Was wondering what you gents have experienced as far as a shop installing a level kit 2002 F350. How many hours does it take? I know I can install it myself if I had the heavy duty jack and stands but dont. I want to start calling shops in my area but dont need to get raped for installation.

 

It's probably cheaper to buy a couple jack stands and you can utilize the factory jack that came in your truck.

 

I wouldn't utilize the factory bottle jack. Go buy a 3.5 ton or 4 ton trolley jack. Your loved ones will appreciate you being around after this task. Plus it's quicker and easier to set up and get the truck in the air rather than using the factory bottle jack.

 

What kind of leveling kit is it? If it is a mini pack or a full leaf swap, you'll need to get the truck in the air pretty high and very stable using large jack stands. I have the largest jack stands from harbor freight for suspension work and they are awesome.

 

6 ton jack stands?

 

Took me and my dad about 2-3 hours when we did it about a few years ago. Didn't used jack stands. We used a large (not the factory jack) bottle jack and just jacked the leaf springs up enough to slide the mini leaves underneath....definitely not the best method, but hey, it worked!

 

They are the 12 ton jack stands. They are massive and great for holding up the truck by the frame for suspension work on my SD as well as Land Cruiser.

I missed your original post question. I did the leaf springs a few months ago... First time on the Ford. Took me about 3 hours the first side and 2 hours the second side. I have a good 1/2" cordless Makita impact wrench that made the job a lot easier as well.

 

THanks guys and it is only the 2" Level kit from Rough Country. I called a shop and they quoted me a 3 hour job at $105/hour and booked out till Aug 20th. This does no include alignment. Watched several videos and know where I can borrow the heavy duty jack stands and floor jacks. Im only doing this to squeeze 35's and its a 4x4 so it sits almost level already, however a different shop I took truck to that specializes in 4x4's said I need to get a level kit to run 18x9 with -12 offset. Thoughts?

 

I had to do some fender trimming with the Pro Comp 2" springs to fit my 35's (but I am running a 2" wheel spacer to clear the leafs). The -12 offset would be a good middle ground, but may still rub on leafs, but not sure. I think you'd clear 35's with the 2" or leveling kit, but I would agree they probably wouldn't fit w/o trimming on stock suspension.

As far as alignment, the only thing that will be impacted is the steering wheel alignment. The toe in will be set the same. The caster is set by the leaf springs themselves. Aligning the steering wheel took about 10 mins by adjusting the drag link (the rod that connects from pitman arm on steering box down to tie rod).

If you're wanting to do it yourself, just make sure you've got some large breaker bars for the suspension bolts. The job is straightforward. The one thing was just removing the radiator support brackets (8mm head bolt) so you can access the front suspension bolts. Not a big deal. You'll want to remove the front bumper as well for easier access, also not a big deal. The hardest part for me was removing the track bar top bolt at the frame. I couldn't get my impact on there so I ended up buying a 4-ft long 3/4" drive breaker bar. I think it is on there ~350 ft-lbs. Also, get a nice big ratchet strap to maneuver the axle under the truck. I had to ratchet the axle forward to get the bolt holes to align.

 

Thanks for the details. Honestly at this point I'd rather get a shop to do it 5 hours of my time, alot of cursing, beers and bloody knuckles is not worth it. Will just pony up for a shop to do it.

 

level kit could be a lot of things

a. just a super coil , brake line relocation, sway drop, shock extension.
b. a spacer that goes in on the top, brake line relocation, sway drop, shock extension.
c. a spacer that goes in on the bottom, brake line relocation, sway drop, shock extension.

for a 3.5 kit, sometimes you get track bar relocation, pinion arm drop

for a 4" kit, sometimes you get pitman arm drop

if your kit comes with rear blocks, the blocks (flat or tapered) if you get 4 or 5 blocks and the blocks are flat...you sometimes get carrier drop bracket. the rear sway drop is a hunt for a solution...sometimes you can find longer end links...sometimes you can just rig up some square stock to lower the end links.

tools wheel chocks, lots of jack stands, a few hydraylic jacks, some large 6X6 wood sections cris crossed in two directions cuase the jacks are usally an inch short of where they need to go.

AND...Kids....do not try this at home with out professional help....you can loose fingers...hands...etc.

if you dont have the correct tools...it probally would be better to have someone do it.

 

I did this on my 04 F350 4x4 this week. 2" superlift leveling kit.

The only hard part is lining up the differential with the leaf springs. I had to use a come-a-long to pull the axle back, and some hammering on the leaf springs to get them over enough to pop into place. Driver side was easier as the hole in the differential for the ubolt was great for prying the leaf spring over.