WA 2 FST
05-12-2004, 05:55 PM
Didn't take me too long...about 3.5 hours, taking my time and taking a b'fast break after doing the fronts. The rear was more of a pain than the front, but only b/c I had to figure out the proper sequence in bolting up the leaf springs...if I didn't do it back, middle and finally the front mounting point in that order, then it would not line up. Once I figured that out on one side, the other side went quickly. The ONLY thing I did not do (and will have done tomorrow) is the rear shocks. I wasn't going to curse all day at the driver's side rear shock. I'm taking the truck to Bob Tomes Ford tomorrow AM to have the oil changed, and I'll just have them install the two rear shocks.
I need some more seat time before I post my impressions on any performance improvement, but I can say that the ride hasn't suffered from stock. Maybe you feel the smaller bumps a tad more (but any difference is very hard to tell), but large undulations in the road are no more severe than stock. The truck seems to corner very hard, but I don't road race it, so I never found the limits of the stock setup (either on this truck or my '99).
The ride height is VASTLY improved. I kept the stock rear shackles, so the truck still has a rake to it. But it is dropped to a great height now. :) I didn't measure before, but I took a couple of before/after pics and I will post them late tonight when I get back home.
It is true that this isn't a cheap way to mod the suspension, but the completeness of the package is nice, and its obviously engineered well enough that all the pieces work together...given that its dropped 2+" and yet it still maintains near-stock (if not stock) ride quality. I'm pleased.
I need some more seat time before I post my impressions on any performance improvement, but I can say that the ride hasn't suffered from stock. Maybe you feel the smaller bumps a tad more (but any difference is very hard to tell), but large undulations in the road are no more severe than stock. The truck seems to corner very hard, but I don't road race it, so I never found the limits of the stock setup (either on this truck or my '99).
The ride height is VASTLY improved. I kept the stock rear shackles, so the truck still has a rake to it. But it is dropped to a great height now. :) I didn't measure before, but I took a couple of before/after pics and I will post them late tonight when I get back home.
It is true that this isn't a cheap way to mod the suspension, but the completeness of the package is nice, and its obviously engineered well enough that all the pieces work together...given that its dropped 2+" and yet it still maintains near-stock (if not stock) ride quality. I'm pleased.