Body lift install thoughts

[dan_ill]

So this weekend I will finally be installing my lift kit and i'm wondering if anyone has any pointers to either make it less painful or tricks to the trade. The manual seems pretty straight forward so i look forward to posting some pics pretty soon.

 

[ncranchero]

Start tonight soaking the body mount bolts with penetrant .............

 

[dan_ill]

is there a specific brand i should be looking for? or would wd40 work?

 

[ncranchero]

PB Blaster, Deep Creep (by Sea Foam), Thrust (by Castles), etc. IMO WD40 is more lubricant than penetrant.

 

[dan_ill]

sounds good mr.ranchero

 

[John_Rock]

Something to watch for...
The A/C line that goes underneath the harmonic balancer...
http://www.explorerforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=41046

I personally never liked dropping the radiator 3 inches. So I just cutoff the fan shroud side tabs that help hold it in place and rotated the fan shroud 180 degrees and zip tie it to the radiator.

 

[dan_ill]

very interesting. i will check that one out when i get under it tomorrow.

 

[chad551]

Do the A/C line mod like John shows.... I had that picture in my garage while I did my lift and still forgot to do it. It costed me about 400-500.00 bucks to repair. The hose is a complete assembly and is expensive and a real pain in the @$$ to replace. then you have to pay for the A/C system to be cleaned out and then re-charged. I was PISSED when it happened, cuz it was in July in St.Louis, and $.50 in zip ties would have saved me a fortune.

 

[01sportrax]

Ac line

I did that to my ac line for the harmonic balancer. But I didn't look at the tensioner pulley got done crank it up and the pulley got into the side of my line and it's cut. I did mine three weeks ago I love it. Put 285s on it they should come from the factory at this height it looks perfect. Have not fixed the line yet. It's cold here in georgia will do soon.

 

[chad551]

Mine tensioner just started doing that on my A/C line as well. I was getting this strange vibration noise coming out of the heater box, and finally got lucky and saw it before it cut all the way through.

 

[dan_ill]

its on the check list of things to do before i finish tomorrow. so i see the light at the end of the tunnel or maybe its just the light from where i entered. Tomorrow is the bed removal, install the bushings and reassemble everything else. any last minute thoughts on how to get those damned bushings off?

 

[John_Rock]

Are you doing just a body lift? Or are you doing body lift and replacing rotting body bushings?

 

[dan_ill]

just body lift. the bushings i was referring to was a mistake i meant the spacers that lift the truck

 

[dan_ill]

on a side note. if i threw some shackles on it and did the tt would i be able to squeeze 35's under my baby?

 

[dan_ill]

i need help for tomorrow!!! im down to the last two mounts on the cab and they wont come off!!! ive tried pb blaster, liquid wrench heating it up and using some freezing liquid. the entire thing rotates with the nut and because of the angle no hand tool will get to it. how did you all get yours off? im contemplating just drilling them out if i cant get them off by midday.

 

[John_Rock]

You can't tell by looking at it, but the bottom body mount hole is a 13mm allen wrench hole.

PS: I only learned that fact a couple of months ago.

 

[John_Rock]

When I did my body lift in 2002 I had borrowed a big channel lock wrench from a neighbor and had my tiny wife(no ex-wife) underneath the truck trying to hold those damned things in place while I turned the nut from inside the cab. What a pita that was. What a trooper my wife was for helping me during those times.

 

[dan_ill]

see my problem is that the rear two for some reason dont have a real gripping point. also the bolt seems to bounce/jump when we did try and remove them. i was the guy under the truck today for the first 4 of them and it does suck. would i be dumb to try and remove them with a drill?

 

[Threkin]

When I did it a couple of months ago, my cousin was under the truck and had the choice between 460 channel locks (huge) and 440's (about midsized), he chose the 440's and just hung on for dear life while I broke my arms up top with the 1/2 ratchet.
I think if you had to drill out the bottom mounts (like the two up front) it woulden't be the end of the world if you got longer bolts, and some nuts and washers.
I'm sure you are done with it by now, though. How did it turn out?

 

[dan_ill]

bingo! a heat gun and the 440's were the ticket. the bumpers are still off, they should go up either tomorrow or tuesday.