Swapping 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive suspensions
 

Hi All! I have a 2007 f150 2 wheel drive. In talking to rancho the struts on a 4x4 and 2 wheel drive have different mounting points so I couldn't use their lift struts. Is this true? If so would changing my springs to a four wheel drives give me the same height as a 4x4 or is it the spring strut combination that gives them the higher stance?

the springs between a 4x2 and a 4x4 are the exact same part

the 4x4 gets 1" of extra height because the lower spring perch on the shock is 1" taller than a 4x2 shock.


so yes, you can install a 4x4 shock into your 4x2 and it will sit the same height as a stock 4x4

Thanks for the reply. Are the struts different as far as where they mount to the lower assembly?

no, the struts are identical in every other respect. just the lower spring perch height changes.


rather than buying OEM 4x4 shocks, have you looked at the Bilstein Leveling shocks?

they offer a +0" and +2" setting. roughly the same prices as buying OEM or Rancho stuff

If you're looking at the Rancho QuikLift, I think the 4x4 lifting strut will give you too much lift. They also make stock replacements and the stock heigt 4x4 should be okay. I noticed my upper control is marked 4x4, so there is likely a limit to lift before you start to have alignment issues. If the struts are the 9000 series, they are adjustable so you can tailor your ride as soft or firm as you like.

Well shoot. I was going to try for a cheap man's lift by doing 4x4 struts with a 2.5" leveling kit. However if the a arms are different by the time I'm done getting the parts I might be better off buying and official kit.

Does anyone know for sure if my lift idea will work? Are there different part numbers for the 4x4 a arms where we could compare?

I'm fairly certain there are limits as to how much lift you can get before you start having ball joint and alignment issues. You can't take leveling struts and throw spacers on top of the struts to get 4" or 5" of lift without consequences.

My thoughts were it would be no different than a 4x4 throwing on a leveling kit. But if a arms, etc are different then it's a different story.

Seems the upper and lower control arms are different between 4x2 and 4x4.

no, the upper/lower control arms are identical.



you can install the 4x4 shocks and a leveling kit, but you will get ball joint issues. the reason is because the spindle between the 4x2 and 4x4 different.


the 4x2 spindle is shorter. so if you put a leveling kit on, the ball joint gets strectched farther than a 4x4 spindle.



guys have done it, and it looks nice...but I wouldn't do it.


I'd just run a 2.5" spacer on your 4x2 shocks and maybe get the OEM 2" block out back. then you'd be about 1" higher than a OEM 4x4

Tylus you better check the part numbers. They specifically specify 4x2 and 4x4. They may look the same, but if they bear different part numbers, they are not likely to be identical.

I've got the Ford Repair DVD at home, and I've posted the Part #'s on here before.

For the control arms, they are identical between the 4x2 and 4x4. The difference is the spindle and the shock.


I'm blocked from accessing the site at work, so I'll pull it up at home.

Thank you both for all the info. so what's the difference between a 4x2 and 4x4 spindle other than size? Are the swapable?

Fabtech makes a 6" lift for late model 4x2s. You might want to look into it for more than 2-3" of lift. Before I took the word of a service manual, I'd check with the part counter at Ford. I looked up the upper and lower control arms on Tasca Ford's website and they make a distinction between 2WD and 4WD. I'm not sure with the 4WD sprindle it won't change your rotor, etc. Unless you have a donor vehicle with all the parts, I would think the Fabtech kit would be the easiest route for that much lift.

okay, I can finally access the pics. These are taken directly from the Ford Published Service Manuals that every Dealership in the country uses


4x4 Front Suspension
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/4x4front.jpg



4x2 Front Suspension
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/4x2Front.jpg