Hey all, I'm just getting my 71 Highboy back on the road after four years and am now addressing the suspension. Just did a Dana 70 Rear so the spring pads arent welded yet, and just put in a high pinion Dana 60 in the front. I'll be running 35's and already have a 2" body lift but when the truck was last on the road, it was sagging a bit and I would like to bring it up to stock ride height. I've read every post I can on here and have not come up with any answer to this question: What is the best way to smooth out the bumps and still have stock to maybe no more than 2" lift? Does putting shorter blocks and more arched springs help? What about the front? Remember, I'm not trying to lift it, but just trying to get a better ride.

Thanks, Sam

 

Having a rough ride is just part of having a old truck, I dont think there is much you can do to help it.

 

You want what?????

John

 

if you put 69 (i think) F100 front suspension under it it might help, i know that the f100 4X4s had coils one or two years. and coils might give you a bit better ride. but the rear will always be bumpy because there is no weight over the rearend. but scrapyardking is right its just part of the deal.

 

I'm fine with it if I have to, but what I'd really like to hear is from the folks who have used rear shackle reverses, Skyjacker springs, removed the lift blocks etc...I've read many posts about these topics with little hints at the ride quality, but nothing specific.

 

smooth ride in a 3/4 ton hmm better buy something 97 or newr

 

Actually my 69 Highboy 3/4 ton crew rides real nice....must be the 49k original Miles and the weight of the cab.....I plan to upgrade to Bilstien shocks and help it even more.

Best riding 4x4 on the highway i have ever owned.

Garbz

 

Was just passing through and wanted to add my two cents.
While my rides are later model (74, 75, and 79) I have found that you can have a big truck that rides nice. Matter of fact my most recent project rides on 8" lift springs with 40 inch tires and rides better now than it did when it was stock using stock tires. Handles well, is a dream off-road, and I can drive with a cup of coffee and never spill it while driving on the freeway.
I use 99-04 Super Duty front springs with minor modifications to make them fit. It is important that you use Gas springs and not diesel units, and I do not have experience with the use of these under an earlier truck than a 73, but i preally suspect that hey are about identical.
I also use a late model chebby 64 inch rear spring with a shackle flip and re-located hangers. Rides too good back there, even with a trailer and another truck on the trailer. Keep in mind that the truck on the trailer is rather light weight, but it is still a 4000 lb. vehicle and a tandem axle trailer.
I too run 1 ton running gear, and this is the best riding 1 ton I have ever assembled.
I am willing to share, if you would like to know more. PM me and we can take some measurements to see if these will work under an earlier ride.

75F350

 

hey '75 F350, I am probably going to try to work over the factory springs on mine (budget matters). You said some time ago that you knew how to make the factory setup smoother, something about loosening clamps and adding the leaf sliders.

 

Yeah Scott;
We did have a chat about this a while back ago, and the sliders do work out very well, I believe I even sent you pics of mine, and I do not recall if I sent you some pics of the clamps that provide additional room for the individual leafs to slide, and move. This alone does a fair amount for the ride alone.
However, with spring technology the way it is, and progressive leaf spring packs being made now, the use of a new spring has many advantages.
Using leverage to our advantage, we can use a spring with a higher rate from a later truck, and once combined with the narrower frame on our rides, really kills a bunch of rate, but still allows the arch that provides lift.
Moving the springs further apart provides greater stability, and so does a wider frame, but we cant exactly do that. By using the later design spring on a narrow frame, we use leverage to our advantage. This additional leverage that the axle has over the spring is what allows us to have good heigth, and a reasonable ride. Finding the right damper is a challenge, but is very much worth it in the end. I do understand budgets and having to work within them. We all have our own, and for the guys that have messed around with this type of option, they can attest to how well they work thus far. Hope to see more guys start this rout, so we can really tune them in, and get some great feedback.
I see you sent me an e-mail, I will read it right away.

 

Hey 75F350, I've read alot of your posts in the 73-79 forum and my curiosity was peaked which was why I posted this question in the first place. Also, just to clarify, I'm nearly positive that highboy frames are the same from 67-77, at least I compared my frame (71) to another 76 frame and they appeared identical. Leaf springs were the same as was the width. However, most of the info you have provided seems to be geared toward a lifted truck. Have you done any experimentation with stock height?

Also, has anyone ever seen the Kelderman air ride system? Check it out at www.keldermanairride.com . I have a kit on my 93 Dodge Cummins 4x4 and these trucks ride harder than the highboy. After installing the kit, it rode smoother than an F100. I was thinking of chopping the Ford 80-97 Kit a bit narrower to fit the 34" Highboy frame. I looked at both trucks today and there seems to be no reason this wouldnt work. Haven't called them yet to see if they make custom kits, but I will soon. These kits aren't cheap so the 75F350 way is definitely in mind until money grows on trees.

-Sam

 

Sam, I did install one set of springs on a 69 truck, but these truck was not lacking lift. It had a set of big springs, and most of what I do is geared towards lifted rides.
However, the basic principles are the same, and everything should bolt up just the same. However the only variable might be how much lift is actually obtained by just installing a 2.5" leveling kit for a Super Duty. Would it provide the same heigth as a stock pre-77 truck, or would it be lower? Maybe a 4" kit would be better? This I do not have first hand knowledge on, and given the vehicles I work on, may never know. What I do know, is that progressive leafs have come a long way, and it might be worth a shot to install some to find out.
This is how I started out, I just tried an experiment. When it did not work the first time, I found a truck that it would work on, and sold my stuff. Then I went back to the drawing board to work out the bugs.
Air bags would be sweet, but do not provide the results I am after, and perhaps this alternative might not be what you guys are after, but the options are there, and as long as we can have options, we are not limited to the narrow aftermarket support for our trucks.
Thanks for the opportunity to share some thoughts in your forum.


75F350

 

Guess I better get started playing with some Super Duty springs then. I see them all over Craigslist for next to nothing when people install lifts and sell off the remainders. I'll PM you like you said if I have a few questions. Thanks.

-Sam

 

I asked about the Kelderman before and got no response. It looks like a very interesting system. I saw one on a older dodge and the owner said it changed the ride completely.



Peter

 

when i put my 6.9 diesel in my 75 highboy, WOW did it smooth out the ride... is really nice now..

Ray