i now own 3 ford trucks. my latest purchase is a 1981 f-150 4x4. it has the 300 6cyl, a granny low 4 spd and an np208 t-case, a 9" rear end and the stock ttb front end(d-44 i hear).it is geared 4.10 front and rear with traction aids in both axles. were the lockers or limited slips factory or were they added by a previous owner? also is there any way to get rid of the rear-high look that this truck has? i am planning a set of 33x12.50 tires and a 3" body lift soon. this is planned as a play truck since my other 2 trucks see much usage as work trucks. will 33" tires and 3" body lift work or do i need more lift? also the front radius arm bushings appear to be in dire need of replacement, is this a hard job for the shadetree mechanic with a shadetree the size of the rose bowl? if not where can i get them and how much should i spend? thanks in advance for the help and later y'all.

Believe it or not the 33's will fit stock. You may have a little rubbing with them though. Enjoy what you have a little while unless you already are set in what you want to do. Buy the 33's and then see how you like them. They will rub on the stock radius arms but the adjustment nut can help alleviate that some. It is hard to say that if the previous owner put lockers in there or not. If it is a full time deal it should be easy to see but if it came stock they are the Track Loc unit provided by Ford. It is a clutch operated limited slip and work when they are maintained which most of the time means they are crap because I have only met one guy who actually changed the clutches in his. I think if you check your door codes it will be able to tell you if your truck came stock with these units. I would highly recomend coming up with a suspension lift idea for your offroading needs. Body lifts can be cool but do not be fooled into thinking that they are easier than a suspension lift (both can cause you to swear). Truely capable rigs with this setup take the time to raise the bumpers and gas tank. Along with the adjustments to the tranny and Tcase linkage. What is your primary objective in building your truck? Rocks? Mud? Sand? Or general purpose trail rig. Understand that the more you make the truck offroadable it will reduce its performance on the street and you must change your driving skills accordingly. I hope this didn't sound like a lecture. Just trying to help. And... Welcome to the board! [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

You can do the radius arm bushings, but it'll take a few hours and lots of blood, sweat, & tears. [img]images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] The parts are less than $30 even if you use polyurethane (which I highly recommend), but the installation is a bear. You either have to pull the axle beams forward to get the backs of the radius arms out, or grind the rivets off the RA brackets.

welcome,

to get rid of that front rake, you could buy some steel front coil spacers, or buy new coils. Several companies make an "overload" type coil that provides 1-2" of lift for sagging fronts or if you use a winch or plow up front.

where can i buy these overload type coils or coil spacers?

Superlift makes the coil spacers I speak of, and mine were purchased through 4WPH [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img]. You can get 1" max with these. They are sold in 1/4" increments. I am currently about to add 3/4" front lift using this method. As to new coils, many companies make the 1-2" springs, and I will let others chime in as to their experience with these since I have none.

ohhhh too coool, new icon [img]images/graemlins/cussing.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/puke.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img]

Ohhh yeah!!!!
wait, one more since the RAIDERS just kicked A$$
[img]images/graemlins/cussing.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img]

Are the coil spacers really safe to use under moderate offroading? Cant remember where I heard it, but I remember hearing that stacking the 1/4 inchers (4 of them) to get a full inch is not safe. Hope I heard wrong as I was also looking for a way to get height in the front in the cheapest means (without paying full price for new springs and then having to get the TTB aligned). Thanks.

They are ok to use. 1" is the max though. And to get that much you will also have to loosen the bolt so you can screw it out to put a couple of the spacers under the one nut that is on the bolt. That I am anticipating will require some heat and a big cheater bar, since the torque on that bolt is like 200ft/lbs or so.
1" is all you can add anyway, as there is not enough thread on this bolt to add any more anyway. It is probably best to use this method as sparingly as possible. I already have 4" up front, so the main reason I am adding the extra 3/4" is for proper stance of the truck after adding a winch up front.