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So I have been trying to figure out what suspension components the previous owners have installed on the X before it made its way into my hands. I have determined that the front shackles were swapped out for longer ones, unknown brand or amount of lift and it sat pretty level so I’m going to guess 2” lift shackles. The blocks on the rear measure 3.75” so if what I have read so far is correct then those came off an f-350 truck. I know whoever installed the shocks used shocks for 0-2” lift on f250/f350 which were too long to start with and made for a horrible ride.
Since then I have installed the PMF shackle kit to get 2” in the front and 2.5” in the rear along with their adjustable track bar to recenter the front axle. Let me tell you this thing rides so much smoother but I’m afraid I need to replace the shocks all around after they were bottoming out for so long, I need to install either RAS or at least a decent rear sway bar. Not sure if both are warranted or if anyone has tried it. Rear block 3.75”
[img alt="Unknown leaf spring stamped
yc35akc prn2440"]https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ford-trucks.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_0936_cad299b5aff941d49f7e203c4345cd3416be6093. jpeg[/img] Unknown leaf spring stamped yc35akc prn2440
my end goal is 37” tires I have mounted on a set of bead locks. This is mostly my daily driver and our family road trip vehicle so I try to get the best mileage possible out of it at the same time keep it somewhat capable for whatever situation pops up. I currently average about 16mpg at 85 mph on the interstate. Using the calculator I wanted to keep that rpm down and the most cost effective way to do that was increase tire size instead of regear both axles. 37’s at 2k rpm put me at 83 mph which will be nice and I don’t want to lift the truck much further except in the front to clear the 37’s. But trying to figure out what spring to go with in the front has been making me chase my tail.
the front measures 27” hub to fender and the rear is 28.75” hub to fender. Looking for suggestions if I should just AAL or go with a V code to level everything out, not even sure if that is the original spring in the front so I’m hoping someone can chime in with information on what’s stamped on there.
Some horrible angles of the front suspension. Should I just relocate the axle a little further forward when I figure which spring I’m going with?
life has thrown a curve ball when I started all of this and I can’t have my truck down for more than about 2 days at a time on select weekends. To top it all off my upgrade funds have been redirected to taking care of my youngest and myself as we are staying in Denver for him to get medical treatment.
Front pics don’t show the shackles that you feel were swapped out for longer ones, but there is an additional leaf in the front spring pac, factory was only 2 leaves.
Are you getting tire rubbing currently? If so what is the tire rubbing on and when? What size are those tires? If you are having the tire rubbing on the fender behind the wheelwell it may be due to the non- factory wheel geometry having the oversized (?) tire starting off farther outward, which then causes a wider arc while turns taking the tire into the fender.
the extra leaf and lift shackle that was on the truck probably explains how the 35’s fit when I bought the truck. I don’t have a picture of the shackle but I did hang onto them so I can get a picture when I eventually get back home in a few weeks.
the wheels I chose were 20x10 with 44mm offset and was hoping to finally get rid of the newer style truck wheels and wheel spacers.
The tires do catch on the rear edge of the front fender. And I want to raise the front about 1.75” to level off with the front considering moving the axle forward just to make sure it clears that rear fender. Should I remove the add a leaf and add something like the deaver or zone progressive add a leaf setup to gain the extra height? I know those are only bandaids to worn springs but considering nobody really knows what is actually in the truck and it isn’t a stiff ride maybe it is just an add a leaf setup in there on the factory spring. I have found a spring shop here in Denver, would it be a better option to see what they can do to gain the additional height that is wanted?
Finally finished the suspension swap. So if anyone if curious I ripped out the add a leaf on the front and installed the zone 2.5” add a pack. Wasn’t too bad of a job but an extra set of hands would have been helpful. I haven’t touched the rear since my previous suspension work which was the PMF spring relocation brackets which lift the front 2” and the rear 2.5”. With the rear still has the F-360 3.75” blocks in it and it sits and rides very nice so far. I will know more once I drive around on it some more and retire everything before I drive back up to Denver.
I will get measurements from hub center to fender lip just in case anyone needs it for future reference.
