How much front lift to perfectly level a 2004 SD?
 

My 04 F-350 sits perfectly level. I have to air up the bags if I put much load in there at all, otherwise it's lower in the back.

But I didn't do the leveling kit, it came that way when I bought it. Now I want to install new front shocks, and I'm not sure how much lift it has in the front.

So if an 04 leaf sprung F-350 4x4 sits perfectly level unloaded, how much was the front lifted?

RockAuto has these KYBs https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...427891&jsn=604 for a 1 - 3 inch lift. $50 plus armNaLeg shipping.
JC Whitney has these Daystar Scorpions (27% rated them only 1 star, says made in USA in ad but Mexico is stamped on the shocks) https://www.jcwhitney.com/details/Fo....html#plpslot2 for a 2 inch lift. $40. JC Whitney also has Skyjackers and ProComp that fit lifted trucks for a few dollars more, Clint.

Show us some pictures of the front suspension

OK, but it'll be morning. Dark out there now, coyotes howlin.

Yeah I spotted that last night and put two in my basket. When you factor in RockAuto's ArmNaLeg shipping cost and bot-only customer service, Amazon is cheaper. Those Daystar Scorpions are apparently junk. I've run ProComp before and they were decent shocks. I think I will go for those KYBs as soon as I post some pics here and get a little more feedback. I just have to get my butt out there in the morning cold and crawl under the truck...

Here are some pics. Notice that the front suspension bump stops have not contacted the pads at all in months, maybe never, even though we live miles down a rough dirt road. I have about 4" from the pad to the rubber bump stops.

I'm going to estimate that it was a 2" front lift.

If you wonder why it's not completely level here, it's because I have 22 psi in the rear airbags.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...c2def326bb.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...b0056ca602.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f85811e2b8.jpg
Left front suspension
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...3abf4e7f2e.jpg
Right front suspension, showing no contact.

It appears to have a mini spring pack leveling kit on it. I had one of those on my '01 super duty. Mine was 2", but I think they came in 2.5" as well. The bottom 3 short leafs make up the kit. If I remember correctly, the stock leaf spring only has 3 leafs. So the bottom ones are the add on pack.

That makes sense. Here's something similar on fleabay https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-2-LEAF-PA...E/283183789615 Three extra short leaves under the pack would have no effect on the bump stop clearance. But it would slightly stiffen the ride. My bump stops never touch. It all makes sense.

Thanks for the info.

Yep that is exactly like the one that I had on my old 2001. Back then, it was actually the best way to level unless you forked out the cash for actual 2" lift leaf springs. I had a shackle leveling kit on that truck prior to doing the spring pack, and it was horrible. Truck rode awful, and and suspension geometry was slightly off due to shackle kit on lowering the rear of the leave spring.

I would leave it, wouldn't be worth the hassle to remove it. Just buy 2 inch longer shocks. Go with bilstien shocks if you want the best.

Oh, I'm leaving in the lift, for sure! The ride isn't very harsh at all. But if you look at my sig, you'll see that we mostly drive 3/4 ton or 1 ton Fords, so we may be a little bit warped, as it were....

I do love Bilsteins, but they would have cost nearly 3x as much as the KYBs I ordered. Back in the day, KYBs rode like crap, but I hear on this forum and from friends that they have improved.

Amen, and God bless the sheepdogs

I've bought cheap shocks before, and they were just that, cheap. In my opinion, and there may be some that disagree, you get what you pay for when it comes to suspension components.