body lift

[Exekiel69]

I put my truck on jack stands to replace the radius arm and pivot bushings and by the time I was done and look at the truck I love it that tall so any suggestions on where to get a 3" lift kit besides fleabay?
How much work is involved to do it on a crewcab dually? I remember there was a thread about it months ago. Also I may look into air bags for the rear lift springs to give it some more load capacity when towing.

Thank You.

 

[Agnem]

EZ, get one from Hoaks 4WD in Wrightsville PA. 717-252-3602. Get it, and I'll help you put it in. We can do it at my place in a day. The reason I want to help you with it, is because I am schemeing a Moose Truck makeover and need to learn a few things from your process. BTW, don't be surprised if they tell you nobody makes one for a crew cab. You may have to buy 2 sets for a standard cab. They will run you about $70 per. Don't mention that it's a diesel, or they will tell you there is no such kit. Oh, and be sure to mention that you heard about them at one of the IDI Weekends (they have been a sponsor in the past).

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Been there and done that.

It should be a law that trucks have a body-lift; as, it is unreal how much easier everything is to get at and work on.

Somewhere, I have the measurements for bolt-lengths.

The lift blocks are merely some kind of plastic spacers.

Unless the truck is an automatic, nothing on these Fords has to be addressed, except to cut off the bottom half of the fan shroud, before you start.

Also, I made a simple flat steel bracket for my parking-brake cable to pass through, instead of through the cab-mount brace that it currently does before lift.

I think the brand-name of the kit I bought was Superlift.

It is really very simple, with longer bolts, and plastic spacers.

The only reason I bought the kit is that I did not know how long the bolts needed to be, and I was doing this after hours, when all the hardware stores were closed.

I initially went up three inches, but this brought on two issues.

1. I know this sounds crazy; but, at three inches, part of the cab came up into hard contact with the rear of the engine, or bell-housing, and turned my truck-cab into an echo chamber. The place that was interferring was impossible to access and would not move with forceful applications of long crow-bars.

2. At three inches, the steering rod came dangerously close to coming out of its slip-collar. At two inches, it is only out about 3/4".

I removed the spacers and sawed them back to two inches; and, I was able to swap around the bolts, between the kit bolts and the originals, to come up with a set for the inch lower lift.

I recommend getting a Borgeson, or Flaming River, steering shaft; I am soon getting one; I have put about ten thousand miles on the body-lift with the stock shaft with no problems, I just like the security, and extra slip length, of the Borgeson.

One thing you will run into that will near make you crazy is the front mount-bolts that go through the radiator support.

You cant see this, but the bolts are threaded through the big washers that clamp down on the rubber cushions.

You will remove the nut that makes sense and beat and hammer and cuss and cry; but, until you have someone with a big pair of channel-locks hold that washer and turn the bolt out of it, it ain't going to come loose.

Weeks before starting, crawl under there, twice a day, and drown everything with knocker-loose.

If you buy a kit, simply make the extra spacers necessary for a crew-cab, and buy a few more bolts; also, some 7/16" all-thread on hand would be advisable for un-foreseen circumstances.

I posted the bolt lengths on another site and will try to find them for you.

These kits are so simple that you can make everything needed easily.

One more thing, don't use the red thread sealant that comes with the kit, as a torch must be used to get it loose; the cab-cushions keep the nuts under tension, so they aren't going to back off, anyway.

Any more questions, just fire away.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Go here and scroll down to the bottom of the page for bolt lengths.

http://www.cummins-conversion.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=66

 

[metrojd]

Years ago We used Hockey Pucks and hardware bolts.
The only thing I would worry about is that lifting the body moves the fan from the center of the rad.
If anything I would make drop brackets for the shroud and block off the section hanging dowd from the rad. That way you still have a vac. forming.

 

[Agnem]

Years ago We used Hockey Pucks and hardware bolts.
The only thing I would worry about is that lifting the body moves the fan from the center of the rad.
If anything I would make drop brackets for the shroud and block off the section hanging dowd from the rad. That way you still have a vac. forming.

Can't. It's a bit more complicated as I found out on the Moosestang. The lower radiator hose is in the way big time. Pretty much have to do the trim job on it.

 

[metrojd]

Ya got me there

Can't. It's a bit more complicated as I found out on the Moosestang. The lower radiator hose is in the way big time. Pretty much have to do the trim job on it.

Like I said YEARS ago.
I will admit I never lifted a diesel,
The ones we did were 400m and 460 That had a less complex fan shroud.
I thought about a bodylift But was concerned about the fan location.
Seeing that everyone is concerned about IDIs running hot.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

One more thing with body lifts. You only get spacers for the bed where bolts go through. That leaves half of the bed crossmembers (which simply rest on the frame) unsupported. I suggest some heavy square steel stock tack welded to the frame to support these crossmembers.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

BTW, don't be surprised if they tell you nobody makes one for a crew cab. You may have to buy 2 sets for a standard cab.

