Here's what I'm thinking. Imagine a regular TTB front suspension on a F250, complete with leaf springs. Now lets remove the leaf springs and replace them with coil springs, basically the setup of a F150 TTB but using the Dana 50 components of a F250. I would think it could be a big improvement in ride quality and suspension articulation but it would keep the stronger D50 components up front. I imagine the coil towers from a 2wd F250/350 could be used and the coil mounting brackets from a 2wd axle beam could be adapted to the area where the leaf spring mounting pads are on the axle.

Has this been done or discussed before? I'm actually thinking about this for my F250. I've replaced the TTB with a solid D60 a while ago, while it makes for a bullet proof drive train the truck rides like a broken ox cart on any surface that isn't glassy smooth. A newer generation F250 w/ a coil sprung solid axle is just too far out of reach right now, so I'm just thinking of ways to work with what I have available to me at the current time.

Thanks for sharing any ideas!

 

How about a 05+ SD front axle swap with coils. been done alot and is almost a bolt in weekend job

 

By almost bolt in what do you mean? what is actually required and what is modified?.

 

I'd rather buy the '05 and not have to adapt any axles to anything but I can't at this time, that's why I sad I want to work with what I have available to me.

 

Coils beat leafs in every way so I think you idea has merit, I don't know if it will produce a substantial improvement in ride quality with appropriate for an f250 springs in there but I don't see it making it any worse. You will need to add radius arms too of course to keep the axle located and longer than stock versions would improve geometry and increase potential travel so you may want to consider that while you're at it.

 

Contact Home he has done a bunch of them

 

I understand not wanting to buy a newer superduty just to get a coil sprung front end, but why won't you consider this option? It sounds like you don't want to do any fabrication, but yet you still want to convert from leafs to coils.

 

I always thought if I had an F250 and was converting it to 4x4, I would do it this way, using the 2wd coil buckets.

 

So when you slug the Dana 60 under your truck did you use a stock F350 setup? If you did why don't you look into a shackle reversal kit? You don't have to do any fabricating and should get a much better ride.

Also, someone will have to chime in with the details, but I know I've seen F250s with coil sprung TTB before. Like I said I don't know the details, 50/44HD, LD/HD, years, option package, but I know that they are out there and could be a source for parts. Though if a remember ride the coils were so stiff that you still had the same ride as a left spring truck

 

No 4x4 F-250 of this era came with coil springs from the factory.

 

I've been reading about those. I'm really interested in the swap. I'm thinking about using that to convert to 4x4. You'd get the handling and turning radius of a 2wd, with the added benefit of being to go up a slight inclined hill in grass.

 

I'm very interested in the 05+ SD swap. Definitely got to look that one up.

I've also thought that a TTB 50 with coils would have been a much better solution than leafs. My guess, but I don't know, is that the radius arms would have to be custom.

But, off the top of my head:
Coil buckets from a 2wd F250/350
Fabbed up lower mounts
Radius mounts from 2wd F250/350 or F150, which ever fit better
Fabbed up radius arms.

 

If u have the bullet proff d60 I would keep that and put coil springs on it it would seem easier to weld the bucket to the straight front axle and u wouldn't have to worry about the problematic d50. Or u could run a set of sky jacket soft rides?? Just a thought

 

It's not a matter of not wanting to buy a SD, it's a matter of not wanting to spend the money at this time. The conversion I'm trying to discuss is something that might be much more manageable right now. I never said anything about trying to avoid fabrication, I'm just thinking about using existing hardware within this generation of trucks to achieve a certain goal. I've read a few threads that showed the SD axles being stuffed under this generation of trucks, I personally think the conversions aren't very well thought out or engineered, they just look like typical back yard hack jobs.

As far as doing a shackle reversal, I'm not interested in lifting the truck at all, every one of those reversal kits jacks the front end up in the air, that's something I don't want.

 

This is basically what I'm thinking, if I'm going to move forward at all with this the next step is to go to a junk yard and get some measurements then try to model it in CATIA. There's no reason it can't work, it's a matter of deciding if the end result would be worth the effort. I'd need to it to be functional, not just "different".