I am debating ordering my lift or not. I am determined to install it myself, but my problem is I cant do it in the street, and I have a gravel driveway, also I can not fit the truck into the garage. All odds are against me for the install. In the past I have lowered cars and lifted trucks but nothing as massive as an F250, just the size alone of this truck is intimidating almost. For someone such as my self that is a bolt on mod master is a 6" lift pretty doable? I guess I am also worried about being able to jack the frame up high enough slip in the new coils. I will probably have to buy extra tall jack stands and jack.

Has anyone installed a 6"+ lift in their driveway? How did it go and about how long did it take? I was thinking of taking a 3-4 day weekend to be safe because I ALWAYS seem to run into a problem and I do not have a spare vehicle if anything comes up.

Last questions do air tools really make it much better? I do have a 10gallon compressor that I use for nail guns, but I do not own a impact gun or air ratchet or anything like that..

 

I put a 6" lift on a '95 F-250. Lessons learned:

One needs a level driveway with a stable base so that the truck can be properly supported. The front end needs to be high enough to remove the old springs *and* install the taller new ones. Coil springs are relatively easy compared to the older truck leaf springs.

The front end on one of these beasts is *very heavy*. Jackstands need to be very heavy duty.

A couple of decent floor jacks are needed to support and move the front axle. It is also heavy. The rear axle is heavier, but is easier to move around.

Some lift kits require drilling holes. The frames of these trucks do not drill very easily. This needs to be known before starting the job.

Pitman arms usually need to be replaced with dropped units. These critters can fight you when you try to remove them. A heavy duty puller is needed.

Longer brake lines may be needed. Plan on bleeding brakes as part of the lift install.

Rusted bolts do not come out easily. Penetrating oil and an impact wrench are minimum equipment for this type of work. The regular non-rusty bolts are also tough to remove unless you have arms like Popeye. Plan on using an impact wrench.

If your rear springs are going to be replaced, plan on doing battle with the spring eye bolts on the old springs. Sometimes there is little clearance to remove them and they need to be cut off. This is an easy job if the right tools are on hand. Make sure the rear wheels are blocked when the springs are detached from the axle. You do not want the rear axle moving on you. I left the wheels on the truck so that I could move the axle around easier. You could do it with floor jacks with the wheels removed also.

Line up a helper or two. The helper can help do the actual work and can also provide moral support. The helper should have a vehicle so that you can go and get the parts that are always needed for this type of job.

Would I do this by myself again? Yep. But I would make 100% sure that I had at least one helper!

Lou Braun

 

I did a 6.5" in the driveway but it was paved, I couldn't imagine trying to do it on a gravel surface. My jack stands just got the truck high enough to get the new springs in, I actually had to rest the front and rear end on the ground to get the springs under the truck. When I was done with the rear I had to jack the truck up by the hitch so I could get it off the ground enough to put the jack under the rear. I have some pic's ( taken with my phone so the suck) in my photo album, you can do it but remember to be safe and steady that truck that your under.

 

Wood is your friend. A 4x8 sheet of plywood negates the gravel factor, and if 6 ton jack stands aren't tall enough then just build cribs to put under them. I used 2 bottle jacks and a floor jack to lift my truck; use the floor jack to get the axle high enough to put the fully extended bottle jack on a 2x6 or two, and up it goes. Bottle jacks normally lift taller for cheaper, and since they don't roll as they lift they can be cribbed up as well. Remember, all you have to do is get the jack back under the axle when the new springs are in even if the axle is basically sitting on the ground; frame height isn't as important as the distance between the axle and frame.

I nail all my cribs together and put plywood on as caps over the layers of 2x4s just to keep the whole package pretty and ensure nothing ever slips. I've held up tractors with nothing but crossed railroad ties, something as light as a SD won't be a problem at all. Wood is very strong, especially large solid blocks of it. And always be especially sure of keeping the truck level and balanced side to side, and never ever put yourself under a crush point. And, since bottle jacks tend to have small flat heads that can be a pain to position under a round axle tube, always always keep a jackstand under the axle whenever a bottle jack is carrying any weight. A smaller 2-4 ton stand works perfect for only holding up a single corner/ keeping under the axle once the frame is up on your big stands.

