indigoman

• Definitely needs to be replaced?
• What might need to be replaced?
• What manufacturer(s) do you recommend?
• And what else should I be looking out for right now?

Steve83

No, it's not clear. The truck doesn't have struts, and springs (coils or leaves) don't get replaced unless they're damaged or measurably sagging. You definitely need to read the maintenance schedule, and catch up anything that's overdue. If you don't have the one for your truck, click this & read the caption:


(phone app link)

If you want to DIY, then need to own & READ the Haynes manual:


(phone app link)

Of course, the best brand is Ford/MotorCraft, regardless of manufacturer. Junkyard parts (OE) are the highest quality, but of course, many are worn out or damaged.

If the tires have NOT been rotated recently, they're the best way of diagnosing the suspension. Read this, its caption, and the links in the caption:


(phone app link)

BLDTruth

The bouncy test is generally a good way to see if you need shocks. That would be the only thing that would qualify under definitely. They are easy to replace if things aren't rusty and don't really require attention to anything else. Springs (coils or leafs) only need to be replaced if you have a noticeable sag, or if you want something more heavy duty. If the truck is new to you, brakes. Always brakes first.

What else you should be looking out for will be dependent on how much maintenance history you have on the truck. The front ends of these trucks are notorious for wearing out and eating tires because of poor alignment. If you are mechanically inclined and have a decent tool set, consider rebuilding the front end and replacing most if not all of the bushings on the truck. If, say you need to turn your front rotors, it would be an excellent time to inspect/replace and re-grease your wheel bearings. And if it were me, since I was in that deep, I would be changing my ball joints and tie rods too. Got sway bars? Replace the bushings with energy suspension poly.

As far as brands - I use moog for everything I can find, and I use energy suspension for bushings. Currently I am running the KYB Excel G shocks on my truck and they are great for the basic street/highway driving I use my truck for.

Go to rockauto.com for everything, then cross reference prices on amazon, ebay, etc.

indigoman

Brakes and tires were the first to get replaced so those won't be coming off unless they have to. I'll be putting Moog cc824 coils up front for leveling so are there any aftermarket parts (caster/camber plates, bolts, bushings, etc.) that I will need to install to allow for a proper alignment? I don't plan on lifting the truck.

I have no maintenance history for the truck and am assuming everything is original. I purchased it for pennies from the previous owner's widow and AFAIK, the truck was used for work in it's early years so I'm also assuming it's 150k miles were rough.

What components specifically are you referring to as "rebuilding the front end"? The long term goal is to freshen everything up so knowing now what else may be on it's way out or if there are any wearable parts that might not need to be replaced in entirety would help me estimate costs and make a plan. All of my mechanical/technical experience with cars, though extensive, is limited to V8 S197 Mustangs and the VAG A4, A5 & MQB platforms. Unfortunately that vehicle-specific knowledge doesn't transfer over to this platform and I need to get started on this immediately.

Energy Suspension bushings are on my list and I'll check out those shocks, I don't think I need anything more substantial than OE unless the extra height up front with the cc824 would make it so.

BLDTruth

I have those exact coils on my truck and love them. You will need a camber bushing alignment afterwards. You can purchase adjustable camber/caster bushings - but I have always favored allowing the shop doing the alignment to install a solid bushing once they figure out what is needed. Finding a good alignment shop is really important here, and expect to pay upwards of $200 for a bushing install and alignment.

Since you are putting on new coils and getting an alignment, then you might as well do all the things you can that would also require an alignment afterwards: Ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rods, I beam pivot bushings, radius arm bushings - those would all be on my list. Doing all those things, in my estimation, is the equivalent of rebuilding the front end on a 2WD. There are special tools you will need, but can probably rent from a national parts house. Lots of youtube videos too.

These are all things that need to be in good shape to align your truck in the first place. Most reputable shops will not even try to attempt an alignment if you have any play in any of these components, because it is physically impossible to do it properly.

Moog also sells the tie rods and ball joints you want. For bearings/races/seals I like timken or national brand.

Another consideration would be factory sway bars and their bushings - if you don't have them, now would be the time to add them if you want them, especially in the front which requires removal of the spring to install. If you already have them, poly bushings would be a good cheap upgrade.

indigoman

Alright, I have all of those front end components plus the shocks priced out at Rockauto and for bushings the Prothane 62028 kit seems like a good choice to remain cost effective. I also went through your thread "The List" and added a few things from there. Now that I have part numbers I can compare prices like you mentioned.

I inspected the leaf springs and have decided to replace those with the shocks. Anything you suggest I take care of at the same time?

BLDTruth

I forgot about that thread! The list has gotten a lot longer, I will have to add to it soon. Mostly fun stuff though.

Energy Suspension over prothane, every time. I'd even go with moog over energy suspension if they have it available.

If you are going to replace the leaf springs, you might consider going with 4WD springs. They are wider so they would require you to replace the hangers as well. I am a "why not upgrade this since I am replacing it anyways" kind of guy. Only other thign I can think of to replace in the rear would be the sway bar links and bushings - again, moog sells both.

indigoman

That's a good point about upgrading but at this point that is not something I'm concerned with.

I'm replacing the clutch, flywheel and hydraulics this weekend and I'm going to replace the rear main seal while the transmission is off. Can you think of anything else in that area I might want to consider while I have the opportunity?

BLDTruth

Oil pan gasket would be the only obvious thing thing I would think of, but since I have never done a rear main on a 302 I'm not even sure the pan has to be dropped. If the pan does have to be dropped, and since you suspect it has 150k "rough" miles, I would be considering a timing chain/water pump replacement - I know its the wrong end of the engine but since the pan is off it will make the timing cover pull and reseal that much easier to do.

Steve83

If it's not leaking, I recommend you leave it alone. You're more likely to create a leak than to prevent one.


(phone app link)

In any case: be SURE to seal the flexplate bolt threads to the crankshaft flange. Common blue threadlocker is best, but both sets of threads must be clean & dry.