Hey everyone. I have a question regarding my front end suspension.

My truck is a 1982 F-100 255 v8 2WD (Gallery = jseefcoot's ride). It rides like a stone wheel on railroad ties because no one who owned it before me ever put on new shocks or anything. The only thing ever done to the suspension on this truck was to put in those stiffeners they make for leaf springs, which rose the rear end a little. I'm about ready to put in some shocks, and it occured to me that if these have never been replaced, then there's probably a bunch of other components that I should be looking at as well. Problem is, I don't which ones.

Any advice would be helpful. Especially regarding doing all the work bit by bit (to figure out which things don't need replacing -- I'm on a budget) or replacing all the components at once. Other than the shocks, I have only really looked at the springs -- which appear to be OK, that is, there's no cracks or breaks and they aren't flattened/compressed.

I have also been thinking about dropping the front end an inch or two, or possibly lift the rear a little bit while dropping the front a little bit. I don't want it slammed, but I want a slightly more aggressive stance.

Thanks in advance for your help everyone!!

 

First, that is a GREAT looking truck!

Second, is that thing a short box? I had an 85 shortbox and with the short wheelbase it would ride rough. Even if it is a long box (8') these TRUCKS will still ride rough.

You could start with some good shocks then go from there. ANYTHING you do will be an improvement.

Good luck!

-Matt

 

You'll do better for handling with a levelled stance, rather than a raised rear stance. If you're looking for and normally haul heavy loads, look for a raised rear stance, if you do every day driving, the stock stance should be fine, as it will cover all worlds.

Replace the shocks on both ends, make sure they come with poly-urethane bushings.

If you want better response all the way around, look at replacing the rear spring bushings with poly-urethane, as well as the body mount bushings, and have the body levelled at the same time(something you can do yourself with an Energy Suspension kit, if you're so inclined)

replacing shocks has little to do with over-all suspension, so long as the springs are in good shape. Replacing shocks with poor springs is a waste of time, as you'll just beat the shocks to hell. Use your judgement there, only you really know the condition of the truck.

 

Nice truck!!!!

Just curious is that red Light Canyon Red??? Trying to see what it will look like new as that is what is on my truck.

My truck rides like a Lincoln on the highway. but any large bumps and it just jolts you like crazy. It rides really rough on bad roads. I guess the F250HD springs don't help.

DT

 

hmm, My 83' F250 4x4 had a broken shock, and a broken shock mount on opposite corners... I had a friend tell me it bounced 3 feet side to side at 30mph, on a city street, so shocks are a big need.........

 

I've been gone for a few days because of the holiday. Here's a belated reply to all your comments/questions.

Beast12: It is a shortbed truck -- and thanks for the compliment!

RR4E: I don't ever haul with the truck because the bumper that it has is purely for looks. It would fail under even a moderate load. (It is a Chevy bumper after all) I like the look of the slightly raised rear end, however. Is there much of a handling trade-off there? If the advantages are big enough, I'd consider leveling the stance. Also, is there a way to tell whether or not my springs should be replaced? Thanks for your thorough advice!

DT 466Man: My father in law had the truck painted years ago. He's sure that the color was an actual Ford color, but he just can't recall which one. I'll run this name by him and see what he says. Everyone seems to love that particular shade of red, too. Thanks!

 

Sweet that's a nice truck.

thanks

DT

 

Being as it's a shortbed, it will never have a totally smooth ride, but new shocks would definitely improve it's ride a lot.

Since you're not into hauling with it, levelling the stance will actually help keep the truck level going through corners, and if you really want to add to that, a set of sway bars would be a nice touch. A large reason for trucks being higher at the back is to compensate for the loads they haul, and off-set the load by having it level when loaded, as opposed to the back end dragging on the ground.

One thing to keep in mind when lowering or raising a truck. You will through the wheel alignment out, and it will have to be corrected afterwards. I recommend that you locate a professional quality kit to achieve what you're looking for, as the kit will include parts you likely wouldn't think were affected.

My biggest personal experience with suspension I relate to my former 1969 Ford 4x4.

It had bagged out springs, shocks, body mounts and rubbers when I got a hold of it, and over time I replaced all those pieces.

The shocks and mount bushings made a large improvement, but the truck still handled like a lumber wagon until I installed poly-urethane bushings in the rear leaf spring eyes, along with new bolts. This allowed the suspension to achieve it's true full motion, rather than jarring to a stop mid-stride.

The next large improvement was addressing the body mounts(in my case, I needed to replace some sheet metal first) and then install the poly-urethane body mount kit from Energy Suspension. This eliminated a large amount of body roll during cornering, as well as a large number of squeaks and rattles while going over bumps. It was probably the nicest refurbish/mod job I did to the truck in terms of over-all improvement.

A side note:

While the solid front axle trucks are a bit different in terms of rubber parts, I notice a lot of you complain about a wandering front end after replacing all the steering parts.

I'd be willing to bet most people ignore the little rubber bushings between things like the radius arms and the frame. I replaced these with Energy Suspension parts as well, and found the steering to be much more responsive and precise. Worn out rubber bushings flex more than they should, and will allow for more movement under strain, thus giving you that wandering feel.

Here's Energy Suspension's site, which can explain this more in-depth. They offer a wide variety of lowering/lifting kits as well, and have taken the time to make them corrective for alignment.

http://www.energysuspension.com/

 

I had a red '94 f-150 that was close to your trucks color it had a special paint code handwritten on the doorjam from the factory called ultra red if I recall correctly. I was a real pretty color! I sure miss that truck!

 

I had an '84 that I bought from a heating company. It was totally original with 220k on it. Original shocks, and a spring lift kit that the company had installed so that the truck could carry heavier loads (big old furnaces, etc.)

I replaced the shocks, and while I was under there, I removed all of the lift things that they had installed in the coil springs. Let the truck down, and drove it.

Wow.

No more bouncing down the road, no more wandering when I hit a bump. 100% improvement. Removing the spring spacers made the truck ride just a bit better. I checked the height of the truck too. It was the same on both sides.

So, replace your shocks, and grease the front suspension. You will notice a change.

I drove that truck for 100k and sold it to a friend. He loves it.

THEN I bought an '83. Ditto on the all-original including shocks. The prev. owner told me that it had regular service. Maybe oil changes now and then, but not too often. The shocks on this truck were labeled Motorcraft. This truck had a lot of troubles, including a front end that had been rebuilt, but no attempt was made to adjust, or align the I-beam suspension even remotely. It ate tires for lunch, and wandered allover the road. Just replacing the shocks made a big difference in handling, and a major disassembly / re-alignment of the front end cured all the other issues.

Get to know the front-end of your truck. There's alot of stuff that you can do to it yourself.

Best of luck with it.

 

RR4E & Holmesuser01: Thanks a lot for the excellent advice. I just knew there was more than meets the eye under there. That's why I love forums like this. I don't know of many Ford fans in my town -- there is definitely a preponderance of Chevy's out here. I've never been particularly loyal to any automaker or vehicle, but this truck has definitely grown on me. It's nice to get information 'straight from the horse's mouth' so to speak. I can't wait to get a new suspension under that front end!

 

Well my father-in-law still can't remember the name of that shade of red, but he's sure it's not Light Canyon Red. He has made a mental note to ask the guy who painted it next time he sees him.

 

My 83 stepside 302 3spd w/od and it rides like a caddy over all obsticles and every thing is stock specs it has 164000 miles and no lift just 31 inch tires

 

Mine drives like a well-aligned good condition truck. No rattles, etc. My mom's Caddy rides like a mush-bucket. Have no idea what that might be. Sounded good.