After doing a bit of research, Airlift was the direction I was going. However, every airbag setup specifically says “not for quadrasteer.” So I joined a group on FB, and found out that they just list that because they never got a quadrasteer to try it on, and as far as airbags go, there is no difference between the quadrasteer and normal rear ends.
If the leaf springs and shackles are the normal spacing from the framerails, they’ll work. It’s all simple bracketry. I did wire mine through a relay, so I could have an on/off switch under my dash.
I’ve got kids and a dog. Ain’t nothing super clean. Safe and reliable are my criteria. Rear entertainment system is nice too. It’s all about being pragmatic. When the cam seized in the rear head and I discovered the front head was nearly as bad, it was a fine line between repair and scrap. Being able to do the work myself made repairing it worthwhile, but pushed the total cost above its value.
I've kinda gone the other way. I used to run my stuff so long it was difficult to even tow it to the junkyard. Too much of my life spent rolling around on the ground, cold and stiff, trying to fix it. Never had the money for the fancy tools like a lift or a garage for that matter. Now I'm happy to leave the hard stuff to the shop folks. The down side is my turbo truck has been in the shop for a month with Ford screwing around. 75000 miles and the turbo went. The replacement was a rebuilt item that didn't last a week. The next one couldn't even make it out of the shop! Now the dealer is stuck arguing with Ford over who is going to pay and where they are going to get a real replacement part from.
I've always thought the opposite. That if your vehicle doesn't go 150k mi then you've done something wrong. Especially modern vehicles. With basic maintenance and common sense care theybahould all go 150-200k no problem, IMO
And this sad state of affairs is easily avoided by getting a long bed truck!(which you can do, even with a crew cab, if you get a F250/350)
I am really surprised one of the manufacturers hasn't come up with a sliding bed/frame system. You get a short wheelbase and 5.5' bed for everyday stuff and then press and button and the frame slides back and you have an 8' bed for work/hauling tons of stuff. Yes it would be heavy and yes it would cost a ton, but hell we already have $100k trucks so who cares.
I have kind of 1/2 assed been looking for a replacement truck... 2015 or newer. I saw quite a few vehicles on dealer lots with close to 200k... and they were asking $30,000 or more!! Im not talking 3/4 or 1 ton trucks either... but 1/2 tons & mid sized. And the valuations are looney...
Late model stuff is still nuts, but the “fixer-upper” stuff is starting to show back up again at prices that aren’t totally obscene. Then there’s the guy with the 20 year old Bonneville with bald tires, a bad supercharger and gutted interior that thinks he should still get $5k for it because, uh, traumatic brain injury?
I've sorta been wishing for a 2011-2014 F-150 and have noticed the prices are definitely softening. But still amazed at the percentage of trucks with 200K miles on them.
Fake news….photo shop. mirrors aren’t nearly sticking out far enough for that to exist in real life. It’s the chatgp of trucks.
I tell everyone that'll listen to look at salvage vehicles. My truck is 2013 Ram 1500, 5.7 hemi, had 10k miles on it when I bought it. Paid $12k with all fees, in 2016. Same truck as non salvage was $28-30k. Truck has been flawless as daily driver and towing my 6x12 enclosed trailer all over the country. Downside is no resale value, but I plan to drive it until it goes to the junkyard.
So it's February and the saga continues. When the dealer put the new OEM turbo in he also did a reflash of the ECU per Ford's direction. This cause a failure of the Cat! Don't worry he said it will still drive properly until we can get a back ordered cat in to replace it. It's been 4 months so, sure, I go to pick up the truck. 10 miles towards home the the dash lights up with DEF warnings that I'm going to be power restricted in 50 miles and it starts counting down! OK, so the Cat is now in and the dealer is making noises like the def failure isn't related to his work. I can't wait to begin this next go-round.
They do look a bit fucked up, right? I'd put them ol' military grade things on there. You know, the ones that look like lawn furniture, like on a real truck. Prolly swap out that front bumper for a deuce-n-a-half's, too.
See what changin' your ways has brought you? No way you're gonna run this Ford into the ground before you go mental or broke. I've been lookin' for a salvage/beater without deathly cancer truck. 4x4, manual, supercab, dually earlier than '08. Obviously, the cab/frame is the necessary component, the rest can be DIY, junkyards, new and used. With the prices of today's new AND used vehicles, that same money buys you whatever you want - assuming you can find a foundation to build off of and you're willing/able to do a lot of the work.