I have an all original 2000 F150 XLT 4x4 with off road & towing package, extended cab, 5.4 ltr that lives very close to the ocean and is really starting to show signs of age (heavy rust) on all front and rear suspension parts.

Looking for suggestions on full suspension replacement parts/kits as I'm looking to keep this truck for another 10 or more yrs if at all possible as it's been great to date. Not looking to lower or lift as the height on this truck is just right but would like to use better than OEM parts for replacement where possible. Figure while I'm at it I would also replace all bushings with polyurethane so any experiences you folks have had with these bushings are welcomed.

To go into a little detail leaf springs heavily rusted along with hangers, shackles, U bolts etc. On front, torsion bars showing signs of heavy rust in spots as well as upper and lower A-arms getting pretty bad too.
Not sure if you folks would recommend sandblasting and reusing original parts where I can or just go for replacements.


Any suggestions and recommended outlets to purchase needed parts is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Can't believe with all the members on this board that have done suspension upgrades or replacements nobody has suggestions on best parts to use for suspension replacement.

Let's hear from you...

 

As far as "better than OEM," that'll be hard to do imo. LMC truck will probably have the most parts, but will probably also be most expensive (sometimes they surprise you though!). Since rust is an issue, it wouldn't be a bad investment to have everything powder-coated. If the rust on your current suspension is salvageable, you could have it powder-coated to save some money.

 

I ordered my new leafs from LMC. They were the only place that I could find that had stock leafs when I was looking. They weren't too bad priced either.

 

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your responses. I was pretty much thinking along the same lines of media/sand blasting and powder coating the parts that I can and replacing un-salvageable parts.

U have any experience with polyurethane bushings? Are they really as good as they sound?

 

The only polyurethane bushings that I've messed with are when my dad and I were replacing the original suspension on our 1966 Ford Fairlane covertible project. We replaced all bushings up front with polyurethane ones and they've been great so far. It's been about 7 years now since we've done that. But it also doesn't get driven every day like our trucks, so I can't say how it would hold up on a daily driver, but I would think they would hold up great.

 

Just so you know, the Motorcraft ball joints now feature grease fittings. I noticed this when my were replaced under warranty. Maybe Ford figured out that "greased for life" was not one of their better ideas.

 

What?! "greased for life" not a good idea. That's good to know now that they added a grease fitting to them. Good catch!!