Well, after months of waiting for some warmer, decent weather I was able to begin the installation of my Skyjacker 6" suspension kit. All I can say is what a pain in the *ss!!!!! I worked non-stop yesterday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. I started out doing the front end. I had a lot of good tools at my disposal including breaker bars and air tools. Getting off most of the stock components was a real pain. Mostly all the bolts had loc-tite on them so getting them free was difficult. The breaker bar came in handy. I got off all of the stock components (shocks, sway bar links, u-bolts, calipers, track bar, track bar bracket, tie rod, front bumper, etc.) except for the final piece, the pitman arm! I tried using two different pullers I have and had no luck. I was using a 4 foot long breaker bar and the pitman arm wouldn't move. It started creaking and flexing and I put all my force into it and it wouldn't budge. I was afraid of breaking the bolt and then I'd be screwed. So I ended up having to put back on all the stock components. What a pain in the *ss!!! It took me all day and I have nothing to show for it. My truck is still stock. I am mechanically inclined have a lot of tools, and do a lot of mechanincal work on my vehicles and boat and I can tell you this was a real pain! Even removing the front bumper (to get access to the spring bolts) was a pain. I was told there were only four bolts holding it on and that it is very easy to remove. Well there were actually six, plus I had to disconnect the fog lights, remove some plastic/rubber material, and remove the A/C condenser bolts. It wasn't impossible, just more time consuming than I thought it would be. Since I was going to install a new Skyjacker trrack bar I also had to completely remove the stock one. Well, I couldn't. I was able to remove the upper end from the upper bracket but couldn't remove the lower end (passenger side). There was no rooom to get in the breaker bar and the air gun wasn't powerful enough. So I'm pretty much screwed now. I either have to find a local shop to do the install (so far I can't find any place in Connencticut) or sell the kit. I will definitely not try it again and go through all that aggrivation! Does anyone know of any place that installs lifts around me??? I live about 45 min. east of New York City so I'd be willing to drive a few hours in any direction. I would prefer to bring it to a shop that already has done other Superduty lifts. I'm also writing this to others who may be unsure of installing their lift. Pay the $800-$1,000 and have someone else do it!! Maybe I just had bad luck? Anyways I just needed to vent a little. I'm still pretty pissed. I was hoping to be able to drive around today in my new lifted rig, but that's not the case. PLus I got to look frward to shovelling 12 inches of snow later today. Is it April or January??? Well, thanks again for all your advice so far , and for letting me bitch a little here.

-Rich

 

Rich,

Sounds like you had a rough time!!!

As far as the pitman arm bolt goes, mine broke free with no problems, I did have to modify my puller to make it wider to fit around the arm itself, but that wasn't a problem either.
To bad you didn't have some heat handy to help with the bolt.

I forgot all about the "extra" 2 bolts on the front bumper, mine were removed when my plow frame was installed, before I did my lift.

To bad you didnt live closer to me, I'd throw it on for ya no problem.

Hope you can find somebody to do it for you, I know how long you have been wanting your truck in the air!!!!

 

I did a Fabtech spring bracket lift. It wasn't that hard. I didn't have to remove as much stuff.

It sounds like you could've used some penatrating oil and more patients. You may have had some rusty fastners.

The bumper does remove quite easy. The 4 bolts are the ones you can see next to your tow rings. About 5-10 minutes to remove, 10-15 to re-install.

The pitman could be removed by a "pro" and re-installed so you could install the lift yourself. There're some tricks that'll make it look easy. They would be hard to explain, bbut easy to do. You could even leave that for the shop doing your alignment. I had to take mine to a truck shop. Those guys work everyday on much bigger stuff.

Take deep breath and try again. Maybe another set of hands and support will help.

When it's done you'll be happy.

 

Thanks YETI. I'm gonna keep looking around here for a place that does lift kits. I don't want to have to sell the kit. I won't have any more free weekends to try it again, not that I would even want to! Part of my problem is that I live in CT. Hopefully not for too much longer though! If I lived down south, out west, in Cali, even up North like you, there probably would be dozens of truck shops that do this kind of work. CT has nothing to offer, except high taxes, bad weather and ugly women!!! If you like fat ugly women who think they are the *****, then CT is the place to be.

-Rich

 

Don't say that to loud!!!! ABENDX may move there for the fresh supply of panties!!

 

hey what kinda pitman arm puller did you use. i know on my lift it would not come off so i took a propane torch and heated it to losen it up. after about any hour i got it off. when i went back to auot zone ( cause i rented a tie rod puller) the guy said he had a pitman arm puller like the tire rode puller. it was shaped just like a fork and looked like it would work alot easier. it looked like all you had to do was just get it there and hammer it in. the guy said it was way easier to use that the puller i used. my lift took 2 days 1st day from 12-8 it took me that long just to get the leaf springs in cause i dont have a lift i just did it in my drive way. the second day 8-3 it wasent to bad just time consuming. good luck with your lift.

 

Well, if he likes "fatties" then this is the place to be! Plenty of large panties to keep him happy for a while!

 

This is a pitman arm puller


Not to be confused with a pickle fork

 

yea thats it. i used the puller on my truck it took an hour. the guy at auto zone said to use the fork thing cause its alot easier. good picture yeti.

 

Not such a good idea to use the fork on a pitman arm.
Could mess up or bend the shaft.

 

yeti..... be a bud and go scout out teh area from me... sample a few of the 'honeys' and let me know what you think.

if you don't come back, i know the women are way to fat and ugly for me as you have MUCH lower standards then i do....

if you do come back, i know that they are too fat and ugly for me as i don't like fat and ugly.... are you getting me and waxy confused???

 

ABENDX, Do you have some kind of alert set to go off everytime your name is mentioned here??

Dam, thouhgt I would sneek one by

 

Well, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for Abendix) I have sampled several of the "honeys" here over the years. But YETI can still come down for an independant assessment!

YETI - That pic you posted is one of the pitman arm pullers I used. I had a 4 foot long breaker bar turning on it and the pitman arm did not budge. It was making many creaking noises and I noticed that the stud going through the pitman arm appeared to be flexing so I didn't want to keep trying and possibly snap it off. Then I would've been screwed.

I actually have found a shop here in CT that does custome car and truck work, called Perfections. I am waiting on the truck guy to call me back. Suppossedly they just did a project on a Superduty where they converted (stretched?) a regular cab superduty into a custom extended cab. They also installed a 6" lift and a Banks kit. Suppossedly this place is CT's only certified Banks dealer. I'll get more info when the dude calls me.

Hmmm... maybe this will be a good time to put on a Banks exhaust kit for my V-10.

-RIch

 

Sounds good Rich! Let's hope they can do it for you for a reasonable price.

 

I'll keep you posted!