1999-2002 Ford F-350 w/TC Suspension Advice

[kevin_j]

Hi Folks!!

I'm working up a new build for this year. I'm sold on a truck camper and I've decided to go with a Ford 7.3. One of the things I'm struggling with is the suspension mods. With the camper and gear I'll be looking at 3K payload on a SRW, Super Cab, short bed truck. My intention is go 35-37" tires that are as wide as possible without rubbing or needing to regear diffs. Only really interested in a 2.5" lift. I'll be using the TC as a basecamp and wheeling the truck without the camper. I'd love to hear any of your thoughts or experiences!

I really like the Idea of running OME as I'm not fan of sending shocks in for rebuild. I'd rather be able to order new and replace. I'm also kinda worried that if I order the leaf spring pack weighted to my payload, when the TC is off the ride is going to horrible. My dream setup would allow for the lightened truck to articulate without the TC and with. Asking too much maybe Thanks in advance!

 

[lucilius]

Kevin_j,
7.3 is a good motor though they are two decades+ old so be careful shopping or you could end up with a really expensive project and some of the replacement body and engine parts can be hard to find now and maybe harder in the future though these trucks seem to be having a revival in popularity like old Land Cruisers. Also, it will be expensive to get a 7.3 near the power (hp/ft lbs) of a 6.0, 6.4 or 6.7, with the trade-off that a well-maintained 7.3 is phenomenally reliable and doesn't have all of the fault-prone technology and emissions hardware and (6.7) DEF issues to deal with, and should be cheaper to repair when something goes wrong and will have no problem with foreign fuel.
Go to someone with experience for your leaf springs and be clear with what you want to do and how heavy you will be fully loaded, like Alcan or Deaver for mail order or look for a custom manufacturer nearby. You might look into a Firestone Ride-rite or equivalent: easy to install and maintain, raise/lower PSI with a bike pump, and quite inexpensive given the 5,000lbs of load support it adds to your rear springs. The latter would allow you to quickly transition rear suspension from loaded with TC to "wheeling" without the TC. In addition, be sure your wheel/tire rating+inflation solution is rated for the loads you will be carrying. I've known/seen quite a few folks out there with inadequate wheels and tires that are operating near the edge of their load rating, especially if they're going offroad and / or pulling a trailer and / or driving in summer heat on the highway which are all really tough conditions for tires to deal with individually let alone in combination. For example, the earthroamers and other F550/Ram 5500 campers with MPT81 tires operate quite close to the factory limits of their tires and there have been a number of tire failures reported. I suspect some of this is due to driving too fast for the MPT81's 68mph max speed rating as well as any underinflation (max 6780lbs at 95 PSI drops to 5900 lbs at 75PSI drops to 5000lbs at 60PSI, etc.) on the ~12-13k lbs rear axle weight on those things, but getting and maintaining the right wheels and tires as well as onroad vs offroad PSI for your specific truck and everything carried is never something to take lightly.

 

[kevin_j]

Kevin_j,
The latter would allow you to quickly transition rear suspension from loaded with TC to "wheeling" without the TC. In addition, be sure your wheel/tire rating+inflation solution is rated for the loads you will be carrying. I've known/seen quite a few folks out there with inadequate wheels and tires that are operating near the edge of their load rating, especially if they're going offroad and / or pulling a trailer and / or driving in summer heat on the highway which are all really tough conditions for tires to deal with individually let alone in combination.

Thank you and great advice!! I'm currently a fulltimer and I hear you on the tire/wheel rating issues. I constantly see folks rolling well over the ratings of their tires, wheels, and sometimes the GVWR. Kinda crazy!!! As for the 7.3, I'm going that way for all the reasons you mention. I'm kinda lucky that most of the beat up ones I'm finding are exactly what I don't want.... crew cab, dually, long bed. But your dead right, finding a truck that isn't a huge project is going to take some time!! Thanks again for your insightful words!!

 

[takotruckin]

I have something similar. 2000 F250 CCSB 7.3. 37x12.50R17. 2” rear lift, 4” front. Front axle is pushed forward about 1.5” to help the tires clear the back of the fenders. I highly recommend regearing, I used to run 35’s with 3.73 gears and went to 4.30 and the truck is much happier. I really wouldn’t want 37’s with the 3.73s especially with a loaded camper. Currently running stock springs front and rear and Hellwig Big Wig airbags in the rear.
The truck flexes pretty decently with the stock springs, especially with nice you disconnect the sway bars. I’ve wheeled the truck pretty heavily over the years and it works well for a full size.
Most of these trucks come from the factory with a Dana 50 front axle, which WILL break the pinion shaft under heavy use. A Dana 60 will bolt in with slight mods. The pinion is longer on the D60 which is good for allowing you to push the axle forward without driveline mods.
I would go 18” wheels for more tire choices, I’m really interested in Nitto Ridge grapplers in 37x11.50R18. If you really want wide Toyo has a 37x13.50R17 that has awesome 4300lb load capacity, I just don’t want to go that wide.

I recently bought an 8’ Six Pac that I’m fixing up and planning on doing some mild wheeling and stuff with the camper, so my plans are relatively similar to yours.
my camper is about 1700lbs, will likely end up over 2500 once I’m done with it.

Feel free to ask any specific questions you might have

 

[kevin_j]

I recently bought an 8’ Six Pac that I’m fixing up and planning on doing some mild wheeling and stuff with the camper, so my plans are relatively similar to yours.
my camper is about 1700lbs, will likely end up over 2500 once I’m done with it.

