was wondering where a good place to find a good 3 inch lift kit. i'm wanting a suspension lift. some systems ive seen have pitman arm drops, and some don't. is there a certain height you can go before steering is affected. anyway, a was looking for a complete system, bushings shocks springs everything.
thanx again

 

4" lift is going to be a little more common and you can find them through a number of vendors. Try www.broncograveyard.com or www.ntwonline.com. Usually you can go 4" without any steering trouble as long as you have a drop pitman arm. You can sometimes go as high as 6" with the drop pitman arm but usually you'll need to go crossover on anything above that.

For what it's worth I'd recommend you look for a Skyjacker brand kit and spend the extra $$ for rear springs instead of blocks if you can.

 

I went with the Skyjacker 6". I got the drop pitman arm and the drop drag link. They work really good together. My only complaint is that the little spring pack clamp thingy (on the 6" springs anyway) is to close to the drop pitman arm. When the pitman arm is all the way forward, right at lock the spring clamp is about 1mm away from hitting. It could be a problem if the spring was compressed while in fully turning.

But I kinda want crossover steering if I can find more info on it and it would allow me to turn sharper, it take all day to get turned around in a tight spot.

 

HighPro, just broswsing your gallery and curious what width your rims are and also if you know what the backspacing is. I just got the Cutout flares for my truck and want to make sure the edge of the tire sits pretty flush with the edge of the flare. Great looking truck btw! Come join us in the NW forum if you get a chance.

Also, check and do a search in the Offroad forum for info on crossover steering, there's tons of it there.

 

What is crossover steering? Does the Skyjacker 6" kit work on 2WD? If so, where can I find info?

Stu
'76 LWB SuperCab Ranger 390 2WD 8' Bed, Valdez Turn Radius

 

A 3" you can probably get by without a drop pitman arm, but if you got the money get one just for kicks. or decide and get it later seperately.

I believe my rims are 12" wide and I'll get back with you on the back spacing. I'm pretty sure its just standard. The cops thought it would be best if I had fender flares, so I just got lucky that they line up flush. I'd rather have a little lug hanging out )

X-over steering is when your pitman arm links over to the passenger side tire not the driver side tire. When you have a lot of lift the longer the steering link the better the angles. You can probably see that if you articulated the front axle (drive up a ramp with one tire) the little drag link from the pitman arm to the driver side tire would be your limiting factor. And you get more bump steer with a short drag link too. My deal is that my steering box maxxes out first and I guess if I want sharper steering I need 4 wheel steering or hydraulic steering. Hydraulic being illegal without mechanical backup.

 

Rancho makes a 3" kit for F150 4x4s. That is what I used on my truck. It was $350 with shocks from Desert Rat. It doesn't have any steering stuff, but doesn't seem to need it. Ted

 

A bit of friendly advice, try to find a pitman arm puller that fits the pitman arm.. If you can't find one big enough grind the old arm to fit the puller. Worked fine for me.

 

Since I tried to post this question in the suspension forum and got no replys, I hope no one minds me butting in here.
I have read you can get about 3-4" lift in the back with a shackle flip . What are the draw backs of doing this? Need longer shocks?
Thanks
Jim

 

Hey, thats a good question. Currently, my lift is block in the rear and I'm not the biggest fan of blocks. I've seen a guy kick one out bucking up a steep slope in 2 wheel drive(he broke his front driveline, so he didn't have much choice). There is a company in Oregon called Sky Manufacturing that make a rear shackle flip thats a direct bolt on in the factory spot and gives about 4" of lift which would completely eliminate my lift block. I'm hoping a benefit is reduced axle wrap.

 

Not to hijack this thread but where is everyone getting this from? I've spent countless hours reasearching the WAC and RCW and have not found anything to back this up, nor have I found any federal law that states this. If I'm wrong I'd like to know but to my knowledge there's nothing (at least in Washington) that states you have to have a mechanical backup or can't use full hydro. About the closest statement in law that I've found against hydro is the fact that the steering box "shall be securely welded or bolted to the vehicle frame or other suitable location as originally installed by a recognized manufacturer." Even at that if you really wanted to get technical you could leave the steering box in place, pull the pitman arm and mount your orbital under the dash. Well enough of that rant.

Currently I'm working on a hydro assist setup which will help turn the big tires easy but I've never heard of a steering box that won't turn far enough.

 

Ivan- You could always use hydraulics with some aircraft cable backup like a certain POS GM vehicle... -hehe

 

Good one Torque! A lot of guys are paranoid about full hydro failing but if it's set up properly I don't see it being any more troublesome than regular steering. If a pitman arm or drag link goes you're pretty much in the same boat.

 

I teach aircraft hydraulics, and if it can be trusted in the sky, then I am pretty sure you can trust it here on earth The biggest thing is making sure you understand the principles and pay attention to safety. Usually, total catastrophic failure doesn't happen. There will be signs. For example, if your steering ram is leaking at the seal, and you ignore it, eventually it will probably blow out. However, it isn't likely that it will happen within the first 2 minutes you see it leaking.

 

I am against full hydraulic setups for street use for a couple of reasons. There are some states where it is illegal. The ones I've heard complaints in are places where there are yearly inspections. I don't know of any laws here in Ohio regarding this, but wouldn't do it anyways. Full Hyd. set ups do not have a feel of the road in the wheel like a steering box gives. You do adjust to the way the truck drives, but it takes much more attention. If for some reason a hyd. line would blow you will loose all steering input. I know of someone who just last weekend blew a steering line while cruising at the Indianapolis Jamboree Nationals. His isn't a street driven truck so it's fine, but what if it had been and he was cruising down the highway- especially in a turn? You will also be in trouble if even the engine stalls for some reason. No steering at all then. I understand the view about safe in the sky/ safe on the ground, but you don't have the road hazzards up in the air like on the ground. An airplane is also held to a high standard and has trained pros building and servicing it.

There is always a chance of breaking a pitman arm or such, but about the only thing I've ever seen is a sheered sector shaft from running too high of drag link angles or an incorrectly modified (welded) arm or bracket.

As far as lack of turning radius, most of what I've seen is from improperly built setups where the linkage is out of adjustment, alignment, or is binding up somehow. It could also have been modified with longer than needed dimensions that won't allow for full travel.

As to the lift, I too recommend going with the dropped arm and doing it right. Skyjacker is probably the best one out there too.