I installed the lift over the weekend. And already got new wheels and tires on it. Very happy with the new look.
I consider myself a pretty handy guy but I have never done a big project in any car. I felt I had the right tools so decided to do it myself.
I went very slowly, making sure I didn’t mess anything up and there is no way to go fast in a garage in Phoenix in the summer haha.
First obstacle was that I didn’t have the right size socket to remove the axle nut which is pretty massive. So I lost a few minutes going to Oreily to get that.
But by far the biggest obstacle was that one of the steps is unclear about which way the front spacer needs to be facing. The text in the direction says one thing and the picture shows something else. I had to call Traxda on Monday and I installed it incorrectly so I had to redo the front to make it right.
Another issue was that the 2 extension brackets for the front didn’t have grooves big enough for the bolt to go through. So I spent about 30 minutes with a file, making the groove slightly bigger (about 1/8” bigger). This is some thick steel and not a very fun activity when it’s over 105 degrees! (I had read about this issues on a review on Amazon, so I was expecting it, but still annoying).
The rest of the project went well, I would say I spent a total of 12 hours to do all 4, and then I spent another 2 hours re-doing the front. Again, this was my first project of this magnitude.
Now for any other DIYers, I would like to share what size sockets you will need so you don’t waste time like I did.
Front
Step2: Axle nut is 32mm
Step 3: Sway Bar End Link is 13/16”
Step 4: Tie Rod End is 13/16”
Step 5: Lower Strut Bolts are 15/16”
Step 6: Upper Strut Mount Nuts 16mm
Rear
Step 1: Sway Bar End Link 15mm
Step 2: Lower Shock Mounting Bolt 18mm
Step 3: Lower Control Arm Bolt 13/16”
Step 4: Steer Knuckle Mounting Bolt 7/8”
Very happy I was able to do it all without breaking anything or doing anything stupid. The explorer looks great now!