I have a 97 F250 just purchased and needs front end work. The steering pops sometimes when I turn the wheel and the right wheel tilts in at the top when I turn it to the right. It looks like the springs are wore out or something.. Had a boss one time had a 7.2 and had to have the front shimmed back up or something because of the sagging problem. Any ideas on my 97 7.3?

 

Well if you plan on keeping the truck just replace all the springs and bushings. Front and rear. Including the pivot bushings in the 50. Find a spring shop in your area and ask their advice. If you rig is a 4X4 with a Dana 50 there will be alignment issues. Ask the spring shops advice on a good alignment or frame and axle shop to do the alignment. You will need new u-bolts also. The pops can be be evaluated after the spring and bushing replacement. To many possibilities. 43-498 are the front springs (stock 4900 rated front end springs). 43-803 rears. They are a 4 leaf pack with an overload but no pad. The stock springs if your truck is similar to mine had 3 leafs and overload and a pad. They are the same size and don't change ride height. Plus the ride is better. Even with poly bushings. Stiff but not harsh. Torque spec for the u-bolts are 95 for the fronts and 125 for the rears. Re-torque at installation (after the wheels are back on and truck is on the ground).. At 25 to 100 miles. Then at 500 miles. Also again every 6 months as an addition to your PM's. Sounds like allot but if you do your homework it's not a bad job. You'll be good for another 12 years.

Welcome to FTE. Your in good hands. Allot of good people here to help you out.

 

Thanks for the reply. I have a F250 2 wheel drive. Is this a weekend job with the right tools or should I send it to a mechanic. I heard i need com-a-longs and maybe even a porta power. Is this possible?

 

I wouldn't think you would need anything but maybe a rentable press to remove the pivot bushings. Since you don't have the axle shafts in the way should be cake. I've never done a 2wd. You will need several jack stands and a couple of floor jacks. Do one end of the truck at a time. You should have a second set of hands available. Springs are heavy. I'll look at my service manual to see if there are any issues or special stuff. Took me a long time to get the whole thing done. But that was mostly waiting for parts, weather and getting the front end aligned. Manuals can be hard to find that have any useful info. Alldata is an great and reasonably priced alternative. At least until you locate Ford service manuals. Time frames are unpredictable. Stuff happens. I'd give myself 4 or 5 work sessions to get it all done. But thats me. I go slow and get interrupted allot. Find more stuff to replace and such.

 

Thanks again for the info on my truck. One other ? though, do you know of a good web site or manual that shows a good schematic on the front end of my truck?