Hey guys! Name is Michael. I'm a full time college student so my mod thread won't move very fast but when I have questions I will post them and I will also keep everybody up to date on my truck's progress. My truck is a 4.2 liter, black 1997 F-150 4x4 regular cab extended bed. It was in a wreck before I bought it so it's kind of banged up, but I like it. The rust underneath the truck on the frame is pretty bad because it came from Pennsylvania where they have a lot of snow and salt on the roads in the winter time. So far I have cranked the torsion bars some and put 2 inch Rough Country blocks underneath the back. I need some opinions about

1. whether or not it's ok to crank up the bars a little more
2. what size larger tire should I get that wouldn't screw up my gas mileage too much (say no more than 1 MPG)
3. what I could do(fairly inexpensive) about the rust underneath

I have researched a lot on the forum about cv joint angles. This is why I'm concerned. Here's some pictures of the truck and the view of the boots. Sorry about the quality. It's just a phone picture. And it was rainy that day.

Thanks ahead of time!







P.S. If the pictures aren't showing up go to my photobucket album here: http://s1160.photobucket.com/albums/q485/mtr014/

 

Fixed the pictures for you man, welcome to the site!

For the torsion bars, you can crank them all the way and still be in factory spec and not overly wear any components. The link in my sig can probably answer a lot of suspension related questions for you.

As for the frame por-15 will be your best friend.

And unfortunately going to any bigger tire size is gonna drop your mileage. Even a wider tire, or a tire with a more agressive pattern such as a m/t tire will affect your mileage and most likely drop you 1mpg or so at least.

 

Thanks man. So cranking up the bars all the way doesn't wear out the ball joints prematurely?

 

Welcome to the site. Cheers to the much-maligned 4.2 4X4

How many miles on the 4.2? Any idea if the lower manifold gaskets have been changed? '97 4.2's are prone to gasket failure/hydrolock. There's a lot of info around on the subject, if you aren't already aware of the problem.

 

Not prematurely, you'll shave a little off their life from where you have them now but not enough for it to be noticeable, I'd expect them to last still pretty close to their full life. Of course that depends on if you offroad the truck or not because that'll wear them faster haha. But cranking all the way up like you probably noticed after you cranked them up the first time the ride will get a little stiffer.

 

Fairlaner - I love my truck! It's got 157,xxx miles on it. It had 127,000 when I bought it. I really have no idea if the gaskets have been changed. I'm not very mechanically inclined. Could you explain what that means or give a a thread to read about it?

Pizzaman - you've been a big help. When I get enough money to get some bigger tires I am going to go ahead and crank the bars then so I won't have to have it alligned again.

 

'97-'98 4.2's had lower intake manifold gaskets that didn't last real long. Eventually they would start to leak, allowing coolant to seep into a cylinder when the engine isn't running. When you went to start the truck, the coolant in the cylinder can't compress, which "hydrolocks" the motor, destroying it. At 157K, my guess is the gaskets were changed or the motor would have self-destructed by now. Google or search here for 4.2 hydrolock, and you'll find more info than you care to know.

BTW, mine is also a 4.2 4x4, and I'm real happy w/ it. It does well what I bought it for (which certainly wasn't hauling/towing large loads).

 

Very nice looking truck, would look really good with some 33's under it

 

nice looking rig. +1 on bigger tires.

I cranked my bars all the way and the ride was really rough. backed them off a few turns and its just right.

you might want to loosen up the front bumper bolts and raise the bumper up, to close that gap between bumper and grille.

 

Fairlaner - how much do lower intake manifold gaskets run? O searched it and found out that somebody on a different forum had a 4.2 that hydrolocked at 163,000. Would my local Ford dealership carry them?

4x4wolf - thanks. Are 33s the next step up from stock?

Howies_Effie - I don't care if its rough. I just want it level. That's a good idea about the front bumper!

 

I wouldn't go with 33's if I were you. I have nearly the same truck. 2001 4.2 Regular Cab Long bed 4x4 and I had 33's on for about 6 months and it really killed my power. The truck became really sluggish and not much fun to drive. I downsized to 265s (31.6) and was much happier.

Here are some pics for reference.
285/75/16 w/ Cranked Torsion Bars





New setup. 265/70/17 w/ Cranked Torsion Bars

 

I love the way your truck looks! I was afraid that 33s or 35s would make acceleration slower. I like those 265s though. Not too much difference in looks.

I've been thinking about a bull bar too but I don't want to lose my tow hooks! Is that why you took yours off?

 

Does anyone have an opinion on General tires? I like these http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...2852&fsv=false

Would they fit my stock wheels?

 

General tires are a great choice. As for the bull bar I'd skip it, if you ever get in a front end accident it'll cause more damage than it'll prevent, to your truck.

 

regular cab longbeds ftw! My previous truck was a 4.2L and I had 285/75/16s on it and they killed my power. Truck was most comfortable with 265/70/16s if I remember right. Heres my reg cab long bed 4.6L