I'm thinking about leveling the front end of my truck in a few weeks here and want to know what everybody would reccomend. Front suspension is completly stock (f-250 with D50) , except I replaced all four spring packs about 8 months ago hoping to solve the problem. It made the unloaded rides marginally smoother, but the front end literally bottoms out going over large bumps and I'd like that to stop. Also I want it to sit level.
The product that I'm considering the most right now is the Rough Country "2 inch leveling kit." Any experiences or other ideas? I do have negative camber on the front axle, but I don't want to end up with positive camber afterwards. I do have the camber bushins to fix that, but I'm avoiding replacing the ball joints like the plauge untill I absolutly have to...

This is what it sits like as of now: (The picture is taken at a bit of an angle so it looks almost level, but if you compare the space between the top of the tire and the wheel well you can spot the problem)

 

i just used spring spacers and i take my truck off jumps and do stupid stuff and nothing has broken yet they were like $60 from ebay and i got 2in longer procomp shocks

here is what the finished product looks like (mine is a 150 though)

 

gweeds,

I've got the same problem, and the same truck (except a supercab, and a '97--is yours a '94, per your signature?). My truck is also white--LOL.

So I've subscribed and I'll be watching this thread closely.

Also, I'm wondering why new spring packs wouldn't have solved the issue completely, 8 months ago? Were they OEM parts? Were they brand new? I'm not understanding how new springs could have failed to pick up the front end....

Lastly, I can see that your front springs have a rather severe "reverse arch" to them at this point, just like mine. Mine don't look normal to me, and by "normal" I mean goofy and nearly flat--mine are no longer flat, but I believe they are supposed to appear about flat. Mine, however, are a couple inches higher in the middle (just guessing--didn't measure), at the front axle, than they are out at the spring ends.

I think I have almost as much front end drop as you do.

If you don't mind me asking, how much were your front springs? Did you do the install yourself? If not, do you know the labor figure for the front? Is an alignment necessary after spring replacement? (I've never messed with a TTB myself....)

Thanks for posting.

BigSix

 

The springs I bought were new OEM spec leafs. From what I've asked around here before, they are supposed to have a "backwards" arch to them on the front axle for the TTB, but I just can't imagine that they would give the front suspension such little travel and such an outrageous camber angle. The springs for the f-350 with D60 have a "normal" arch just like the ones on the rear axle, but I think it may be far to much to put on a stock TTB axle just speculating though.

I was able to find the reciept for the springs for you and they totaled $429.96 from JC Whitney. I installed them myself. The only problem that I had was that I didn't have a jack high enough to push the frame far enough upwards (you have to take all the weight off of the axle/spring to remove it by jacking the frame up), so I took the truck to my auto shop class (was in high school at the time) where they had a lift. The rear went pretty quickly, about 40 minutes with air tools and a friend helping. The front was a bit more of a pain to deal with, just because the sway bars keep on pushing the axle somewhere you don't want it to go. Probably took about 35 minutes per side with a friend and air tools.

Whatever solution I go through with, I'm going to take before/after pictures and do a write up, becuase I know a lot of people have this same problem

 

crap i just realized your truck has leaf springs not coils i beleive mine has coils in the front

 

id buy, or make, spacers if i had to do it again. i bought the trailmaster, i believe, front leveling springs, it lifted the front and yes i had to pay the $120.00 for the alignment. still not level. i found a post that said you needed the springs and 2" spacers to get it level. guess i could add air bags in the front.

 

wish i could get mine level i have a 6 inch lift and the front is about 2 inches lower.

 

i have almost the same truck as you, well the suspesion is the same. and i used the springs your thinking of using, i would not.....only cause they flex out quickly and you dont get very much lift in the end and you have to get a alignment tooo

 

gweeds,

Thank you for taking the time to find the receipt for the springs. Was that $429.96 just for the fronts (yikes!) or for all four corners?

I'm not sure, (and hopefully someone can clarify) but I suspect that your observation that "The springs for the f-350 with D60 have a "normal" arch just like the ones on the rear axle...." may be because the F-350 in those years was was not TTB, but was a straight axle? At least, I don't think the '92-'97 F-350 had a TTB, but I'm not sure....

I hope, for your sake, that I am wrong, but I am still not understanding how new springs could fail to level the truck, unless those springs were defective.... What kind of guarantee did J.C. Whitney say came with the springs? Maybe you could send them back? I dunno.... And that would still, of course, be a major PITA.

I'm going to call my stealership and see what new springs cost--I will post what I find out.

By the way, that is one helluva nice looking truck you have there! Is it as rust free/west-desert-climate as it appears to be? I've got zip code envy, over here, on the east coast/rust belt.

Thanks again.

BigSix

 

guitarnik,

I wasn't sure if you were responding to gweeds or to his "hi-jacker" (me--LOL) but I wanted to ask you if you were referring to the J.C. Whitney springs, or to FoMoCo parts.

Sadly, however, I just got off of the phone with my stealership, and the news was all bad:

1. The springs are OBSOLETE. Unavailable.

2. The front springs are $262.32 apiece, or $524.66 for both front packs.

So...has anyone had any experience with aftermarket front springs other than J.C. Whitney's?

Thanks.

BigSix