Shouldn't need to buy an extra set.
Going thru the refurb on Goldie this summer, the Energy Suspension urethane bushing kit does em all.
So ya should be good as the crew cabs only have 4 bushing too.

One more thing with body lifts. You only get spacers for the bed where bolts go through. That leaves half of the bed crossmembers (which simply rest on the frame) unsupported. I suggest some heavy square steel stock tack welded to the frame to support these crossmembers.

Yep a must for these big dogs.
Especially what EZ will be hauling will prolly make his bed a dually sammich.

Years ago We used Hockey Pucks and hardware bolts.

Gonna do that little mod to the not so Gold one pretty soon as to keep that dang down pipe from rubbing the firewall.
I think it will be easier than trying to get that DP off to beat on the firewall som more with the BFH and then try to get it back on.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I have ran mine many thousands of miles, both with the 6.9, and with the Cummins, with the lift and the shroud cut in half (no shroud at all, since the Cummins, though it is going on with the new radiator), pulling heavy loads of cattle, and I have not had any over-heating issues, or even over normal temperatures, even in a hundred degree weather.

I don't think the shroud is as vital as some would think, but suspect it's main purpose is to keep fingers out of the fan.

 

[Exekiel69]

Thank You guys, I'll check on the parts so I can get Me a good kit. So I have to get steel blocks for under the bed so it will be ok the load it rigth? I'd like to go with the 3" kit but since some of You already have experience with it, is it so bad that I'm better off doing a 2" only? What is it that will get on the way? What happen with the shifter ?
Do I just use a jack with a piece of wood every time I'm going to put another section of the lift? What about the seats do I have to remove them I can remove the nuts at the bottom putting some pbblaster?
I also want to do airbags at the same time, anywhere with good quality ones?

Thank You all.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

I used to have a crew cab Ford. At least the one I had had extra rubber bushings between the middle of the cab and the frame.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

I used to have a crew cab Ford. At least the one I had had extra rubber bushings between the middle of the cab and the frame.

Not to jack EZ's thread, but what year?
Reason asking is both my trucks only have the 4 bushings.
Was it an aftermarket addition or was it factory issue?
With only 4 bushings, I can really understand why the factory ones crap out with all of the weight of the crew cab.

Just curious.

 

[TLBREWER]

Not to jack EZ's thread, but what year?
Reason asking is both my trucks only have the 4 bushings.
Was it an aftermarket addition or was it factory issue?
With only 4 bushings, I can really understand why the factory ones crap out with all of the weight of the crew cab.

Just curious.

Ron

There should be 6 bushings regardless of year. Two at the radiator core support, two at the front cab corners, and two in the middle rear of the cab.

Tom

 

[TLBREWER]

One thing you will run into that will near make you crazy is the front mount-bolts that go through the radiator support.

You cant see this, but the bolts are threaded through the big washers that clamp down on the rubber cushions.

You will remove the nut that makes sense and beat and hammer and cuss and cry; but, until you have someone with a big pair of channel-locks hold that washer and turn the bolt out of it, it ain't going to come loose.

Weeks before starting, crawl under there, twice a day, and drown everything with knocker-loose.

EZ

Midnight Rider brings up a very good point. I just did this two weeks ago. Those front core support bolts are very decieving (read pain the ass!). If you live in a corrosive environment, I might suggest getting new hardware for the front. I ended up having to sawzall mine off to get them out. The bolt had become one with the afformentioned "washer." Unfortunately, that washer is not a part you can fabricate. It is threaded for the bolt and on one side it has a hex that fits into the bushing. It's a Ford only part, but is still available...at $45 each. It's called a bushing retainer and comes with the stock rubber cab bushing attached. Since I was going to polyurethane, I had to heat it and the rubber bushing came right off. A very expensive washer! I may be able to find the part number tomorrow if you need it. If you have to cut, you will also need two Grade 8 (or metric equivilant) 4" M12 x 1.75 pitch bolts and associated nuts...no longer available from Ford. They need to be threaded almost all the way down as you will use most of it since it threads into two different items. When you take it apart, pay attention to the shims if installed. They are shimmed at build time to get everything even.

I might also suggest that if your going to this much trouble, to switch to urethane bushings at the same time. New bushings raised my cab about 1/4" to 3/8" so now I have to re-align the bed. I've not done a body lift, maybe the bushings are part of the kit.

Tom