I just bought my first special (1971 f250 ranger XLT camper special) and am trying to get the ride height back to what it once was.... I got a good deal on bigger tires (285/75r16) and they rub a bit in the corners or over bumps. I looked around for f250 spring replacements but could only find 6500 GVWR rated springs... My special is 8100.
I found some Moog springs for a 77-79 f350 rated at 10,000 but don't know that they would fit. Any suggestions?
1971 Rnger XLT Camper Special needs new springs
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multiphonic
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1971 Rnger XLT Camper Special needs new springs
1971 F250 Camper Special Ranger XLT
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robroy
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Re: 1971 Rnger XLT Camper Special needs new springs
Good day Multiphonic,
A Quick Reply
My current guess is that one of these two options is best, and I'm not sure which: a Moog CC828 set, or paying Eaton to custom-make a set.
The Moog CC828 set's cheap ($82 from RockAuto) and simple up-front, yet may require creativity with the bottom retainer bracket, and may also require having your I-beams bent to correct your camber post-install.
The Eaton's less cheap and simple up-front, yet ought to fit your factory hold-down bracket and preserve (or restore) correct camber.
A Detailed Rant
My F250's similar to yours (8,100lb rating). Back in 2008, I wanted to restore its original ride height. Actually, I wanted to make the truck level (instead of having a rake); 'not sure whether I realized at the time that our trucks sat down a little in the front from the factory.
I spent a lot of time looking in to this. After failing to find a ready-made replacement for our application, my options seemed to be to have Eaton custom-make springs for me, or try Dentside springs.
I heard from Eaton that they'd be happy to make the springs, yet they didn't have the specifications for what Ford put in our trucks. So, they'd depend on me to supply them with information on what I wanted (the height and rate, I guess, though I don't remember clearly now). Their price seemed cheap for a one-off, but was still much more than the ~$100 part-store Dentside alternatives. They may have wanted about $300.
So, I figured it would be simpler to try Dentside springs than to conjure up specifications for Eaton.
Thus began my Dentside spring adventure, which continues to this day (including a six-year break).
Steve (FLATBEDFORD) recommended Moog cc828, and I now wish I'd followed his advice. Yet since my then-preference was for a fixed-rate spring (for an old-fashioned ride), and the cc828 was variable-rate, I tried a Moog 8646 and a Spicer 5851124.
The first Moog 8646 set I ordered came malformed; the bottom part of one wasn't bent correctly (even for its intended Dentside application). It was then I learned that even if the springs are supposed to fit (which these weren't), it may take multiple attempts to get a reasonable set (ouch).
Of the two, the Spicer 5851124 fit better, but still not perfectly; the bottom loop was too large, so the fit under the factory retainer was poor. This meant that while torquing down the retainer, the bottom spring coil kept wanting to sproing out. I "fixed" this situation by making (crude) custom retainers that were wider than the factory ones. By the time I got these springs, I think I'd used up all my morale for shipping springs back'n'forth. 'suppose I'd feel embarrassed about having resigned myself to such a funky solution today, if not for having out-done it with plenty of even less wise decisions since then.
The truck's camber was obviously out of spec with the Spicer 5851124's installed, though they did make the truck sit level (no more rake).
The only way to bring the camber back in to spec's to cold-bend the I-beams (without heating them). I did find a shop up in Mountain View (Custom Alignment) capable of doing this job, yet that's a few hours away and I haven't dealt with it yet.
These threads may be of interest:
F350 coil springs
Will '73-'79 coil springs fit my '72 F250? (8,100lb GVW)
A Quick Reply
My current guess is that one of these two options is best, and I'm not sure which: a Moog CC828 set, or paying Eaton to custom-make a set.
The Moog CC828 set's cheap ($82 from RockAuto) and simple up-front, yet may require creativity with the bottom retainer bracket, and may also require having your I-beams bent to correct your camber post-install.
The Eaton's less cheap and simple up-front, yet ought to fit your factory hold-down bracket and preserve (or restore) correct camber.
A Detailed Rant
My F250's similar to yours (8,100lb rating). Back in 2008, I wanted to restore its original ride height. Actually, I wanted to make the truck level (instead of having a rake); 'not sure whether I realized at the time that our trucks sat down a little in the front from the factory.
I spent a lot of time looking in to this. After failing to find a ready-made replacement for our application, my options seemed to be to have Eaton custom-make springs for me, or try Dentside springs.
I heard from Eaton that they'd be happy to make the springs, yet they didn't have the specifications for what Ford put in our trucks. So, they'd depend on me to supply them with information on what I wanted (the height and rate, I guess, though I don't remember clearly now). Their price seemed cheap for a one-off, but was still much more than the ~$100 part-store Dentside alternatives. They may have wanted about $300.
So, I figured it would be simpler to try Dentside springs than to conjure up specifications for Eaton.
Thus began my Dentside spring adventure, which continues to this day (including a six-year break).
Steve (FLATBEDFORD) recommended Moog cc828, and I now wish I'd followed his advice. Yet since my then-preference was for a fixed-rate spring (for an old-fashioned ride), and the cc828 was variable-rate, I tried a Moog 8646 and a Spicer 5851124.
The first Moog 8646 set I ordered came malformed; the bottom part of one wasn't bent correctly (even for its intended Dentside application). It was then I learned that even if the springs are supposed to fit (which these weren't), it may take multiple attempts to get a reasonable set (ouch).
Of the two, the Spicer 5851124 fit better, but still not perfectly; the bottom loop was too large, so the fit under the factory retainer was poor. This meant that while torquing down the retainer, the bottom spring coil kept wanting to sproing out. I "fixed" this situation by making (crude) custom retainers that were wider than the factory ones. By the time I got these springs, I think I'd used up all my morale for shipping springs back'n'forth. 'suppose I'd feel embarrassed about having resigned myself to such a funky solution today, if not for having out-done it with plenty of even less wise decisions since then.
The truck's camber was obviously out of spec with the Spicer 5851124's installed, though they did make the truck sit level (no more rake).
The only way to bring the camber back in to spec's to cold-bend the I-beams (without heating them). I did find a shop up in Mountain View (Custom Alignment) capable of doing this job, yet that's a few hours away and I haven't dealt with it yet.
These threads may be of interest:
F350 coil springs
Will '73-'79 coil springs fit my '72 F250? (8,100lb GVW)