I'm interested in the SD springs and blocks for mine, do you use regular SD parts or aftermarket one's ?

Chris did you get your truck done?
05 Ex's still have leaf front
I used ford x-code fronts and 4" rear block and run 35x12.5x18 toyo m/t
I welded 2 washers totaling 1/8" to turn stop to avoid hitting leaf spring at full turn

Mine is the smaller one!

Credit where credit is due- Beau (RBR2328) was a big help in clueing me in to what parts to use. All OEM Ford Superduty stuff. I chose to go with the 315/70R 17 as it is a more common, more available size. I didn't want to worry about not being able to find a replacement tire and the Nitto is on perpetual backorder. On any given day, I'm somewhere within a 1,000 mile radius of home and felt that the BFG would be a much easier tire to find. It's also 1" narrower than the 35" 18. I went with an 8.5" wheel- Weld, of course. Wouldn't really consider having another brand- even though they are $$$.

Got it done over the weekend- what an improvement!

With the 315's being an inch narrower, all I had to do was nip an inch and a half off of the bottom of the right-side inner fender. It's plastic and took about 3 minutes. Tire is 3/8" off the leaf front and back.

Thanks for all your help and guidance- the part numbers came in really handy as well. It saved me a bunch of research. Total cost was under $400 at the Ford dealer. About 2 hours work to swap the parts. It retained the stock shocks.

I was concerned about loss of ride quality but it got better. Incredible differenc ein highway stability and comfort. The additional front travel is wonderful. There's a driveway I go down every morning and it has larger speed bumps. I was always a little embarrassed that I had to almost stop to go over them. Not anymore- it acts like they're barely even there.

Truck is a couple inches taller but my wife has yet to notice so it mustn't be too bad. She seldom misses the opportunity to complain....

Courtesy of rbr2328 (Beau):

Ford part numbers

2C3Z-5310-AF Springs
F81Z-5598-FA , F81Z-5598-GA rear block, L & R
F81Z-5705-EA U-bolts- need 4 of these

You will re-use the u-bolt nuts. On the front, the 4 acorn -head bolts by the tow hooks is all that holds the front bumper on- one bolt inside each fender holds the end braces. (As an added benefit, I finally located my engine heater plug!) You'll need to remove the a/c evaporator lower brackets to get those front shackle bolts out. On the left rearward, you'll have to lift the front axle a few inches to get the shackle bolt out as it hits the driveshaft when hanging (truck on jack stands). Going back together, I slid it in from the opposite side. As the springs are taller (more curve), you have to loosen the hardware on both sides. I did the driver's first. It took a bit of effort to get the spring guide pin into the axle mount as the axle shifted when I loosened it. I couldn't find a cause but it wouldn't slide into place. I took a 2" ratchet strap and pulled it to where it needed to go- no big deal. This was on both sides. With both side's hardware loose I found it hard to lift the axle without rotating it - it just took a bit of trial and error on lifting points. Don't take the shocks loose- they'll slide out of the way when you remove the u-bolts.

The rears took 5 minutes each. Didn't even get under the truck.

The u-bolts need to be re-torqued in a week or so and the shackle bolts were loctited- I re-loctited them going back on.

I wouldn't suggest tackling this job without a good floor jack and stands. An impact is a BIG help too.

If Ford would have built the truck this way from the start, they would have sold many more of them.

Chris- For those who have not done drivetrain/suspension work I would sub this out to a shop. Fooling with leaf springs is not an easy or safe thing to do. An up on a lift a shop can do allthese in 2-3 hours max.

My $ .02

Wannabe

Like anything, if you don't have the tools and the skills you should let a pro do it. Not only can you hurt yourself very badly, if you get it apart, you are going to have to put it back together. It isn't like you can drive it to the dealer without the front axle bolted in!

I have a lift and it was actually easier doing it on the floor.

WOW Lots of information but I still have a question. If I were to install these parts with the part #'s listed do I end up with more tow capacity on my 2003 6.0 diesel?

thanks Chris,
My neighbor has a tranny shop so i have access to all the right tools and space , your info save's alot of time

Will

Tow capacity will be the same however it will tow much better.