sport trac lifting and leveling questions

[offroad72]

Hi everyone, I am a new Sport trac owner as of last week. I bought a 2005 Sport Trac 4WD FX4. The previous own put a set of 15X8 rims on it with 31 inch tires. They are brand new so I have no intentions of getting rid of them anytime soon. I have been reading the forums and have read many possibilities on lifting the sport tracs. All I want to do for now is to Level out the front end alittle bit. like maybe an inch or so. what is the best way to go about this. Also later on I would like to do a a small lift on it. perhaps just a body lift. how difficult are body lifts to install and do they make a difference. I dont want to do much, just enough to give the truck a nice look. Any advice would be great. Thanks.
Doug

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Welcome to the ST world. Does the Trac have any lift to it at all as of now? Need to know this before you lift the frontend, don't wanna go anymore then 2"'s with a 4wd. It's pretty easy to lift the frontend by simply doing a torsion twist.

Check the rear leafspring shackles and see if their stock or Warrior Products lift shackles.

Here's what mine has gone through in the lift stages. I started just like you with the 31" tires at stock height... just for some idear's ...

then the 31's with a 1.75" torsion twist and W.P. lift shackles...

next was the 3" Performance Accessories body lift with 285/75/16 tires and 1.5" wheel spacers...

now I changed things up abit with 33x12.50x 15 DuraTrac's on 15x8 Cragar Soft 8's with 4" b.s....

 

[interscope8]

I just did a shackle lift and Torsion Twist today! My write up is getting typed now actually

2 things, firstly there isnt an FX4 package for the ST... at least not to my knowledge...
2nd, Body lifts cost anywhere from $200-300. Sometimes you can score a used one for cheaper. A Shackle and Torsion lift can be done for $80 or so, and in an hour depending on your knowledge and skill. Check back in an hour or two and my write up with pics will be here

 

[JohnnyO]

You can turn up the torsion bars in front 1" to 1.5" to level it, or have an alignment shop do it since you have to get it realigned after anyway. Add Warrior shackles in the rear and you can fit 32x11.50-15 on the same wheels you have now when your 31's wear out.

 

[interscope8]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=327487

There's my thread I just typed up!

 

[offroad72]

Hey eveyone thanks for taking the time and Replying to my post. Something interesting thought. I dove under my truck today to get alook at the Torsion bolts and such. and I noticed that the one on the right is back out like an inch. no joke. It makes since, becouse when i bought the truck the alignment was slightly off, making the truck drift to the right just slightly. I am diving back under there on monday. I will tighten that one up and while I am at it I might as well do the TT.
Oh do they make a 2 inch body kit for the Sport Trac.
and for the No FX4 on sport tracs I have heard that before. but this truck only had one owner before me, and he has done nothing to it since he bought it from the dealer. and it had and still has FX4 stickers on the bed. it also has an oversized Tranny cooler on it, I wonder if that has anything to do with the FX4 or not.
THanks again

 

[interscope8]

Hey eveyone thanks for taking the time and Replying to my post. Something interesting thought. I dove under my truck today to get alook at the Torsion bolts and such. and I noticed that the one on the right is back out like an inch. no joke. It makes since, becouse when i bought the truck the alignment was slightly off, making the truck drift to the right just slightly. I am diving back under there on monday. I will tighten that one up and while I am at it I might as well do the TT.
Oh do they make a 2 inch body kit for the Sport Trac.
and for the No FX4 on sport tracs I have heard that before. but this truck only had one owner before me, and he has done nothing to it since he bought it from the dealer. and it had and still has FX4 stickers on the bed. it also has an oversized Tranny cooler on it, I wonder if that has anything to do with the FX4 or not.
THanks again

Anyone can buy stickers i was going to about a month ago and got talked out of it by the ppl on mysporttrac.com.

But Ford didnt make an FX4 trac. The tranny cooler coulda been put on by a shop if he ever got it maintenanced or anything... they do that.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Ya, I can make any decal you want for your truck, car, etc...

As for the larger tranny cooler, your in the desert so that's a good mod to have done for our Trac's since their transmissions are on the touchy side.

The torsion bar bolts don't go all the way in just because. They aren't supposed to be equally in because each torsion bar has different wear and tension on it.

 

[offroad72]

So the torsion bolts dont have to be equal huh. thanks for the info. although I did measure the front and that side is lower by about 1/2 inch. and it drifts to that side also. seems alittle more then coincidence that that side bolt is backed out more and its the same side that is lower and the truck drifts to that side. I think I will twist the truck level and see how it does from there.
Thanks again for everyone's info

 

[MidnightRebel07]

If that side is lower then yea crank it up to level it out. If you run out of bolt Todd Z at Zabteck technologies sells the longer torsion bar bolts. He also run mysporttrac.com.

 

[OffTrac]

All good info.

And you won't fix your alignment issue by messing with the torsion bar bolts. You are drifting to one side because you are out of alignment. The only fix for that is going to be getting an alignment.

 

[offroad72]

Yeah I know it wont fix the Alignment of the truck. especially since while i am under there I am going to crank them up alittle to lift the truck. Then I will have the alignment done proper.

 

[OffTrac]

You may also need to get the camber adjustment kit. I was hoping I wouldn't, but I did...seems to be pretty common for Explorers.