Front jackstands went under the front frame horns and not behind the radius arm,


Rear jackstands on the frame behind the leaves

 

Sounds like I will need to buy a pair of HD jack stands for sure. I will need a new jack as well..

The jack and stands that I have now are only 2 ton rated, and my floor jack only lifts about 12" up, so definitely not tall enough.

How much do I need to be able to drop the axle to fit in 6" lift coils? I would rather not mess with a coil spring compressor if I dont have to,

I am just trying to figure out how much I need to be able to lift the frame prior to unbolting the front suspension. If I keep the frame where it sits right now, just removing the wheels/tires that will allow me to drop the axle maybe 8" before the brakes touch the ground, or maybe the diff hangs lower than the brakes?

I am not to concerned about the rear suspension, its usually not to bad, I have done AAL and blocks in the past. An AAL is pretty hard when it comes to putting the pack together and aligning all the leaves with the center pins.

The last lift kit I did was on a 2000 Nissan Xterra, it was a 3 day project, I installed a 2" body lift in maybe 6 hours and didnt want to start anything until the next day. The next day I spend maybe 8 hours lifting the front, and that included walking 2 miles to the auto parts store to get new ball joints because mine were bad and I could not get ahold of anyone to drive me haha.. And the rear was an AAL and and shackles, and that took maybe 5 hours and then had to get an alignment.

Plus I had to make a couple trips to the local 7-11 to get more beer and smokes haha

 

I did mine and it was a hand full! my biggest problem was having the right tool...the pitman arm was a pain in the @ss!! you will need a quality pitman arm puller, I got lucky and was able to borrow one from a local tire shop after breaking 2 of the ones Napa sells! every bolt on the truck is very large and tight! and all the parts are heavy! It looks like an easy job but not so much. you will definatly need a buddy or two to help you out and a nice assortment of tools!

I picked up some 12 ton jack stands that lift around 30 something inches from harbor freight and they were just tall enough...just getting the truck up that high is a challange! I took some pics of my lift I'll try and post them later so you can see kinda what I had going on.

the rear was easy compared to the front...except for the add a leafs were a pain due to the fact I had to seperate the entire leaf pack and slip the add a leaf in the center. and after all that I wish I never put it in due to the rough ride.

 

Yeah I am kinda scared for the rough ride, I have all stock suspension and I think its rough compared to my last truck, but over time I have gotten used to it, which I am sure I will if I lift it.

I just called a local 4x4 shop and asked how much to install a lift and they said, the lift is $1500, and install and alignment is $300. I said thats a great price on install what lift kit is that. They said Rough Country. I then said, so $1500 for a 6" RC lift, and they said yes, I said if your install price is only $300, can I just but the lift diectly from RC at their $800 price tag and then have you install it for $300 and they said no.. I am sure as a dealer they get a price brake from RC on the lifts, so they are making well over $1000 off of just the mark up and install. If their install and alignment was $300, I would of said just do it haha..

 

yea best install price I got was $800 and I said hell I can do that...ended up taking a weekend and buying some new tools but I ended up saving money and knowing I did it! And if I had to do it all over again, I would!

here are some pics I took during the install, maybe they will help you or not...

 

How many inch lift is that and what brand? Scratch that, sigs are not shown in the mobile version

 

6" stage 2 pro comp, the only thing I hate about it is the add a leaf in the rear. one day I will get new lifted springs in the rear...

 

If you are concerned about ride...you might want to go with a ICON lift. Really high quality...and definitely does smooth the ride. They do cost...$$$...but it is NOT ever a good idea to sacrifice quality for cost...IMHO.


ICON VEHICLE DYNAMICS Performance Suspension Systems, Coil-Over Shocks, Upper Control Arms, and Lift Kits for Trucks and Suv's


Good luck...


biz

 

I did a 4" and a 6.5" at home. was easy to install, and will be doing an 8" in the near future. I may be considered a cheater though... I farm, have a shop but dont have a lift or a tall enough jack. Solution was a JD 4250 tractor with a front end loader. Removed front bumper and hooked a chain in the tow hooks to lift it. Receiver hitch in the back, ball mount without ball, hook a clevis and chain. Ya know how high a tractor can lift a truck...??? haha, probably not any help in answering your question, but thought Id share