4wd swap and RSK questions

[chillman88]

Hey all,

There's a decent possibility of a 4wd swap on my truck happening in the near future. I have a couple questions regarding ride quality of a 4x4 F350. Mine being 2wd rides pretty darn smooth on the highway but it'll buck you preally good on bumps.

1. Is the ride on the 4x4 really a lot worse than a 2wd?

2. Is an RSK worth the money if you're still stuck with the factory spring pack? I've heard the SuperDuty springs make more difference than the RSK.

3. Has anyone ever bagged the front axle on one of these? I was mainly curious. I'm thinking one leaf, a trac bar and air bags. Just a pipe dream but I'm curious if it's been done.

If I was to just stock for stock swap everything I would make sure to get GOOD shocks. Not sure I could swing GOOD ones if I did any kind of upgrades.

Any other advice/concerns regarding this swap are appreciated!

 

[Thewespaul]

What axle are you swapping in?

 

[chillman88]

What axle are you swapping in?

I'm not 100% (Haven't looked at it close) but I'd bet on it being a D60. A buddy of mine has a bricknose IDI wrecker thats 4wd. I'll be getting everything for my 4wd swap in exchange for my 2wd ZF5 and labor helping him put the ZF5 and IDI in his other truck. Frankly I'm not certain it's a 350 but I think he said it was. Been a while since I saw the truck. I know it's a dually for sure.

 

[IDIoit]

RSK's are worth the money, and if you swap to SD springs, its a must. due to the springs being longer.
i build my own stuff usually cost less than 200$
and its alot stronger than some chincy "bolt on kit"

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[laserjock]

Look up @Dieselcrawler for a good tutorial. Corey has done a bunch of conversions. I think he did a really detailed thread not too long ago.

 

[chillman88]

RSK's are worth the money, and if you swap to SD springs, its a must. due to the springs being longer.
i build my own stuff usually cost less than 200$
and its alot stronger than some chincy "bolt on kit"

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Yeah you build your stuff to my standards I've noticed. Overbuilt is almost enough lol!

I don't think the bricknose trucks can use the superduty springs without extending the frame from what I've read. I don't plan on going that route.

Look up @Dieselcrawler for a good tutorial. Corey has done a bunch of conversions. I think he did a really detailed thread not too long ago.

I will thanks. He's done a few good writeups but thanks to the "powers that be" most of the pictures are gone....

 

[Dieselcrawler]

With some slight modifications the pmf kit works great on the older frames and sd springs. Just have to trim the bumper to clear it on the bottom.

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[chillman88]

With some slight modifications the pmf kit works great on the older frames and sd springs. Just have to trim the bumper to clear it on the bottom.

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Well crap, there goes cheap and simple!

I'm not sure what exactly my plan is just yet. I'll be swapping transmissions in and getting it drivable again first. I might just wait to put the axle under it until I can do the RSK then.

Was the bumper trim the only required modification or is whatever else pretty self explanatory? I'm actually browsing one of your threads about it now.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

If if you go look at the pmf kit, then look at this photo, you can see what I did. Essentially cut off the plate that was to go on the inner side of the frame and welded it to the bottom. My pmf had no holes drilled in it for mounting, so I ended up with 3 on each side and 4 up from the bottom, two on each side. So 10, 1/2 inch bolts hold it on

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[hesutton]

I'd make sure the parts truck is a F350. I don't think you'd want the TTB Dana 50 on your rig. Shoot I'd rather keep it 2x4 than swap a TTB on there.

Ride is not gonna be Cadillac smooth regardless if you do a RSK or not. Might want to check and see how much a RSK would lift the front of the truck. Don't want to have a nose high dually.

Heath

 

[chillman88]

I'd make sure the parts truck is a F350. I don't think you'd want the TTB Dana 50 on your rig. Shoot I'd rather keep it 2x4 than swap a TTB on there.

Ride is not gonna be Cadillac smooth regardless if you do a RSK or not. Might want to check and see how much a RSK would lift the front of the truck. Don't want to have a nose high dually.

Heath

I'm aware of that, I won't waste my time on a TTB. My statement was more intended to say that it could possibly be an F-Superduty being an old tow truck.

From what I've seen the RSK typically adds 2" of lift so I'd be adding more in the back if I need it.

I'm primarily tossing ideas around in the spirit of do it right, once.

I appreciate your input Heath!

 

[WarNose]

I used U-code super duty springs with the shortest RSK kit from PMF. It raised the front about 2 1/4", making the truck sit pretty level. It made the ride just a bit softer than I would have liked. Most guys use V-code springs which are a little stiffer but raise the front about 4". I bet those ride perfectly, but I didn't want that much lift.