newby installing lift kit

[hatched91]

help the newby with understanding the lift kit directions

hello, i bought a 5.5" lift kit for my 93 explorer, 4wd. I have never installed a suspension lift. Anyone have advice on installing it? Any tips or specific steps to make it easier or faster? Any special tools i'd need?

 

[whitetrash96]

I'd get yourself a decent grinder to burn the heads off the frame rivets and then use a hammer and punch to remove them. I've tried that as well as drilling them out and the hammer and punch seemed the cleanest and easiest.

Air tools and a good floor jack and tall jack stands would also help a lot. A friend who is committed to help is also great when you need an extra hand or someone to run to get you beer or the tool you don't have.

For any TTB lift I would give yourself plenty of time for the install.

Best of luck.

 

[hatched91]

good advice thanks...but what is a TTB?(i'm a noob)

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

the Twin Traction Beam (TTB) was fords early IFS. Its found in the 91-94 explorers (as well as the bronco 2, F series trucks and others as well) It was an atempt at geting the best of both worlds between an Independant Front Suspension (IFS) and a solid axle.

In short its the front axle on your truck.

 

[sn0border88]

heres a few tips from when i put mine on. Also, search there are many threads including mine on install guides.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144610&page=1&pp=20&highlight=superlift+install

In retro spec, if you are not mechanically inclined get a freind who knows his stuff, its a huge help. Me and a few friends got mine installed (read: installed, not finished) in 12 hours. All the good tips and tricks we found are in there, any questions let me know, can I should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[hatched91]

great, i'll see about renting, or buying a pitman arm puller and get a couple of friends and some good jax stands and jax. And of course, all of the craftsman, well, tools I can get my hands on. PB loosener starts today.

 

[TheRookie]

heres a few tips from when i put mine on. Also, search there are many threads including mine on install guides.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144610&page=1&pp=20&highlight=superlift+install

In retro spec, if you are not mechanically inclined get a freind who knows his stuff, its a huge help. Me and a few friends got mine installed (read: installed, not finished) in 12 hours. All the good tips and tricks we found are in there, any questions let me know, can I should be able to point you in the right direction.

HA "YOU" and some friends. HAHAHA

sorry had to bust your balls a little. Yeah chcek out snoboarders thread. expect to break some hard brake lines if they are all rusted. be SURE to spray everything that needs to be removed with a ton of PB a few times starting a few days in advance. Dont plan on driving your truck anywhere for a few days if you havent done this before. It will take time and sometimes you run into problems, as happened with snoboarders truck.

 

[sn0border88]

EDIT: Mike and a few friends.

Happy now,

 

[TheRookie]

HAHA, sorry had to bust your hump. Truth is you probably did the most work

 

[hatched91]

being the newby i am to explorers, i replaced my radius arm bushing by following the book instead of grinding out the rivets. The pivot arm bolts have already been removed, the coils, radius arms, pretty much everything except brakelines. I hope that will help in making the front end go a little smoother. The rear end is what i'm afraid of. I've bought a can of PB loosener that I will apply for the next 4 days and "tap" on the bolts to help break the rust loose(so says the can). I expect it will take friday evening, all of saturday and some of sunday.

 

[TheRookie]

The rear end is easy. The front is where you will have the dificulties

 

[sn0border88]

unless his shackle bolts are siezed to hell, as the ones on my parts truck were. Be prepared to heat the shackle bolts to remove, if you havent done it recently. I physically couldnt remove the leafs on my parts truck, they were just to seized. Even many shots of PB and some convincing with a 12lb sledge didnt move the bolts so much as a little bit. Gt to replacing the radius arm rivets, makes things much easier, it probably should of been done when you replaced the bushings.

 

[TheRookie]

Heating the bolt would be counter productive. Heat what the bolt goes into. (a nut in this case)

 

[hatched91]

okay, so the lift has arrived. I have been reading through the instructions, and it says for the radius arm bracket drop to use a "porta-power" from inside to inside of the radius arms and spread 1/2". Or use a "cut to length" 2x4. Do the radius arms tend to push inward and they want you to use a 2x4 to wedge inbetween the two to keep you from struggling to re-align it?........here is the step
" 3) SPREADING THE RADIUSM ARMS- Position a porta-power from inside to inside of radius arms and spread approximatley 1/2inch. The holes connecting the radius arm brackets are already elongated. If a porta-power isn't available, use a small hydrollic jack positioned horizontally with a cut-to-length 2x4. Lower the radius arm assembly approximately 6inches. "

 

[sn0border88]

the loop on the leaf spring that the shackle attatches to, you know what i meant. Not a nut however, the nuts came off with some convincing. The bolts themselves wont come out of the loop. Oh, and a porta power would probably be easier to work with, but a hi-lift works as well. Basically yes, it is to keep them at the right distance so they are "easy" to realign.

 

[TheRookie]

HAHA I gotta rip on you today for some reason Micah

ANyway I think you can get away without the portapower part but you shouldnt try. The trick with the 2x4 is cutting it to length leaving space for a jack and it between the radius arms, you then use the jack to spread the arms a little. Leaving the jack in there till you have the new brackets in unless you are using extended arms, then it can come out immediately.

 

[hatched91]

i just can't grind out the rivets and use muscle to hold the relocation brackets to the stock ones? It's that much of an inward pull?

 

[TheRookie]

It isnt the same in every case. WIth Snoboarders lift there was no way you could use muscle to hold them apart. they tool a hell of a hard jack press to open enough for the new brackets. The drop brackets are going to sit a tiny bit wider than stock so the arms HAVE to be spread some. THey dont just open easy. You MAY be able to loosen the studs that attach the arm to the ibeam to let them open a little easier but I dont honeslty know for sure. Plan on a jack, You can also probably rent a portapower fairly cheep

 

[hatched91]

gotya, i understand now. Instead of using a jack in the traditional way, you turn it 90 degrees and measure and cut a 2x4 that will fit inbetween the two brackets and the jack snugly, thus when you need to push them apart, you just start pumping the jack and it spreads it apart. I understand the concept now! Well i will see about renting a porta-power from either home depot, o'reilys or autozone. Whoever has it. So let me get this strait, you can grind the rivits out, and THEN you can spread the brackets. You don't have to have everything in position before you grind the rivits out, correct?

 

[TheRookie]

I seem to recall putting the hilift (portapower in your case) IN before grinding out the rivets but not under much pressure. Just do it in the order the directions say