I dont think the bolt configuration is going to cause an issue.

The problem is getting the lower control arm low enough for a longer than stock strut or a spacer on top of it. I realize your lower control arms are already lower do to the lift, but is it enough to get that extra tall strut? Thats the question at hand.

It looks like if you don't want any more lift, you will probably be OK because of the lower arm relocation. But that extra inch may cause some grief.

Sometimes just to get an extra 2" you need to take the spindles.loose from the upper or lower just to get the lower arm down far enough to get the strut In below the spacer.

Not saying you will, not saying you won't. Just something to think about.

 

Your going to need a really good, and fairly long pry bar and put it under the bottom of the strut and compress that strut so you can get it out of that "Pocket" that the strut sets in.

Unk Bob

 

I think your right a pry bar would be necessary to lift and nudge the strut out towards the tire. Studying the pictures I conclude the space needed for new 6" strut is there once the spacer is deleted ...all this is mute as the spring is my real concern anyway. Ahhhggggh just hate to pay someone to do something I think I could do myself plus now my brakes are starting to squeal, those I know I can handle and would actually like to upgrade rotors and pads from oe which I could do with money saved from self strut install

 

The truck in Mak's video is a 04-08 which while very similar is quite different, mainly the LCAs are aluminum on that model run.

There are lots of 6" lift coilover options out there, but none of them are necessarily cost effective. You'll drop around $1k just to get the entry level setup from Fabtech, etc.

Personally, even though I could do it myself, I would have never attempted a spring swap myself. Maybeeee a full coilover assembly, but my time without a truck is more valuable than doing it myself...so I always paid someone. By the way, lots of people unbolt the LCA from the truck to make the install quicker and a little easier in a sense.

 

That spring on the strut is nothing to worry about while your taking it out of the truck. It's when you remove the nut at the top of the shaft that comes out of the strut is the scary part.
There's no way I'd touch that without a good spring compressor. Some replacement struts come loaded, with the spring already in place. That is just a bolt on part. But I'm sure it'll also cost quite a bit more money too.

Unk Bob

 

Noticed the top cover is out of whack on the passenger side as well.


Went ahead and ordered the Rough Country 6" lift strut which will eliminate the current 6" spacer that sits on top of the strut now. Really was on the fence about buying these vs Bilsteins, Bilstein made a similar strut or perhaps they still make em but finding them for purchase is another story all I could find is their adjustable leveling struts. Going to have the shop that installed the lift put them on next Tuesday, I'll report back with the results then.

 

Well there on and I'd like to say the ride difference is amazing but it's not. There is alot less nose dive on harder braking. I'm thinking of changing out rear shocks as well now. Will be having the tires rotated and balanced this weekend. Rest of suspension is tight ball joints etc... so hopefully this will stop the excessive wear rate on the inner tire.

 

FYI if you hear clunking sounds from your new struts you or whoever installed them did not properly torque the top nut on the strut. Lost faith in the shop that installed these for me, took the truck back in this morning (33 mile one way ride mind you) and after they "checked" that all was proper me and the main guy at the shop went for ride and yeah still clunking. The guy tries to tell me it's coming from the back as we pull back up to the shop. Proceeds to get out and mess with back tire proclaiming it's loose as if he had solved the mystery. He has to get back to manning the phones so he has a tech go for a ride with me. The tech clearly hears the clunking and after getting back to shop gets out and tries moving the front up.and down at which time me standing by driver front tire tells him "hey that did it (making a clunk)". I'm a Internet search fiend and had already looked up the causes and find it incredible that as a shop who's sole business is lifting trucks could overlook something so obvious. I'll be having the Ford dealer retorque my lower control arm bolts on the next oil change God knows how much they might be off and if they used locktite on the nuts. All this aside the main guys attitude of being extremely dismissive about the cause and wanting to deflect any blame is what turned me off to these guys.Truck does seem to ride better now though.

 

Wow, glad that you were able to find the issue before any damage was done.

Unk Bob

 

These are the horror stories that make me want to do the work myself. Glad you got it sorted and improved the ride.

 

From all the interweb searching on strut replacement as it pertains to an F150 I had done in the past few weeks I already suspected the problem and figured after talking to them on phone and being simply told to bring it back for a retorque that it'd be simple fix. I could cut em some slack on the nut being not tight enough and not having the insight to address that as a possible cause (but honestly ...really? they do this stuff everyday for a living ). The real issue is the it's not our problem vibe that I was getting. Also took the truck into Discount Tire today and had them rotate and balance the tires, the tech told me a couple of em were pretty far out of balance which brings me back to the lift shop again as they had originally mounted the tires for me.