PA70023 Failed install

Very detailed instructions and pretty easy to follow. Starting working on this install at 10am and didnt finish until 7pm with nothing accomplished Given that we also took multiple breaks, ate and football was on so couldn't miss that. First off couldn't figure out how to separate the parking brake cable front from rear. Pull the cable and gave it slack but couldn't separate it from those tabs holding them together :scratch:
Besides that everything was going smoothly until we got to one of the cab to frame mounting bolts. The one in the middle of the truck behind the drivers seat, that bushing was completely screwed and throwing channel locks on it only destroyed it even more. And on top of that the bolt feels like it seized in there and its just spinning the bottom bushing. Took some pics, any advice on freeing that bolt??? Going to attempt again next weekend i guess but truck is back together without the body lift

Replace all the body bushings now while your taking the bolts out anyway, just saying.

As for the seized bolt, take a propane torch to it for a while and a BIG A$$ breaker bar (I used the handle for my big floor jack and a 3/4" breaker bar). If you have acces to a welder which I didn't you can tack weld a piece of metal to the bottom washer plate and to the frame to keep it from spinning. I used two of my biggest vise grips, put them as far onto the plate as tight as I could get them and turned bolt til they butted against the frame, my buddy held them in place carefully while I was inside cranking on the bolt to get it to break free. It has to go through alot of threads so it may seem like your not loosening them up but they'll fight until they come all the way out.

Oh yeah, for the parking brake cable I used the sawzall and cut a slit in the bracket to slide it out to get it in the extension bracket, I'll post pictures.

Yeah, those bolts don't let you know you're making progress until they're pretty much out. About the 3,472 cuss word on each bolt, bam! It's out.

Here's a picture I just took of the bracket and cable.

Gotta love Pa. rust.

Does anyone know if these Daystar cab and body mount bushings will fit our sport tracs? part number is KF04009BK and it says 91-01 ford explorer and mine is an 01 so it should work right?

MidnightRebel07 said:

Here's a picture I just took of the bracket and cable.

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Did you disconnect it from the very front like right behind the front wheel well or at the cable end meeting points down the frame towards the torsion bolts?

Nope, just released the parking brake, cut the brackets and slid them through.

I had a really hard time attempting to put back on the heat shield cover involved in the first couple steps so i never put it back on. I can take a picture if necessary but it covers up the fuel lines thats bolted to the frame right next to the header so to speak. It's a very tight fit and i've tried installing it from every angle, inside the engine bay, turned the front left wheel all the right and tried from inside the wheel well and even under the truck from the bottom, no luck. I know it sounds very bad, fuel lines-exhaust header. Should i be worried???

Yeah, that shield is a real ***** to hold in place and start the bolts in but once you get the first bolt started your good to go.

I don't remember that at all. Either it went really well or not at all. Guess I better check...a year later.

MidnightRebel07 said:

Yeah, that shield is a real ***** to hold in place and start the bolts in but once you get the first bolt started your good to go.

Click to expand...

I can't even begin to tell you how much of a ***** that shield is to get back to where it belongs. It's crazy, i got so frustrated i gave up.

Yep, I gave up on it the first time I tried and went on to something else then came back a day later. I had a few choice words for that shield if I recall.

MidnightRebel07 said:

Yep, I gave up on it the first time I tried and went on to something else then came back a day later. I had a few choice words for that shield if I recall.

Click to expand...

Yeah I did the same thing. On the parking break cable though I put tension on it and tapped a flat head screw driver against the tabs on the little connector until they moved and allowed me to disconnect the cable.

Try a couple of pairs of vice grips as tight as you can get them on with someone also on the channel locks, unless you can weld a bold to it or something to stop it from spinning. Did I mention it took me 3.5 days to do my body lift. It was a major PITA.

2.5 days with my father-in-law and brother-in-law helping with every known tool available. It went pretty smoothly and don't remember anything being terribly difficult other than physically removing the cab bolts. For the parking brake cable, we did what Clusterpup did. The radiator gave some trouble but that was just me being stupid.

I need to finish mine within 1 day. I hope to knock it out one of these sundays, having these tires are killing me.

well, for my body lift i am not going to fool around,, get them bolts in sight, sawzall them all off,or twist them off with a big bar,, new bolts are in the kit,, why worry about keeping the ones that are too short ???

i see body lifts taking a long time,, it shouldn't,, you can work on them bushings a ton easier in a vise on the bench than under your rig,,

I need to at least try to salvage the metal sleeves for the bushings since this daystar kit doesn't come with them.