Just wanted to let folks know that I spent some time this past weekend crawling around under an '05 Superduty with the digital camera, and created a gallery out of some of the suspension pictures. I also have one pic in there of my '04 next to an '05, which really shows the front-end changes.

There were a couple things I wanted to find out, the first being if the '05 grille could be swapped for one off an '04 or an aftermarket unit. What I found was that an '05 grille is taller than any of the previous SD grilles, because the cutout in the bumper is larger - so nothing built for the earlier models will fit, unless you also switch out the bumper...which *might* be possible. I've been thinking of getting an '05, but if I do I'll have to get rid of that grille...maybe I'll wait a while and see what the aftermarket comes up with, or perhaps I could swap the entire front end of my '04 (grille, lights, and bumper). Maybe the grille wouldn't look as bad if it was painted to match the body...

Another was how easy it'd be to lift, and the answer is that it wouldn't be as easy as I'd thought. It appears that Ford actually riveted the suspension mounts to the frame, and since the arms are pretty short you've have to drill out the rivets and replace the whole mount assembly to lift it properly. For a shorter lift, you could just replace the arms...but for anything larger than 4" I think the attachment points would have to be moved. The arms are nearly level from the factory, which is the best for handling...and if you lift it without moving the attachment points, it'll put the radius arms at an angle...which would adversely affect the handling. Plus, as I mentioned the arms are just too short - the mounting points should be moved rearward at least 6", preferably a foot or so. The days of relatively inexpensive Superduty lifts are over...anything over 4" or so will be pretty pricey, at least if done properly.

My last question was articulation for off-roading - and I don't think the suspension design will allow as much articulation as the leaf-sprung Superduties. While the design they used should ride and handle better, it will bind up when off-roading, and there's no easy way to fix it. That's the main drawback of a radius-arm design over a multilink design, and this particular design will be worse than most. Also, the way the radius arms attach to the front axle reduces ground clearance - they hang down about as much as the differential. Hopefully they won't be that easy to damage, though it really depends on what they hit and how fast.

Anyway, I also have other pictures - the different wheels available, the new front ESOF hubs, the new swaybar location, and the new exhaust setup on the gas engines - but didn't want to take up too much space.

LK

 

LK,
Do you have pictures of the 2005 18" Lariat wheel?
Thanks,
David

 

I hadn't noticed how low the mounting bracket is on the front axle from previous pictures. hmm. But with the bracket having two points of connection I'll bet some lifts will use a 4 link utilizing separate links to those bracket connection points instead of modified radius arms and/or taller rear bracket.

It has been a while since I've looked at the late 70s era radius arms / straight axle and their articulation ability, but if I remember correctly you got good travel range.

That frontal picture of the 04 next to the 05 definitely shows the deeper grill and changed bumper. Nice pic

 

I just added the wheel pics - my memory isn't the best, but I think the three types I had were the XLT steel, XLT aluminum, and Lariat Aluminum. I'm not entirely sure, so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

LK

 

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right - you could fabricate a 4-link using the separate axle mounting holes. You'd still have to fabricate some sort of way to mount them to the frame, but that would certainly be possible with a little R&D. Hmmm...

I had a '78 Bronco with the radius arms, and while it had a fair amount of travel it didn't do very well when I got crossed-up. If my (poor) memory serves me correctly, it used two C-shaped bushings clamped around the axle...when I lifted it I had to buy new bushings to adjust the pinion angle. I think the older style my '78 used probably allowed more "give" than what the new SDs are using - the SDs should have significantly better handling, but probably less articulation. I'm waiting for one of my friends to buy one, so I can borrow it and go off-roading.

LK

 

LK nice pictures.
Now that I see pictures up close ,better than before ,they have ruin the look of the superduty suspension anyways .Cheap cheap,looks like a nissan 4x4.

How long do you think those radius bushings are going to last in the snowbelt,salt areas ?
The radius arms will rust out ,snow and ice dirt mud crud will build up inside them.
What a piece of junk!
I'm keeping my 02 forever !

Just my opinion!
Good luck to those that buy them.
Rich

 

IMO the wheels are ugly. The locking hubs don't really fit the wheel design.

