I was wondering if it was OK to remove the rear leaf's on my 2003 F-150 to help level it out. I have a buddy that is "mechanic - savvy" and he said this would be just as good as getting a leveling/lowering kit. Is he right or should I buy a lowering/leveling kit?

 

Only one i would take out is the overload spring (the very short one on the bottom) and that will give you 1/2" - 3/4" drop

Get a real kit and get low

 

Awesome. Thanks for the input. Did you use a kit for your truck? If so, is there any brand out there that is better than the rest?

 

id go DJM Suspension.

 

Yea i have 3" eibach hangers/coils and 2" shackles for a total of 3/5 drop

eibach is good, ground force is cheaper price but still good. If you want really good performance and have money to spend get hotchkiss. To get as low as me you will have to do a flip kit or hangers/shackles.

 

The reason you don't want to remove leafs is that the ride gets very bouncy and spongy, the more you remove. Also, you can not haul anything without it bottoming out on you. Definitely get a drop kit.

 

to add to what blue is saying, the overload spring doesnt bear any weight, just keeps the springs from being damaged if you overload on payload/tounge weight. The rest of the springs are all needed for ride/payload.

Also i forgot to say that there are some drop kits that have replacement leaf springs (replaces all of them) but you there is no real way to know what your payload/towing is after you put those on.
-Patrick

 

The Roush drop kit with new leafpacks keeps the same payload, as does the Ground Force.

 

Thanks for all the help guys! Has anyone done this on their own? Or have you guys taken them in to be done? For those that have done it on their own, any tips?

 

jack the truck up with tires just barely skimming the ground, support frame, undo leaf U bolts (very tight) C clamp the leafs you want to keep, drop the axle enough to slide the overload out (small alignment pin going down through the leafs. Make sure the shim (little rectangle) goes back in the same orientation it came out, and go back together.

Same thing for replacement leafs, but you unbolt the leafs from the hangers and shackles and take all of it out.
-Patrick

 

You don't want to remove the overload if you do any sort of hauling or towing because that leaf is what gives the truck the majority of the spring capacity. If you never haul or tow then take it out. For example the standard 3(2/1) leaf system on the 97-03 with the overload has a 1250 lbs capacity per side while the Lightning takes 5 leaves without an overload to reach the same 1250 lbs capacity so if you take out the overload you will lose a big chunk of that capacity but again not a big deal if you don't haul or tow. If you have 4(3/1) system I'd remove the 2nd leaf but if you have the 3(2/1) system then take out the overload but as far as height if you remove the overload you will only go down the thickness of the overload which is usually between 1/2 - 3/4" thick. If it was my truck I'd go with some beltech drop shackles because they have different settings with a max drop of 2". If you do decide on removing a leaf you'll need a new center bolt which is a 7/16.

 

Thanks Patrick and Kansas Joe.

After reading everone's input I would prefer to NOT take any of the leafs out. However, I am confused by some of the Lowering Kits. Some have leafs, shocks, springs and shackles, while some only have shackles and springs, etc. What is really needed to lower the vehicle?

Also, what's the purpose of a flip kit?

 

you can use any combination of any parts in the rear

Hanger 2 or 3" drop PITA to install
Shackles, easy to install 2 or 3" rare 4" but i wouldnt do more then 2"
Flip kit 5" drop puts the axle ontop of the leafs instead of below. (best quality ride)

Spings up front 1-2-3" I would stay away from 3" coils, hard to align the truck
Spindles up front 3" usually need 18" + rims to clear the new spindles, factory springs still, so good ride quality