I just recently completed swapping in a set of F-Superduty/F-450 front leaf springs onto my F-350 4x4. I thought sharing my experience might come in handy for those who are curious about doing this, just as I was...
This is a lower-cost alternative to a traditional lift-kit. These leaf springs can be had for $50-$150 at most salvage yards.
Parts List:
*92' F-Superduty stock front leaf springs
*Energy Suspension Polyurethane spring/shackle bushing set
*Moog Polyurethane Track Bar bushings
*Bilstein 5125 shocks
*Drop Pitman Arm for 4-6" lift ( off my ZF donor truck)
*Drop bracket for factory track bar bracket (I made my own 3/8" steel plate cut & drilled to match pitman arm drop)
Everything went together fairly smoothly, the front leafs are a bit shorter than the stock ones so the shackle angle isn't perfect... However it is functional. My research told me the key to achieving the best ride quality from this setup was to purchase QUALITY shocks and spring bushings. Yes it still rides like a lifted truck, but definitely not the buckboard sore back that others claimed this would cause. I'll put it this way : I spent more than twice as much on the shocks as I did on the leafs.
As for the amount of lift achieved, its roughly going to put you 4" over a stock F-350. In my case, I already had a Skyjacker Add-A-Leaf so I was about 1" above stock already in front. I took my measurements from the ground to the center of the fender opening.
Before: 39 7/8"
After: 42 7/8"
Equates out to about 4" if you were to do this to a factory stock F-350 4x4.
Right now the truck is nose-high, I plan on adding a 2" block to the rear along with a set of ladder bars I picked up a while back to level the it out.
One thing that needs mentioned, even with the correct drop bracket for the track bar, my front axle is still not centered. This will cause the truck to "dog track" if not fixed. I plan on modifying my stock bar to the correct length to center the axle. There are adjustable bars out there but I can't justify spending $125 on one
If anyone has questions or wants other pictures feel free to ask.
Onto the good stuff! Pics
This is a lower-cost alternative to a traditional lift-kit. These leaf springs can be had for $50-$150 at most salvage yards.
Parts List:
*92' F-Superduty stock front leaf springs
*Energy Suspension Polyurethane spring/shackle bushing set
*Moog Polyurethane Track Bar bushings
*Bilstein 5125 shocks
*Drop Pitman Arm for 4-6" lift ( off my ZF donor truck)
*Drop bracket for factory track bar bracket (I made my own 3/8" steel plate cut & drilled to match pitman arm drop)
Everything went together fairly smoothly, the front leafs are a bit shorter than the stock ones so the shackle angle isn't perfect... However it is functional. My research told me the key to achieving the best ride quality from this setup was to purchase QUALITY shocks and spring bushings. Yes it still rides like a lifted truck, but definitely not the buckboard sore back that others claimed this would cause. I'll put it this way : I spent more than twice as much on the shocks as I did on the leafs.
As for the amount of lift achieved, its roughly going to put you 4" over a stock F-350. In my case, I already had a Skyjacker Add-A-Leaf so I was about 1" above stock already in front. I took my measurements from the ground to the center of the fender opening.
Before: 39 7/8"
After: 42 7/8"
Equates out to about 4" if you were to do this to a factory stock F-350 4x4.
Right now the truck is nose-high, I plan on adding a 2" block to the rear along with a set of ladder bars I picked up a while back to level the it out.
One thing that needs mentioned, even with the correct drop bracket for the track bar, my front axle is still not centered. This will cause the truck to "dog track" if not fixed. I plan on modifying my stock bar to the correct length to center the axle. There are adjustable bars out there but I can't justify spending $125 on one
If anyone has questions or wants other pictures feel free to ask.
Onto the good stuff! Pics
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So do these lift shocks work well with the F-Superduty springs? The axle doesn't feel underdampened or anything? Reason for asking is the F-Superduty springs are noticeably stiffer than the F350 ones, so a shock matched to the F350 spring rate may have its work cut out for it with the stiffer ones... But then again you don't seem to hang an entire genset off your front bumper so you're probably just fine 