 

Sheesh, and what does that huge arm do to the unsprung weight?

Man, you're right, I didn't even think of rusting out ...

All along, I thought it was a bad idea to go to coils on the front, just for the longevity thing, even though a coil can last as long as a leaf (after being re-arced - tee hee), but now that I see that huge radius arm, wow...

As for articulation, high-arc and less leafs will get the same limit of travel out of that front-axle, but looking at it, I can't imagine it really "articulating" better than the front of my '01.

... I don't get it ... better ride? My '01 with "T" springs is so "Cadillac" to me that I can't wait until I own it after the lease is up in 2 years

Sorry to be such a bummer about this, but I'm glad I got my '01 when I did - if I need the 3-valve V10, I'll wait a few years until someone wraps one around a tree, and retro-fit ...


ps: the more I look at it, the more I don't like the new bumper - I've already put one ding in it in the chrome, and if the bottom wasn't black plastic, it would already have been dinged in a few more (lots of ) places ...

 

If this is from a SD then all who see this tire on their prospective truck should demand a new tires! These tires suck! I have them on my Expy and at 20K they needed replaced, the are a bitch to balance, the rubber breaks down too easily...they suck...

The rim looks like their SUV wheels...

 

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the new wheels either - and the front hub setup is really peculiar. On a positive note, they appear to be new hubs - and at least the outer housings of these are metal instead of plastic. These trucks were for sale on the dealer's lot, so I can only assume that these are the production wheels & tires for '05. The other two '05s both had BFG Rugged Trail T/As, and I was pretty surprised to see the Continentals on the third truck.

I was on the lot on a Sunday, which is how I got these pics without having salesmen swarming all over me...though I did get a few odd looks from a few other people. At one point, someone stopped to see if I was okay - they saw me laying under the truck, and apparently thought I was dead or something. It's nice to know that they cared, but a bit disturbing to know that I resemble a dead person.

I also have some pics of the front of the front axle - showing the linkages, and the new swaybar location (higher up, and in front of the front axle). At least they have the swaybar out of harm's way now...I never liked how they had it mounted on the earlier trucks. I'll put a couple of the other pics up. I'll also put one up showing the suspension flex of the '04 truck, and maybe someone who owns an '05 can try out their truck.

I'm also a bit concerned about rust - because it definitely looks like the arms will trap mud and winter road salt.

LK

 

I'm excited.. I think it looks great, and coil springs rock! (flame if you want)

Of course I don't have to worry about it holding a snow plow, or salt eating at the radius arms....
...We shall see, I am glad they finally made some changes though, it was needed. Hopefully they will have a all new design out in 07 like they say... time will tell.

Here are two things I notcied from his pictures and liked:

:notice where the steering stabilizer is:


And also, notice the drag link does not attach to the tie rod... they are seperate:

 

Are the radius arms stamped steel and hollow in the middle? They appear that way in the pictures, but it is hard to tell.

 

Yeah, they're stamped steel and hollow in the middle. On the end that mounts to the frame, there is a fairly large opening - I have another pic that shows that that I'll add to the gallery. I've been thinking that the hole in the rear of the arm might be large enough that you could spray some kind of rustproofing or undercoating into them, in order to keep them from rusting out. Of course, that would increase your unsprung weight....and even if they didn't rust out, you probably still wouldn't want them full of mud and dirt.

This is going to sound really stupid, but I've even thought of filling them with foam using that spray-foam stuff you can buy in stores (can't remember the name). That should protect the arms from rust, and would also fill them so that mud and dirt couldn't get into them - and wouldn't add too much weight.

On another topic, I was wondering - how do people add gallery pictures into their posts? Can you just add a link to that particular gallery page, or do you somehow have to save the image file separately? For now, here's the link:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=51658&width=2

LK

 

That is why God invented the torch and Miller welders......

 

LK - Thanks for posting up the pics. Those radius arms look scary to me. Too thin for a 3/4 or 1-ton truck. Being hollow like that also makes them weak. I'm not apposed to coil suspensions, but at least make it heavy duty.