Lift options for 1994 2wd

yippee · 10-12-2019, 10:36 PM

Hello. I recently purchased a 1994 "E-150" Club Wagon 5.0L 2wd. I was wondering if there were any cheaper lift options out there for my van, even if it only gains close to a couple of inches. It is 2wd, so I won't be doing any real serious off roading. I'm just looking to get a little extra ground clearance and fit some larger tires under the van. I know there are a few options out there but I'm not looking to sink $2,000+ for something with limited off road capabilities.

Are there any viable cheaper options out there for this van?

Thanks in advance.

carringb · 10-13-2019, 08:16 AM

Taller front coils and an add-a-leaf in the back is easy and cheap. Unfortunately I don not know if E250 (or newer E150) springs are the same diameter to simply swap in. Maybe if you measure them (overall diameter, and at the ends) somebody here can measure theirs.

Do you know what differential gear ratio you have? If you have the standard 3.08 gears, and you put on taller tires, you'll severely limit your van's "gradability". So while you can probably start from a stop on an 18%+ grade now, taller tires might prevent you from launching on that same grade.

Unfortunately the 5.0 had the least low-end torque of any of the engines, so you have to be a little careful how much tire you put underneath.

yippee · 10-30-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carringb

Taller front coils and an add-a-leaf in the back is easy and cheap. Unfortunately I don not know if E250 (or newer E150) springs are the same diameter to simply swap in. Maybe if you measure them (overall diameter, and at the ends) somebody here can measure theirs.

Do you know what differential gear ratio you have? If you have the standard 3.08 gears, and you put on taller tires, you'll severely limit your van's "gradability". So while you can probably start from a stop on an 18%+ grade now, taller tires might prevent you from launching on that same grade.

Unfortunately the 5.0 had the least low-end torque of any of the engines, so you have to be a little careful how much tire you put underneath.

Thank you for the response. Unfortunately I do not currently know the gear ratio in the rear end. I'll take a look at it and see next time I'm around the van. I was thinking about going slightly upsized on the tires, I wasn't thinking about going real large. I was hoping for a give or take 2" lift and then upsize the tires slightly to help fill in the fender gaps and gain a little more clearance. But I might also just stick with the stock size. Either way, the previous owner had just put a full set of new tires on it not long before I purchased it, so I'll run these through their life span before I decide to do anything with tires.

This is probably a really stupid question, so I apologize. Is the '94 suspension the same as the '96+ vans? When I first started looking I was seeing several options for '96+ vans and was under the impression that the '94 had a different suspension set up. After looking more, I have found a few kits advertised as '92+ (Weldtec Designs being one of those), so I started second guessing that. Either way, I'm just looking for clarification on the subject. If the suspensions are shared from '92 on, that may open my options up more.

Thank you.

IanF · 10-31-2019, 06:28 AM

You need to be careful lifting a twin I-beam suspension with only springs. Even a little bit. Or you'll run the risk of excessive front tire wear from the positive camber. For a test, measure the distance from the front wheels to the fender lip. Now jack up the van from the engine cross member until you have increased that distance 2". Now look at the positions of the front tires.

reelchef67 · 10-31-2019, 08:39 AM

2wd Lift with spring ? Been there got the T shirt, no problem.
I have e250 Traverse pop top van. I put moog cc880 springs on the front I gained 2.25 inchs lift in the front.
I went to 3/78 bump stop clearance which is pretty awesome, Ive never hit it since installing.

The moog cc880s are are normally for 7.3 or V10 vans but my van is heavy from the build out and I don't mind the slightly stiffer ride.
These are Variable rate springs btw.
The cc880 are are for lighter vans but not sure what lift you would get.

You need to have adjustable camber bushings , but Canada Spring did the install said alignment was "Cake" no problem. I did this 5 years ago and no problems with tire wear.

In the The rear I had me leaves refurbished plus added 1 leaf and 1 inch block to make up for the heavy DH bike bikes and rack plus gear in my camper so it stay level when loaded.

MY next add on will be some Bilstein shocks RV ones. Fox are are too much money in canada.

My van originally had 225 75 16's (it was garageable !!) afterward I went to 25/75/16 for summer and 265/75/16 for winter . (265's JUST fit with a tiny rub at full lock if I hit a bump but it rarely happens) Next time I buy snows it will be 235/80/16's

Grampswrx · 10-31-2019, 10:39 AM

The biggest problem you’ll run into in the rear is that the 150 springs are narrower than the 250/350 springs. The add a leaf is like 3” wide for the heavier chassis and only 2” wide for the 150. I ran into that problem on my 150. In 2006 or so they updated the 150 to the same springs and solved it.

My van was a 93 and to lift the rear with springs I needed to have the perches cut off and 250 perches welded on. It was expensive, so I did blocks. Talk to Jeremy at weldtec, he did my work.

yippee · 11-03-2019, 11:28 PM

Thank you all for the helpful posts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by reelchef67

I put moog cc880 springs on the front I gained 2.25 inchs lift in the front.

Did you put the CC880 or CC880S springs on your van?

I have been reading and the CC880(S) do seem to come up a lot. I like the fact that the 880S add extra lift, but afraid they might make the ride to harsh. The 880 sound like they are stiffer than stock, but less stiff than the 880S. If I were to go with the 880, would it be reasonable to expect a 1.5" lift or is that hoping for too much?

shenrie · 11-04-2019, 08:21 AM

These guys seemed very knowledgeable regarding lifting with coil springs. They were also very reasonably priced. I talked with a guy named perry. All he needed was a part number for the stock springs in my crv to figure out a 2” lift that was guaranteed to be within a 1/4” of the desired height.

Coil Spring Specialties | Off Road

reelchef67 · 11-04-2019, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yippee

Thank you all for the helpful posts!

Did you put the CC880 or CC880S springs on your van?

I have been reading and the CC880(S) do seem to come up a lot. I like the fact that the 880S add extra lift, but afraid they might make the ride to harsh. The 880 sound like they are stiffer than stock, but less stiff than the 880S. If I were to go with the 880, would it be reasonable to expect a 1.5" lift or is that hoping for too much?

I did the 880s (e350 spring)as my e250 van is fully built out and I keep it stocked in case of earthquake etc. It is stiffer but these springs are variable rate which makes a big difference basicly turns my can into an e350...
the 880's probably better for your lighter van.
World of difference on rough roads for me.

yippee · 11-06-2019, 05:13 PM

I'm thinking about going ahead and ordering either a set of the CC880 or the CC880S springs. How harsh do you think the ride would be with the CC880S springs on an E-150 with the 5.0 motor? I was originally hoping for a roughly 2" lift but do you think 1.5" would be realistic if I were to go with the CC880? I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of the height vs. the ride quality between the two springs.

What camber alignment bushings do most people use? It seems like the K80109 allow more adjustment each way, but some seem to report having problems finding shops willing or able to use that style. Is there any specific one that tends to be preferred or work the best?

I imagine a longer shock will be needed? I'm thinking about either using the Fox 2.0 or Bilstein as I have seen both mentioned a lot.