Dear DT,
You wouldn't happen to know the tire/suspension specs on the black Dodge (Too Tall) on the cover of the November issue would you? If you know the lift and wheel/tire specs, I'd appreciate it. Great magazine, best on the market. Keep up the good work.
Tim Allred
Via Email
From owner Jason “Too Tall” Elmore: The lift on my truck is a Sky Jacker lift. It is 6 inches up front with its coil springs and drop braces and a 4-inch lift in the rear. The rear uses block spacers so it still has the factory leaf spring setup. I know some lifts come with new hangers and springs for the rear, but this setup used blocks instead.
It has BDS suspension lower extended trail arms up front for a better ride (most lifts still use the shorter lower arms) and BDS rear ladder bars. I installed that third link above the rear diff when I was sled pulling from a local company here. I have Bilstein stainless shocks front and rear, FOX steering stabilizer shock, 20x10 Rockstars that have a -44mm offset if I remember right. I run 55psi air in my 36x15.50 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ's tires and they have lasted me well over 30,000 miles. I also installed the steering box brace from BD Diesel last year as well.
Dear DT,
First of all, great magazine. I’m looking at purchasing a short bed four-door diesel pickup for my next truck and I was curious on which of the big three would be the best one to go with considering everything: reliability, power, towing capacity, required maintenance, luxury, fuel economy and overall driveability. No one knows diesel trucks better than you guys so any help will be appreciated.
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Abe Neudorf
Talk about a loaded question! I don't believe there is one truck that is necessarily better to modify than another. Each has its strong points as well as weaknesses and all are capable of great things. With that said, it seems like with older Fords you sometimes have to take extra steps to get where you want to go compared to the others.
We tend to see a lot more Dodge trucks being built so you might want to start there. They're easy to work on and there are a lot of aftermarket parts available. However, when we’re searching for our next project truck we don’t discriminate hood emblems. Instead we look at the year, miles and of course the price instead of locking ourselves into one particular truck brand.
We also like to look at trucks that are a little older too so we have more options. When you buy a brand-new truck you often have to wait for the aftermarket companies to develop parts, which can be frustrating. The process of finding the right truck can be fun. Look around your area and see what's available and if you have any questions when it comes time to narrow down your search, let us know.