hello everyone

i gots many a questions...

1. has anyone installed leveling coils on their truck?
if so how do you like them? and are there any major differences between manufacturers
i just want the kind that they say raise the front by 1.5 to 2 inches.

2. when installing the leveling coils will there be any major problems with shock fitment? or will stock shocks be okay since its only raising by 1.5-2 inches if not, are special shocks required and where to purchase special shocks.

3. has anyone ever encountered any problems with the leveling coils ? please chime in so i know what to expect.

thanks anyone with any help you can give

 

What kind of truck? f150? 2wd? a-arm? i-beam?

 

oops

1996 f150 4x4 5.0 manual trans

 

I have just installed Skyjacker leveling springs and Bilstein shocks on my '95 F-150. The shocks are stock length and seem to be okay though I have heard that the stock shocks are not long enough and could be damaged. You will need different alignment bushings - I have Moog 2 3/4 deg. adjustable bushings but these are not enough and the truck is currently not able to be aligned. I am going to drive it for a month or so to let the new springs settle and see if it comes down within range (too much positive camber).

 

hey wick it seems you have put on exactly what i what to get, the leveling coinls with bilstein shocks. a couple questions

1. how involved was it? i have a friend who is a front end guy so he can help. was it an all day job? anything i should expect that came up in the install process that you didn't think of??

2. how do you like the bilstein shocks? alot of people in various forums swear by them...

3. how does the front end ride now with your new coils?? is it alot stiffer?? how about cornering/ or potholes...

any info you can give will be greatly appreciated

 

1. Mine was very involved but only because I did much more all at the same time. I completely removed and disassembled all of the front drive train components (with the exception of the ring and pinion bearings). I sanded and painted all of the parts, replaced axle pivot bushings, radius arm bushings, shocks, springs, u-joints, ball joints, differential seals, slip joint boot, hubs, rotors, calipers, stainless brake lines and added a drain plug to the bottom of the differential.
So all said and done I'm into it about 4 1/2 weeks working on it after work and weekends and with many interruptions.

If you only have to replace the springs and shocks you could do it in half a day easy, provided of course you don't run across other problems while you are at it.

The big question will be how hard it is to get your old alignment bushings out and whether you or the alignment shop will do it. I would find an alignment shop (or your friend) who has done this swap before and talk to them before you start. Raising the front end like this adds a lot of positive camber and there just isn't much adjustment available to take it back out. Plus the springs settle some when new so it is just a guessing game for the first month or two anyways. But again definitely talk to the alignment shop before you start and preferably a place that works on lifted trucks and has some experience with this stuff.

2. So far I love the Bilsteins - their reputation is justified. My truck has the quad shock front end so it is over shocked and a little firm, however it still rides very well. The Bilstein main shock has a sticker on it which states it is designed for all 2wd and 4wd F-150's and 2wd F-250 and F-350's so there is plenty of shock there all by itself. Add to that an auxiliary shock on each side, plus my truck only being a half ton, and it ends up to be a little stiffer than normal ride. I am judging it tough though, if it gave just a little more as the truck hits each bump, it would seriously have a ride along the lines of a Town Car.

3. Hard for me to tell what characteristics are due to the coils and which are from the shocks.

Cornering is excellent - no body roll and you don't feel like you are balancing on a slinky.

Raising the truck just that much does make it feel a lot higher than it is. It’s not so much that the truck drives different, but I really noticed the different view out the front and relation of the seat and steering wheel to the road.

Potholes are much quieter now. A lot of this comes from replacing all the moving parts in my front end as everything was getting loose. They are still a little sharp on initial impact but after that the truck recovers surprisingly fast.

As long as I find an answer to my alignment quandary I will rate this as an excellent change for me. Hopefully the springs and shocks will soften up just a little with time.

 

wow. you sure did alot of work. but it sounds like it paid off.
i'm to the point of having to do some major front end rebuilding myself so i figure i will do all this during a 3 day weekend. where im at i really don't have any really good alignment specialty places or people that know alot about liftingvs alignments but i got a really mechanical co-worker, and a mechanic friend so hopefully this will help with the hard parts. also, i don't have the quad shock front but i wish i did, cause they seem sweet from a handling/cornering aspect. and i can't thank you enough for the info you have provided to me


i really appreciate the answers you have given, its helped ALOT.

 

My infamous approach way-back-when with NAPA 277-5205 springs...
(warning - you will be reading an epic of sorts)

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=78783

Best,
GammaDriver

 

Whats your problem Gamma?

Just kidding - couldn't help it after reading your saga. Sorry things didn't go smoother both here on the board and on your search for the correct springs.

I find accurate information to be the hardest thing to find on my trucks. Even sometimes straight from Ford I would have guessed there would be more information on even stock systems. I have a hard time at Napa and Auto zone keeping myself on the customer side of the counter and not taking over the guys computer - "Just stay out of my way, I'll find and grab what I want then pay you on my way out". This board is an excellent source of information though sometimes you find yourself out on the fringe of common knowledge - you have gone beyond the simple questions and have to hope that one of the handful of people who really know the answer will run across your thread.

I have no experience with new springs and was surprised at how much new springs sag. When I was done I was afraid I had lifted it too high. Only a couple of days later though it had came quite a bit and is still going. I have not taken any measurements though after reading your thread I am curious as to how much mine has changed and how much it is continuing to move.

On hindsight if I can get it aligned I will feel lucky as I did not do enough research before I started. If not I will deserve it but will make changes until it is right.

Thanks for the thread Gamma..

 

:-)

Hey, we all learn a lot from any of us who post back what we find when we do such modifications. I have to admit that I often think fondly about MustangGT's reported - and correct in his case (and probably many others') - experience where he did not have to compress the springs to get them to fit when I did have to (as well as the rest of the thread and other threads I have been a part of here) and this is going on, what, two years later?

We had clashing experiences to kindly report to the boards, and why? Because I didn't use an aftermarket 'leveling' springs vs. the ones I chose? Because I installed polyurethane bushings before I did the conversion? All kind of neat geeky stuff that I still get to think about because I still love driving that same 1993 truck. I have a somewhat sporty 2000 Dodge Intrepid ES, but my 108,000 mile truck is what I would rather drive (if only it had A/C!). But I digress...

Wow, I kinda hope you read all of that thread, and I kinda hope you didn't spend your time reading all of that thread(!), but I am happy it's there and I hope that it may help someone. I ended up with a superbly-handling truck out of the deal, but one that sits high in the front if loaded in the back (which used to be rare, but now is not so rare). I am so happy with the results on the highway that I could -and should- probably counter them by replacing both stacks of rear leaf-springs with completely new and slightly stronger springs.

(As for the post, I have no clue why the three specified pages don't come up, but are able to be brought up in a window if the addresses are cut and pasted. The specs pages used to come up automatically in the posts.)

My alignment experience was that after a few days I took it to the alignment shop (with low-air in my tires to avoid wearing the edges off while getting there) I was able to get it aligned, but this far down the road it needs aligned again. (drives perfect, but the tire wear is indicative of either my crazy cornering or that the angles need adjusted).
Hope your truck aligns nicely. Those springs were made for that truck, so it should settle. In fact the last post I recall about the Skyjacker leveling springs was that after a year they sagged quite a bit (not bad sag, but the truck was not as high as the owner had hoped it would be when first installed). My springs sagged, and then apparently stopped sagging. My coils are quite thick, and I relish being able to hit hard inclines fast without bottoming out. If I trusted the rear suspension I'd be jumping the truck more.

Best,
Gamma
:-)