I want to put a 3 inch body lift on my 79 ford and want to know if i can put 35 inch tires on it, Will they fit, or do i need to go with more lift?

 

with these old trucks, you can dang near fit those puppies with out the lift. with it, you shouldnt have too much issue. there are some odd cases out there, but at least with the 31x10.5s i run, it looks like i have miles of room. check out the pic in my signature.

 

Dont do a body lift. Buy an add a leaf or find a set of front springs from a 73-77 f-250

 

I second that motion. The add a leaf or front spring will be longer lasting, and you won't have to worry about adjusting the bumper locations and having that huge gap underneath the body.

I just don't like the look of body lifted trucks, cheap way to lift, IMO

You shouldn't need too much lift for 35's, I run 33x10.5's with no rub on Grandma's Truck.

 

My old '77 F150 cleared 35s all day long with just a 2" front leveling spring and a couple of extra leaves in the rear packs. The suspension lift looks better, is about the same cost, and is probably easier to put on. Just my 2 cents.

Here is a pic of the '77 on 35x12.50 BFG muds.




And here it is with an extra 2" of front lift and 36s.

 

My 78 F250 has a 4" lift and has L&L over the frame headers and originally when I got it, it had 35X 12.5X 16.5. No clearance issues at all, went to 285/75/16 and tucked them in the fender wells. I agree that you can stuff some pretty big rubber under these trucks, with the right offset on the rims.

 

here's my 78 f250 with a 2" lift. I cleared 35's easily. I'd go for a spring lift too. I'd wager that you could clear them without a lift. I did some flexin with the 35's and they never rubbed

 

off topic,

but is that a hood scoop off a 69-70 Mustang or Torino??? ford141

i have seen those scoops put on these trucks before, i was just wondering if that was one, i kinda like the look of them, they have a center line in the scoop that matches the hood,


and i agree, do a suspension lift, body lifts don't look as good, and in my opinion they can be dangerous, and i have seen some pretty dangerous setups! and even some dangerous suspension setups, thus don't go the cheap route, its not worth it,

-Brent

 

IMO: suspension lifts are the the most dangerous. body lifts might not look as good, but the allow you to stuff bigger meats in the fender wells, and they keep your frame and engine lower to the ground, lowering your center of gravity, thus making your dent less liable to roll. besides that, no matter how much you jack your truck up, your ground clearance will always be determined by what size tire you are running; its how far off the ground you differentials are that counts. that, and with suspension lifts, you have to modify your steering linkages and driveshafts, and make sure your pinion angles are all good. so ill stick with my body lifts.

 

You are gravely mistaken. Suspension lifts is a million times better than a godawful body lift. Just ask any real 4-wheeler.

 

If you do go with a body lift, i wouldn't go over 2". I have one on my 78 with 33x13.50 ltb swampers on 10 wide wheels and i like it just fine. But bottom line is suspention is better if you have the money to spend, body lifts are so much cheaper and are the way to go if yopu don't want to hack your fenders to clear bigger tires and need a little extra lift. Only reason i went with a body lift on mine is becasue it was cheap, the truck is hardley ever offroad, and i didn't see no reason to spend 400-500 bucks when i could just spend 100 bucks. I've had it on the truck for 4 years with no problems. Just my 2 cents

 

My current 77.5 F-150 has longer coil springs in the front, it actually more that leveled it, I think the rear needs to come up just a hair. I love the front just the way it is.
I had a 77.5 F-250. I got it from my uncle, lost interest so I gave it back to him. Anyway I got that one when I was 21 years old. I put a 3 inch body lift on it. I never even had license on it but totally regretted it. The frame hung out the bottom, the trans shifter and 4x4 shifter didn't come up as high in the cab, bumpers didn't line up, radiator hoses were stretched,steel brake lines stretched, fuel filler neck stretched. I did not care for it one bit. I was going to take the lift back off, what a waste of time. I shoulda just put blocks between the axles and springs front and back before a body lift. With all of these 70s Ford 4x4s having a solid axle it's almost too easy to do a suspension lift. I can see going with a body lift on an 80 or newer just for the ease of not dealing with that rediculous front axle- lol. But on these trucks do suspension, you'll regret it if you dont, I know I did. The truck is no longer mine so no sleep lost I guess. I would never even consider body lifting my F-150 thats for sure.

I'm sure everyone has seen a truck with dents in back of the cab from the bed caused by frame twist. Ever see how big those dents can get with a body lift? It's quite insane, don't do it.

 

I have to agree 100% with this. The body lift is not the desireable way to go, and it is not a better alternative.

Suspension lifts provide higher frame clearances as well as the critical breakover angle, and can provide much improved approach as wellas departure angle. The body lift leaves the frame in the same place and does little to help with performance.
Suspension travel can be increased which is also a very important part of off road performance. Stock springs only permit a limited amount of wheel travel, and wheel travel allows a vehicles tires to stay on the ground.
With a properly tuned spring, the vehicle can manuver through rough terrain while keeping the tires on the ground and will be less likely to roll over. Sure COG plays an important roll, but I can assure you that a vehicle with limited articulation is more likely to roll over than a vehicle with a higher COG that can keep the tires on the ground.
I have built many vehicles and some are pretty high. I have a very uneasy feeling when I am in an off camber situation driving a vehicle with stock suspension. In many cases I am at the limits of the suspension and the truck is not stable. I am very confortable with my lifted vehicles that can tuck a tire well into the wheel well, and I find it most comforting when the cab stays flat. A good suspension will allow the spring to do all of the work while mainitaning a flat vehicle. If the vehicle can stay flat, the axles can twist and keep the tires on the ground, thus providing a more safe platform. Stock suspension cant do this.

Example:



Notice how flat the cab remains. The difference in travel from one side of the suspension to the other is over 13 inches here.

 

Brent, the hood scoop was put on by the previous owner, but it is off an early 80s Fox-body Mustang that one of my buddies owns. I don't know if the scoop was on the Mustang originally or not, but I do know that it is a real Ford scoop (has "Ford" molded into the fiberglass underneath). I think it may have been optional on the early fox-body Mustangs, but don't quote me on that. It is very similar to a 69-70 Mustang or Torino scoop.

 

i can flex out my stockers pretty darn good. but personally (note, this is my OPINION, as stated before) i would never go over a two inch suspension lift, and that would be to gain MORE flexibility. when i get a chance, probably over christmas, ill get some pics of me flexin out my 76.