F-100 Lift Kits

[JoshT]

When I got my F-100 4x4 it was going to be THE full size truck in my fleet. My initial plan for it was to remove lift and return to stock height. Since then I've got other full size trucks, and at least one of them will be sticking around long term. Don't need this as a work truck anymore, but due to it's history it isn't going anywhere. It's going to be something like a tribute truck and combine what he did with some improvements, to the modifications I'd like to make. I think many of the changes I plan to do he'd have made if he were building the truck himself and could afford it.

Dad lifted the truck back in the 80s by dropping the coil spring buckets 1" on the frame and installing a 2" body lift. If I'm keeping the truck lifted I want to run either 33 or 35 inch tires, probably 33s. Dad had 33s on it back in the day, but dropped down to a 31 or 32 later for better mileage and road maners. It was his primary work and hunting truck for a while.

I had to replace the coil buckets due to cracking a few years ago and, rather than keeping them dropped, I installed a taller spring from a later model truck which got about the same lift. We both though that suspension lifts were preferible over body lifts, and I'm sure he would have taken that route if he had the option back then.

Anyhow, I'm looking for about a 3-4" lift kit for it to fit the 33s properly. There doesn;t seem to be a lot of options available. Skyjacker and Rough Country seem to be about the only thing listed for them, and they seem to lack important parts like addressing steering, radius arms, and panhard bar.

I see more kits at places like Jeff's Bronco Graveyard for the later 73-79 trucks and they seem more complete taking those areas into account. They don't list compatability, but I'm wondering if that could just be because they contain rear lift components that won't work on the earlier trucks due to different spring widths. So are 68-72 and 73-79 4x4 front suspensions and steering close enough to the same that the parts can be swapped around?

I really don't mind not using the rear components from those kits if the front components will work. For that matter it is likely that I'd swap the spring hangers for later model parts and use wider custom leafs instead of the add a leafs or blocks that most kits include for the rear. I know that will also require new axle spring perches, but a wider axle is on the todo list, so they would have to be relocated anyway.

Thoughts. opinions, or other kit sources?