This has been a topic of much debate recently lol. I'm in the D50 crowd, so mind the bias.

I just rebuilt mine completely. New springs, bearings, seals, joints, the works. Mine has 6" of lift, which is perfect for what I want my truck to do.

The only correct way to lift these is with springs. Lift blocks on the front are a no go. Very dangerous. Also, depending on the amount of lift, you have to install drop brackets to match. 6" lift, 6" drop brackets. I thought my truck originally had a 6", turned out to be a 4". The 4" drop brackets absolutely did not work for 6" lift springs... So, depending on what you have and what you want, you may need to take that into consideration.

Spindle bearings and seals... These are a nightmare for the D50. Ford will tell you the parts (3 pcs, 2 seals and a bearing) are obsolete. Which is false. Them and all the auto parts store yokels will try to sell you the 4 pc set. It does not fit. Just look up the same year f350 with a D60. Parts (in this case at least) are identical.

Other than that, not much to it I think.

 

Unless I find a smokin' deal on a Dana 60, I'll be keeping the IFS since I don't drive the truck a lot anymore. For reference here's a parts list I saved from a post a long time ago:

Dana 50 TTB Rebuild Parts
Bearings:
Outer Cone: Timken LM104949 (small bearing)
Outer Race: Timken LM104911 (these 2 can also be purchased as "SET38")
Inner Cone: Timken 387A (large bearing)
Inner Race: Timken 382A
Differential Needle Bearing (for right side stub shaft): Ford 3W1Z-1225-AA
Spindle Needle Bearings: Ford D8TZ-3123-A (left or right side)
Spindle Seal (left and right side): Ford F2TZ-1S175-CA
Rolling Diaphragm Seal (axle shaft to back of spindle, left or right side): Ford F81Z-1S175-HCA
Left Differential Seal: Ford E4TZ-3254-B
Right Differential Seal: Ford E3TZ-3254-C
Driveshaft U-Joints: Spicer 5-1204X
Axle shaft U-Joints: Spicer 5-178X (same as rear driveshaft)
Upper Balljoint: Moog K80026
Lower Balljoint: Moog K8435
Caster/Camber Sleeves: Moog K8709 (these are cool)
Tie Rod End: Moog ES3363T
Tie Rod End: Moog ES3362L
Center Pivot Bushing: Daystar KFO3018
Spring and Shackle Bushing Kit: Daystar KF02016

I would probably get new springs and u-bolts as well. Cheers!

 

Mech E, and anyone else wanting to see what I have.
Thanks for the reply! Where did you get all of you’re parts? I bought my leaf springs from SD Truck springs.
I really like the D50 and have had really no problems with it. I also like to keep the truck looking like it did back in 97 that way here in 20 years ill be proud I kept her pretty near stock form. Any possibility of me maybe dropping ride height in the rear instead of trying to raise the front? I have air bag helpers in the back. You or anyone else ever messed with the airpressure in those to manipulate height?

 

Patrick that’s a huge help, thanks! Did you do the rebuild yourself?

 

I got my springs and drop brackets from SD as well. I think it would be a lot easier to drop the rear, if it has blocks. Which from the factory, they typically do.

I just installed bags on mine. I carry heavy weight on occasion, which the off road rear springs are not a fan of. So the back end drops far and too easily. The bags make all the difference

 

Would removing blocks negatively affect towing or throwing my truck camper back there? Just wouldn’t want to sacrifice trucks capabilities for looks. I’m function over aesthetic any day of the week.

 

Blocks are not going to add to or detract from the carrying capacity of a truck. All they do is add inches to the rear bed. There have been a lot who just remove the blocks completely from their F250's and F350's just for that lower stance or bed rail clearance for their fifth wheel trailers.

 

I haven't done that rebuild. I took that list from another guy's post in case I ever needed to do mine (which it could use). I personally don't see a stance problem with your truck. I'm sure the extra weight of the front bumper doesn't "help" with the TTB's springs sagging! Cheers!

 

removing the rear blocks will drop the back end about 2 - 2 1/2 inches.
but it will also remove the "bump stops" that limit down travel. if the rubber bumpers are still in the frame.

 

removing the rear blocks will drop the back end about 2 - 2 1/2 inches.
but it will also remove the "bump stops" that limit down travel. if the rubber bumpers are still in the frame.

That depends on what he has. Not all of the trucks came with the same size blocks, and then you have the cases where the blocks that are there are not OEM. The bump stops will still work, they just hit the axle tube instead. In the case where the OEM block is there, removing it will not change the travel between the bump stop.

 

agreed, but on average the F250 diesel got 2 or 2 1/2 inch blocks. if i remember correctly all supercab and crew cab trucks got the 2 1/2 inch blocks.
and most all F350's got 4 inch blocks.

