After 3 major floods in two years, This last being the worst on record, My SD was not only useless, But stranded. It couldn't go anywhere. Neither could the family. One more day of rain and we were floating.....

Its time I got a front end lift, intake/exhaust snorkels, trans/rear diff vent tubing, and some die-electric grease among other things.
Sounds great but.... I've never done this to a SD truck. Where would I begin and what all would I need? Not looking to lift the entire truck, Just a leveling kit to raise the front. Rear is plenty high at this time. And if I need it higher, Some larger tires would take care of it.

What I'm looking to do is;
Raise the front equal to stock rear height
Install a intake snorkel WITHOUT cutting holes in the fenders (Grill is fine)
Install exhaust snorkel to exit just above bed rail from stock tailpipe location
Disable rad fan by switch in cab
Ford through water up to running boards and no deeper if stopping.
Listening for recommendations on what other equipment is commonly used on highwater type vehicles and rescues.

Where are all the connections I would need to seal up and how does everyone run heavy wiring into the cab from engine bay?
2004 6.0 with 42K on the clock.

Never was big on this kind of thing but its looking like I have no choice....

Thanks.

 

Lifts and leveling kits can be somewhat overwhelming when you're looking at buying one. I opted for a leveling kit to start with and figured I'd throw some 35s on it. Looked good but rubbed pretty bad on the leaf spring. Then I decided to get a small lift to fit 35s (a 4 inch lift kit to be specific). Fit 35s fine with the lift, but it would shake/bounce you out of the truck it road so bad with the lift. (Rode worse than my dad's 1980 Chevy on 37s). I think I ran the lift for about a year before I went back to a leveling kit. Now I'm at 33s with a leveling kit, no rub at all, and happy as can be. I will say this. There is only about an inch maybe 2 inches different in ride height from a leveling kit to a 4 inch lift. I opted for the "mini-spring pack" for my leveling kit off of eBay. I believe I payed $80 for it and it works fine with stock shocks. U can also choose just how much lift you want by adding more or less "springs" from the spring pack.

Here's a link to basically what I bought: lhttp://m.ebay.com/itm/99-04-Ford-F250-F350-Leveling-Lift-Kit-Super-Duty-2-7-/260301925405?hash=item3c9b342c1d%3Ag%3AvKcAAOxyUrZ Sr3hP&_trkparms=pageci%253A42e77540-8eb1-11e7-89cf-74dbd1806cc5%257Cparentrq%253A3af6270a15e0a9c1147c 209afffdf37a%257Ciid%253A1

And here's a pic of the current setup. Leveling kit with 305/70/16 on some cheap 16x10 wheels. This pic is from quite a few months ago, but I do still have the same wheels and tires

Hope this helps a little

 

This is just for now. In the future, I do plan on making this truck a dually for wrecker use.
Trucks only 2X4. How much bigger are 33's compared to stock? The ride now is fine for the rough *** roads we have. Actually better than some cars....

 

Factory 265/75/16 tires are about 31.5" tall

Your motor air intake is at the same height as the drivers headlight. Putting a snorkel on the truck won't gain you anything unless you were to mount above the hood. Ford even put a "blocker" piece of plastic that will prevent water from getting to the airbox when fording water.

All electrical connections that matter are at the height of the headlight as well. You essentially be in water up to the door handle/headlights before you run into a concern IMO. My only concern (fan blades) are already on your list

if water is only coming to the running boards, you don't need to touch the truck. As is, she will do that completely fine.

 

Even thought its that high and blocked, What about the occasional ******* who comes flying by and Niagara Falls the truck? Would it be covered enough to not have any effect?
And I'm DEFINITELY not going into water high enough to get to the door handles....

What about the connections along the chassis? Are they already water tight like the older connectors were just need to grease them?

What are some good exhaust snorkel kits? Sounds like other than a level kit, grease, and exhaust snorkel, I should be good. Still need to vent the trans and rear axle. Would any tubing the right size work?
Thinking fuel line tubing would be "best" for this. We've already got another storm cooking and one possibly after that. I've got about a week and a half to get EVERYTHING ready.

 

You're gonna get yourself drowned with thinking like that. Standing water is one thing but moving water will wash you away while the engine is still running. Also you can't see the obstacles below the surface. Just a word of caution, don't go playing stupid.

 

see bold above

I had a '93 Bronco on 33's that I used to drive around in water alot. I usually stopped when water came in through the door/window interface. never had a lick of problems from that. fan did make wierd noises when submerged though

Just remember this tip if you end up in deep stuff above bumper. Don't stop! Often the mass of the vehicle causes a bow wave to occur in front of the vehicle. It will maintain water at a lower level. But the second you stop, the water rushes back in. And in some cases that may be high enough for the intake to suck it in

 

I would buy an old military surplus deuce and a half instead.

 

Not sure if I'd go this big, although it would be a great flood vehicle. But maybe consider getting an older 4x4 and making it flood ready. Put a lift, snorkel, and any other accessories you want on it. This way you wouldn't have to risk the super duty.

 

I was thinking the same thing, how do you "test" your changes safely?

Water up the bumper is no issue, our trucks are much higher than a car, but a big enough dip in the road (or missing manhole) is going to ruin your day. My local street floods daily with our heavy summer rains (orlando, fl) I've seen camry's and mercedes coupes stuck needing tows, my 2wd Excursion is awesome.

 

What Tylus said about the exhaust is true and I agree as I've done the same with a F-750 rollback, I still want that warm and fuzzy. I have looked at the intake before but wasn't sure how "good" it was at this.
When I used die-electric grease before, it kept its viscosity. This latest stuff I got turns into almost liquid after its been exposed to air for a bit. Did I get a bad can or is CRC not as good as they used to be? Got to looking at the ride heighth tonight and thinking a small lift and level wouldn't hurt it.

Missing manhole covers are always a risk in any type of vehicle really. I'd love a duece and a half or 5 ton. And a HMMWV for normal driving. But pockets aren't that deep. Not with a municipal wrecker job anyway.

 

5 ton requires commercial driver's license in most states as do trucks over F650. The deuce doesn't.

 

Called a local shop about a leveling kit or a short lift kit. He made it sound damn near impossible to the worst you can do for alignment/steering. I know guys have lifted or leveled 2WD trucks before.
Thinking a 3" rubber plumbing boot to ABS sewer 90* would work for a exhaust snorkel. Hell, They use rubber to hang the hot pipes off the chassis close to the engine.