Leveling

[1994IDI]

I've posted some pictures of the truck in my sig, hoping that I could get some opinions on the most cost effective, and simplest means of leveling the front end to the back. I am doing the shocks in a couple of weeks, and would like to level her out at the same time. I am leaning toward a 1.5 AAL. By the looks of the pictures, will 1.5 get me level? And if the AAL is a good choice, can anyone give me an overview of the installation. I am trying to figure out if I can do it myself in my garage. Its a D50 TTB. Thanks for any advice and help folks.

Of course, compliments on the truck are always welcome.

 

[nyteshades]

Your front springs are sagging, I ended up replacing the ones on my 3/4 ton. I went from the same wheel gap you have between tire and fender, to 7 or 8 inches. *Note with stock tires.

 

[NapaBavarian]

I seem to always have a load in the bed, the truck sits level then, keep in mind if you level the truck empty it will have the dragin-ass look with a load

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

I did an add-a-leaf on my truck, front springs looked a little worse than yours. The installation is pretty straightforward, with the exception of the change you will have in camber when you are done. How are your tires wearing currently? This is a good indicator of two things: when your truck was last aligned, and how worn out your front springs are.

Here's what I would suggest: get yourself a straight edge that will fit nicely on your front rims, and a magnetic based level with a pointer on it (harbor freight has them very reasonable). Now park your truck on a nice level piece of cement. Measure the camber as close as you can and record it. Now look at the upper ball joint camber spacer and note the degree offset and position.

After you install the AAL, measure it again and see if you gained a significant amount of camber. On my truck I went from almost zero camber to about 2-3 degrees postive camber. My tires were pretty worn, so I drove them around and looked at the tire wear and the outer edges of my tires were chewed off inside of 1000 miles. That's when I decided to look at my upper ball joint bushings and found that by turning them 180 degrees, and swapping sides, I was pretty close to zero again. After I completely rebuilt the D50, I changed the bushings to what I thought was as close as I could measure and so far my 35s are wearing nearly perfect.

Or you could ignore all this and pay somebody to align it. I was quoted $250 per side plus parts, so I decided to play around and try to learn something.

Good luck

 

[1994IDI]

Thanks for the information. Right now my tires wear perfect. I am going to have a few estimates for the alignment and see what I get, then I may be back for some specific questions regarding your method if you don't mind. Thanks again and any other input is more than welcome.

 

[87crewdually]

You could always lower the back a little with longer rear shackles to even it out and not mess with front end. Just a thought for you.

 

[nyteshades]

You could always lower the back a little with longer rear shackles to even it out and not mess with front end. Just a thought for you.

From what I was told on mine, it throws off the alignment. I don't remember if it was the caster or the camber...the only thing they could adjust was toe.

 

[1994IDI]

Is there an option for leveling that doesn't throw off the alignment?

 

[sootman73]

no there isn't. how much clearance do you have between the springs and bump stops? i had brand new springs and had about 3/4" of clearance. these springs dont really sag much. its just how they are supposed to sit and no it doesn't look right but it is.

i put in a superlift add-a-leaf and it made a world of diffrence in ride and look. it stopped hitting the bumpstops on bumpy surfaces and then leveled the truck. its def worth the $120!

before the lift and tires

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After the lift and tires

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[fx4wannabe]

Doing the AAL shouldn't throw ya out too much. I had 4" lift springs in my F250 and with the camber kit it was pretty close.

 

[crashnzuk]

Lowering the rear will add a tad of positive caster, which isn't a bad thing. The thing you need to check when using a shackle to lower the rear is pinion angle change. You want to be sure your driveshaft has acceptable angles when you are done. If you change the ride height to higher than stock in the front, you will be gouged by an alignment shop to correct it. If you just want it level, and not necessarily taller, dropping the rear would prolly be easier/cheaper.
Travis..

 

[1994IDI]

no there isn't. how much clearance do you have between the springs and bump stops? i had brand new springs and had about 3/4" of clearance. these springs dont really sag much. its just how they are supposed to sit and no it doesn't look right but it is.

I have never hit the bumpstops. But I have not measured the clearance. I will do that. I just don't like the way it looks. Meineke told me they would align it for $90, but I may just keep an eye on the tread for awhile to determine if I feel like I need. it. I'm not really interested in lowering the back, I'm really leaning toward using the AAL. I can't see your pictures as I'm at work. I'll check them out later.

 

[1994IDI]

Doing the AAL shouldn't throw ya out too much. I had 4" lift springs in my F250 and with the camber kit it was pretty close.

What's the camber kit?

 

[crashnzuk]

When you call about an alignment, tell them you need camber correction and see what the price is. A $90 alignment will be a toe check and set (if you're lucky). You need to tell them what you did and what you want done, otherwise, you'll get whatever they feel like doing.
Travis..

 

[1994IDI]

I've used this shop before, I told the guy at the counter that I was wanting to level the front with another leaf, so I would need it aligned. That's when he said $90. So I did tell him what I would be doing, but I didn't specify CAMBER adjustment. I know them, and would probably be able to stand in the shop while they did the work, would there be a way to know if they were doing the camber adjustments, if I were watching?

And thanks for the thoughts.