axle

With the heat coming on I decided to browse through eBay for A/C compressors, rebuilt or what have you, and found that a new compressor is about the same price as a reman, at least from buyautoparts.com. This is partly due to where I bought it (everyone else seems to want more) but also because it's a common GM axial compressor which is used on many vehicles. It's a really small little sucker that can turn 7,000 RPM, and Mercedes wisely used a V-belt pulley which makes it easy to source.

The wacky axle I've got on my F250 is apparently a super duty axle. If I install one ton springs and a class V hitch then I have all the equipment (but not the legal weight rating) of an F350, and then some. My rear springs need replacing anyway, and the ideal would be to find super duty springs, but I assume they're in short supply. The alternative seems to be to get rear lift springs, which is a somewhat spendy proposition; indeed, they are almost as expensive as the rest of the lift put together!