listened to Mike the mechanic to begin with and not modded the rear springs, I would not have had to do the mod on the fronts. That was close to $150 of that as I could have reused the front u-bolts too (of course not recommended but he said that a lot of people do it). He is also going to do a free "re-Torque" on it once I get a thousand miles on it.

I am am glad that I did the mods to both springs. Overall, I am very happy with the ride quality. I was very pleased with the work and I find the cost to lower than some other quotes that I got but the experience that he has is what made me go with them. Mike has done about 8 other spring swaps on Excursions. I am super happy with it and I would highly recommend them!!

 

That is the ONLY WAY to run a block on the front, good job!

Not sure if you are thinking of my setup and have it a bit mixed up or not, but I am running a set of OEM X codes with the top overload off a set of rear B codes added to the X codes. It is about 3/4 the length of the main pack and I drilled and added the nylon end pad/sliders.
My modded X code vs a stock one.



On my rear B codes I did the typical mod with the addition of the bottom two EX leaves , taller F-350 tapered blocks and two sections of the EX traction bar cut down and through bolted to the main pack below the B's bottom secondary leaf/plate. The EX's factory traction bar is not a tapered piece, it's the same thickness along it's entire length.
My modded B codes with the traction bar sections added.






9/10k of TT needs more than 850lbs on the tongue, you want at least 12% of the total trailer weight as tongue weight. I use 15% of the TT's GVWR as a goal when selecting WD hitches and spring bars, that way you shouldn't ever overload the setup even when packed for a long trip. When you were scaling the rig did you do multiple weights to determine the true tongue weight of the trailer? That 850 sounds like the advertised "Dry" tongue weight, which doesn't include the battery, propane, tanks or other options most times. Our 11k TT has 1450lbs of tongue weight.