Robert m

iTrader: (2)

lol I dont see where anyone is aggravated with you asking ford related questions. Thats why this section of the forum was made but what is aggravating is that you want help with a project but don't seem to want to do the leg work to find info on it. I told you about the 2 best prerunner and desert offroad forums but you didn't bother to look at them...

While having 4wd is nice, its not a necessity out in the desert. There are probably 10 times the amount of 2wds built then 4x4 because it much easier and cheaper to get travel out of a 2wd. I also agree about function over form in an offroad truck. Its going to get beat up and broken if its used in the dirt.
I beams are a great suspension for high speed stuff and is why older rangers are very popular to build. With a shock upgrade, extended stock beams and, new radius arms, you can have a cheap-ish setup that will pull more front travel then my truck. However, you said you have a 1997 f150 which are A arm suspension so none of that will work for your truck.

With the power that V8 makes stock, you wont see a difference between the auto or manual. You would see a bigger gain by regearing the rear axle to get back the power loss from bigger tires.

Chris_McCartney

There's some good advice there above from Robert. Another good website to check is the IH8Mud forums. There's some outstanding custom work on that site, mainly aimed to 4wd and rock crawling, but a lot of that uses the same principles, albeit with majorly different gearing and differentials.
The real downside to major lifts etc is that whenever you have done your A-arm upgrades and body lift spacers, you will find the long travel kits all require some fabrication and welding, even the Chaos Offroad ones. I for one am jealous of your first truck being a F150... I'm from Ireland and just moved to Australia a year ago, having only visited USA once, and even seeing the odd F150/F250 around here is a rarity, as in Australia all cars imported must be converted to Right-hand drive. I have never even driven a V8 let alone owned one, this is something USA/Canada and Australia all have the luxury of, but over in Ireland and Europe we're crippled by compulsary insurance costing an absolute fortune, so to have a V8 at 17 you my friend are luckier than you know!
$2000 is a reasonable budget for a prerunner, and for that money (unless you're lucky enough to find used suspension setups) you will be limited to either cosmetic or technical, but not both. Long travel setups go in the region of half your budget just for the front end, and when you have that installed your wheels are gonna look tiny and the back end will be too low to match, not to mention the upper shock hoops require welding, which will get expensive if you don't have access to a welder yourself.
I would recommend you go for the cosmetic side of things first and worry about suspension travel etc when you have abused your truck and have some fun with what the stock F150 has to offer. I personally am in the same position as you and want the Prerunner look, I only got my truck last month, and I know I can afford to do all the mods I want right now, but I know the law over here requires every single suspension mod to be inspected and certified by an engineer, so I'm gonna settle with a Prerunner 'theme' but without the long-travel kit...for now!
I think you should find a body lift, some nice wide flares, a tube bumper, a winch will prove very useful when you do hit the trail, and throw some nice chunky tires on it, you will get all this within your budget, and if you go on Craigslist you will get even more if you get used bargains.
Anyway, I hope I have been somewhat helpful, and I hope you have fun building your truck, after all, that's why we do it isn't it? Here's some sites for you:
www.ih8mud.com www.chaosfab.com www.fiberwerx.com www.pirate4x4.com www.dezertrangers.com
All these sites are in the US of A, so you're lucky there! Also, to post an image there's a button for 'Insert Image' when you're typing a post, its below the font size/color selection bar in the top of the typing box. Cheers!

Chris_McCartney

Get yourself some Bushwacker or equivalent wide flares, some wide 16" steel wheels and chunky big tyres, steel wheels tend to be low offset so they will sit further out into the fender, requiring wider flares. This will give the illusion of bigger tyres even when they're the same size, it will also make your track wider which has it's benefits. I'm not sure what the weather is like where you live, but I'm in the outback here in Australia, so it stays brutally hot all year round, day and night, but we have a monsoon season too, so that soft outback clay (which is almost like sand) becomes a soft bog, which is why pretty much all the trucks out here are 4wd. I'm one of the unlucky few, but I don't vary off the beaten track in wet season.... however it's not uncommon for a river crossing 1.4 meters deep in the middle of the road! Winch round here is a necessity, I thankfully haven't needed it...yet.
So, chunky tyres on steel wheels, wide flares, a body lift and a winch, all within your original budget....then just have some fun and start saving for a long travel kit in the distant future. After being a member on Mitsubishi forums, I found that a lot of them guys with their little 31" tyres and auto gearboxes were towing top dollar Land Rovers and Jeeps on 35's out when their drivers didn't have the skill. In other words, practice with what you have, which if you ask me is perfectly capable! A standard 2wd F150 will go places a standard 2wd Hilux won't, and that's all down to the bigger frame and higher ground clearance!

Josh Sherer

Thank you very much and the front suspension of my truck is not a arm it is I beam just not very high quality I beams they are just not made to do what the upgraded I beams are made to do

Robert m

iTrader: (2)

I'm sorry, this just isn't making any sense.
If your truck looks like this, and has the 4.6l v8, it doesn't have I beams unless someone did a whole lot of work to swap them on.


If it looks like this, it isnt a 1997 with A arms and it would then have a 5.0l or 5.8l unless someone did a whole lot of work to swap it in.


so please post a picture of your truck

Josh Sherer

No sir the white one is to old I really don't know what year it is but it's to boxy and the red one is the right year but is 4wd the 2wd 1997 ford f150 xlt 8foot bed leans to the front with a awkward stance the red truck you have posted is either 4wd or has a leveling kit on it like I want to do to mine trust me
Look up 1997 ford f150 XLT (RWD) front suspension diagram and look at the pics they are all I beams UNLESS they are 4WD

Josh Sherer

And my I please say you are really trying to tell me about something I didn't know about MY OWN TRUCK
You see I'm not as lazy as you think I am.

Josh Sherer

I do read up on my own truck before entering the unknown for me

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

We have a 2wd ford at my work that is an A Arm design, of the body style Robert posted.

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

Have you looked at the other sites Robert posted for you??

Robert m

iTrader: (2)

OK I didn't ask if either of these were your specific truck or model, I said if they LOOK like them, so the same body type.
And for grins and giggles I did google "1997 ford f150 XLT (RWD) front suspension diagram" and what comes up are a few diagrams from a 1992 f150 with I beams, a few ranger diagrams with I beams, and a few other misc ones that have nothing to do with fords.
But then I also googled 1997 f150 2wd lift kits and you know what came up? Lots of coil spacers, lift coils, and some lift spindles from fabtech! They also have a cool install instruction PDF sheet that has lots of pictures of a 1997-2003 f150 with A ARMS http://www.fabtechmotorsports.com/files/FT97159-7i.pdf

Yes, yes I am. Because if you did already know it, you wouldn't be here asking for advise about it.

Thats questionable at best.

Josh Sherer

Ok so let's get this strait the ORIGINAL suspension for my truck is I beams right

JasonYota

iTrader: (1)

No. Where do you keep coming up with this??

Josh Sherer

Or does it have a arms stock as much as I would hate to be wrong am I right or are you because I really don't want to argue any more

Robert m

iTrader: (2)

Wrong. It has A arms. The best thing to do is go out side and look at it and take a picture and post it up.

Josh Sherer

I would but I'm in Florida on a vacation the truck on the other hand is in Tennessee

Josh Sherer

But I will take some more time to look at the diagrams

Josh Sherer

Well you are right I'm very sorry about me arguing with u

Josh Sherer

Okay... you know what I'm done with you..you have such a bad attitude it's pathetic man I'm done

Josh Sherer

I need to learn some courtesy.