Feel free to ask any specific questions you might have

That's awesome!! Thank you! I do have a couple of questions, but it's interesting you brought up some points that I was thinking about. For one I've narrowed down my search to a 2003 7.3. They are hard to find, but they're out there. Main reason is the Dana 60. I might be backing off on my tire size though. I just went through this with my Land Cruiser and I'm trying to space out the mods a bit on this one If you don't mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these:
1. What's the largest tire that will fit in the factory spare area?
2. I know nothing about the suspension on these trucks. I keep hearing folks talk about a 4" lift in the front and 2.5" in the rear. I'm assuming the rear of the truck sits higher due to the leafs. Is that true when it's loaded as well? I'm just trying to better understand the geometry.

Thanks for that insight! A while ago I had a F-250 crew cab, but that was before I started getting into offroad. Small ironies in life

 

[redthies]

If you want load capacity and wheeling flex, airbags are the only way to go. Get Daystars “airbag cradles” and you’ll be a happy guy. They are a support for the lower part of the bag to sit in, and you don’t have to bolt the bottom down. If you do the standard bolt the top and bottom, your airbags will become the limit of your flex, and if you are getting to the point of extending them to the max, you will end up tearing them apart. Sooner rather than later too.

 

[takotruckin]

That's awesome!! Thank you! I do have a couple of questions, but it's interesting you brought up some points that I was thinking about. For one I've narrowed down my search to a 2003 7.3. They are hard to find, but they're out there. Main reason is the Dana 60. I might be backing off on my tire size though. I just went through this with my Land Cruiser and I'm trying to space out the mods a bit on this one If you don't mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these:
1. What's the largest tire that will fit in the factory spare area?
2. I know nothing about the suspension on these trucks. I keep hearing folks talk about a 4" lift in the front and 2.5" in the rear. I'm assuming the rear of the truck sits higher due to the leafs. Is that true when it's loaded as well? I'm just trying to better understand the geometry.

Thanks for that insight! A while ago I had a F-250 crew cab, but that was before I started getting into offroad. Small ironies in life

A 37x12.50 will fit in the spare area, if the exhaust is modified and does not run out the back, mine dumps in front of the rear axle. My spare was trashed and I just replaced it with a 255/80 which is about 33” tall and very narrow. I will have to put it in the front to use it for any period of time, but I am OK with that for the departure clearance I’m gaining back with a narrower spare hanging down.

From the factory the rear sits considerably higher than the rear. It will level out as you load it, probably 1000 lbs will level a stock truck

Don’t assume you’re getting a D60 because it is an 03, check the numbers in the axle. As far as I can tell Ford wasn’t consistent.


I’m taking a slightly different approach with my airbags to get the articulation. The Hellwig Big Wig airbags that I wanted are larger diameter and do not fit the Daystar cradles. So I will be welding a lip onto the lower airbag bracket to provide the same function of locating the airbag on the lower mount and will allow the airbag to free float during droop travel. I have also positioned the brackets so that they do not compensate for my lift. Meaning airbags are extended an extra 2” at ride height. This is enough to prevent the airbag from limiting bump travel or being pinched when off roading. Even with the airbags extended I am finding that they still only need about 50 psi to level my truck when the camper is loaded.

 

[jtcym1149]

I have a 250 and a 350 with 7.3's. 250 is a crew cab shortbed and I had a camplite 6.8 TC and 35x17 bfgs. I love 35" bfgs and I'm currently on my fourth set. They fit in the spare tire location if the hitch comes down on the outside of the frame rail. I hated driving with the camplite but it had a 9" basement. Ended up selling the TC because I never liked how the truck turned or handled with that super tall camper on it. As far as a base vehicle the trucks are flawless. Both are just under 300k miles and I've had no issues. The 350 was a work truck that I gambled on with 200k mi when I bought it but other than the bad tranny it came with its just been the usual items, brakes, ball joints, wheelbearings, and universal joints. You can stuff 35's with no lift if you cut the bumper and pull back the fender well. I would favor the longbed because of the 38 gallon tank vs the 25 in the shortbed. A flatbed dually might be the best option. It has a dana 60 up front. Make it a srw and based on your door sticker weight you'll be totally legal. I have 3.73's but both are 6 speed manuals. I went the programmer route rather than regear and I'm happy with the low highway rpm and I have a low gear in case I'm heavy and on a hill.

 

[kevin_j]

Well I pulled the trigger a few months ago! Picked up a 1999 F-350 in Pueblo CO in February. It's a CC, SRW, 7.3, with the manual. It's pretty amazing. I've towed about 1300 miles with it. I love the manual transmission!! In low I rarely need to apply any gas at all even when towing. I went conservative on the tires and went with 33" ST/MAXX Coopers. Also added Hellwig air bags. For the last three weeks I've been hauling a Northern Lite 8-11. Overall it's been pretty amazing. With no lift and just the tire upgrade this truck has done excellent in Utah mud and Cascade snow. Thanks so much for all the advice!! It really helped!

 

[takotruckin]

Nice setup. It looks like it’s a late 99 so it should have all the updated parts. It doesn’t get much more reliable than a manual 7.3 super duty. How do you like the Coopers so far? I’m torn between them and the Ridge Grappler.

 

[jtcym1149]

Good choice on a base vehicle. I'm a believer. Just bought my 3rd 7.3. Only engine better is a 5.9 12 valve cummins.