 

I’ve had the bumper on for 3 years now and worried it’s gonna exaggerate any issues I already had. You can barely tell but in the picture you can see the passenger side has a negative camber and the driver side looks straight. But on my tires the driver side has a dark ring around the tire as if the sidewall is getting warn, yet the passenger side with negative camber is not showing any signs other than inside of the tread is warn. Which is normal I’m sure. Y’all see any issues with my front or you think it’s normal? Should I just upgrade to stiffer springs and get a good alignment guy to dial in the camber? Truck is pulling right a bit.

 

The TTB is notorious for alignment difficulties. Before you take it in to get aligned, it'll be worth it to change out the bushings at the axle pivots first. They wear out and will screw up the camber. Ford has a TSB to level out the front if one side rides higher than the other, it is just adding shims. Doing so will screw up the alignment though, so it is an iterative process to get it dialed in. Better to have the shop that does the alignment do it all in one go. Adjustable camber/caster bushings are a must, you can get them at Rockauto. There are a bunch of styles out there, different degrees that they are capable of.

I would not go with stiffer springs, it will make bumps so much more painful.

I doubt your front bumper makes much difference on the stance. My truck is a crew cab short bed and the front axle, with no payload, has over 4,000 pounds on it. Even if your bumper weighed in at 300 pounds, that's not much of a dent on the weight that is already there. The engine alone is 920 pounds dry.

 

Mine has the original springs and sits close to level. I just did some front-end work due to a driver's U-joint & passenger outer wheel bearing, shown in this & the NEXT few pics:

(phone app link)


I'm probably going to swap to adjustable camber cams soon, and get it aligned, now that everything else is fixed, before the new tires wear wrong.

 

Mech E,

I like the idea it just getting some camber/caster bushings and getting the front end straight again. With a normal or slightly heavier than normal set up (withmy front bumper)is there a standard degree angleto buy?
Found some on partsgeek that we’re the Moog camber bushings. They’re +/- 3.2 degrees which seems normal. Would you recommend Moog? I’ve seen that name come up a few times on the other forums I’ve read on this sort of thing.

 

With a normal or slightly heavier than normal set up (withmy front bumper)...

This is my previous Bronco & its bumper:

(phone app link)


This is a coil-sprung D44IFS that needed pivot bushings:

(phone app link)


I replace all the rubber parts possible with Energy black polyurethane. It never wears out, or degrades, or swells, or softens... And for most other parts, I buy MotorCraft wherever I find it cheapest: ebay, Amazon, local dealership or parts store...

 

You cant just "buy the most camber/caster cam you can" because you have to use the whole 3.2*. So once you get the camber straight, it might throw out caster.

You have to measure camber and caster currently, and then calculate what can you need to get it correct. There is not going to be a "standard" degree that everyone uses, as everyone will need a different one.

 

They are adjustable, both the camber and caster. Some have more allowable adjustment then others. I know this very well, I've had to deal with getting several TTBs aligned. The factory ones are not, and many alignment shops will tell you that you cannot adjust camber/caster on the D50, which is blatantly false. You just have to replace the factory preset bushings with the adjustable style. A lot of shops just don't want to do it because it is a pain and they are lazy.

 

Take the truck to a alignment shop and pay them to do it and do it right.

By the time that you get done playing with it you'll find that it is money well spent.

There are some things that you just need to pay for

Sent from my SM-J737V using Tapatalk

 

Seems like those adjustable camber caster bushings from moog are the way to go. I’m planning on buying those and taking them to the alignment shop. I had a really good Ford service shop at my last location in west Texas/Eastern New Mexico. Hoping to have the same luck at the Ford here in Southern New Mexico. We will see. There’s a couple local shops but it’s a tiny town and I really don’t know any locals well enough to ask. Would anyone recommend against going to Ford? Just figure they see these front ends a lot more consistently. Besides moog camber bushings, I also saw Mech E say I needed to replace axle bushings at the pivot point. Should I buy Ford parts for that? I usually stick to OEM unless there’s just obviously a better option in the aftermarket. Figured Ford might have those too. I’ve not done front end work like this except to put on leaf springs. So, sorry if I’m asking ignorant questions.

 

The axle pivot bushings wear out pretty quickly, especially OEM. I run the Energy Suspension 4.3133G on mine (about $33 on amazon). They transfer more shock and vibe through to the frame, but they do last a lot longer than rubber. When these go out, it severely affects camber. It can also cause popping noises in hard steering situations as well as having the wheels wobble a bit in rough terrain. If you look at your current bushings, the bolt should look like it is going through the center. If it looks like it is going through the top, like it is not centered in the bushing, it is definitely shot. I might have a pic of that actually. I'll see if I can find it and post it.

The two piece Moog, adjustable bushings should be part K80108, if I am not mistaken. Just be sure to get the two piece, the once piece is not really adjustable.

The Ford guys are better than a lot of the alignment shops I have locally, sadly. I'd rather take it to Ford if it wasn't for the one shop we have here that can do it. It does cost more than a standard car though... You can get a feel for the local shops by asking them questions. Specifically, ask them if they can do the camber and caster on your truck. If they say no, LEAVE lol. If they say yes, but it needs to have adjustable bushings, then they might know what they are doing. It is a bit of a crap shoot, but you might get lucky.