Lifting an F350

So Clownfish is going to be lifting his old mans truck and I want to help him out. I am making this thread for 2 reasons, 1 I hate sending web addresses over texts, so I can post them here, and 2 so anyone else who has played with lifting trucks can post up here too.

So, Clownfish,
What years is that F350
4WD or 2WD?
Total amount of lift you want, including body lift if any.

just a quick search found this. You will need to replace the shocks if you go more than 2 inches(even then it would be a good idea)
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EXP-K4015B/

Well its not a for sure thing that im going to lift it yet but it would be cool if i could so i might as well figure out how to do it

The truck is a
2001
f350
crew cab
long bed
single rear wheel
7.3L diesel
4x drive

The only thing i need to make sure of is that it can still have the camper on it. Right now it has EE load tires so it needs to be able to take the weight of the camper

you mean E rated, which is 10 ply tires. The suspension should still be able to take the weight, but what is the weight of the camper? Also did you find out if how much taller it can go?

No i did not find out how much taller it can go. And let me ask my dad how much it weighs.

Lifting a truck will not change the load capacity of the truck unless you use lift springs vice lift blocks, then it may increase. As for the load rating of teh tires, you will need to find a tire in the size you want with a simmilar or larger load carrying capacity.

I know you saw my Wife's truck sitting outside when you came over. I did the lift on it myself in my garage/driveway over a weekend. 6" suspension lift using 3" blocks and 3" lift springs in the rear. 3" body lift that was done at a later date. '04 Chevy 1500 4X4 extended cab. 37' tall tires now reside under it.

If you need some help/info, I've done several lifts on trucks as well as lowered a few sport cars.

Take a look at four wheel parts wholesaler. They have a store in TO and their main warehouse is in compton, so easy to get parts. I used a superlift from them on this truck. Last truck, '03 2wd Chevy I used a FABTECH 6" system from them and prior to that was a '00 Nissan Frontier 2wd I used a FABTECH 3" system from them as well. '90 Chevy 2WD I used a combo of Rancho parts and a local shop in San Diego for a 3" lift with dual shocks for prerunning in Baja.

Again, I did all the work myself in my garage/driveway so I've got a bit of experience as well as the tools.

So camper weighs 5000

Here you go.

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Lift-Kits-Suspensions-and-Shocks/Lift-Kits.aspx?t_c=1&t_s=38

Thanks crusty

I know about the springs vs blocks, but I just want to make sure that the kit will meet his needs. Same goes for tires. I think he is going to start with a lift, then wheels and tires. I want to try to stay away from body lifts first, since they don't really do much for clearance(yes I know they do a little, but not like a suspension lift)

Clown, How much do you want to go up?

Not sure yet. Im hopping about taking the camper off tonight so i will see how much higher it will go or i will se what my dad thinks

also, thanks for the good info crusty!

No problem.

At least on a Chevy, and I'm sure it's not much different on a ford, a 3" suspension lift will fit 32" tires OK, a 6" lift will give you 35" tires with no problem. To go with the 37" I have, I had to do the 3" body lift. I probaly could have gone 38" tires but would have had to do a little body trimming which I didn't want to do.

On a heavy duty Ford, as well as the Chevy, you can get a higher suspension lift above 6" because of the design of the suspension. So I'd say go as much as you want/can with the suspension before you look at a body lift.

One thing to remember, the ride will be harsher because of the suspension lift. If you have a solid axle front end, you'll have to do springs/blocks at each end. If the front is IFS, then you have the option of lift spindles which means less stiffness in the springs to achieve the same amount of lift.

BTW IFS is independant fron suspension....


I am thinking he should stick around 6 inches max. They put a camper on the back and although once its on there he would be good, the first time is going to be a pain if its too high. Also when he does go camping he will need a running start to get into the camper if it goes too high(well maybe not him, but his mom)

Hey, This is the "Old Man"
The truck already has a 4" in the front and a 2" in the rear. Also known as a "leveler kit" (since the nose of those trucks seems to dip down). I think Clownfish would like to put bigger tires on the truck but, I dont think anything much larger than stock will fit without modifying the inside on the fenders on the front without a Sawzall!

hows it going old man! nice to see you on here. Do you know how much travel those pillar things on the camper have? I know once you get it on the truck you can put blocks under the pipe things(not sure what they are called) its just going to be a problem of getting it on the first time. Are there factory wheels on there? depending on where it rubs changing the offset of the wheels(different wheels) could allow for bigger tires.

Do you have any pictures on the front end with wheels turned full left and right as well as straight? depending on where it rubs also, a body lift may be necessary.

The pillar things are called camper jacks. They have very little height left to them when putting the camper on/off. Maybe an inch or two? The wheel would come into contact with the inside of the fender when you turn. Ill have to get you a picture. The tires that are on there now are slightly larger than stock, Just under a 32"or33" off road tire cant remember exactly. Big tire, just a really big truck!

a body lift would take care of that rubbing more than likely, as would a sawzall. I wouls say body lift first since its not going to damage anything. Also you could get wider fenders without body lifting it.

32" tires are about as big as you can go with that little of lift. If you want to go higher for bigger tires, then you'll have to go higher and ditch the leveling kit when you install the new kit.

Offset rims will help with the rubbing but it also widens the track and will cause the wheels to extend beyond the fenders. Then you have to worry about Jonney law and getting hasseled at times for no extended fendres or mud flaps. It all depends on their mood as to weather or not they hassel you. Been there/done that.

One thing to remember when looking at going to bigger tires, you now have to worry about gear raitos and speed sensors. Changing to a larger tire with change your effective gear raito. It's like going to a taller gear, low number gear. So you wind up losing power on the lower end but gain on the top end. There are programers out there that will adjust the speedo though so that's an easy fix. Also since it's a 4X4, if you change gears, then you have to do it at both ends. Since your carrying a camper, i.e. heavy load, this is something that you will have to consider in the total scheme of things.

Hello all,

I know I am the new guy but I have a lot of experience in this department, mostly with jeeps and other small rigs. Couple of basic rules although there may be some exemptions lift blocks on the front axle is a no no.
If you are going to put a large load in the truck make sure you talk to the manufacture of the lift and find out what the spring rate will be. Often times a taller spring does not mean a stiffer spring and you will loose capacity.
Some other items other than the lift and tires that you may need to look at is gearing as already talked about, plus you may need to accomidate your anti-sway bars, the attachement links will be to short and can be very important if you are hauling a heavy camper.
Depending on how high you go you will at some point be looking at driveline lengths. Do some research before you buy, some kits are much better than others.

Hope this helps,

Rob,

:thumbsup: Excellent advice Cruzer.