The Ford F150 is a member of the family of full-size pickups that are particularly popular with farmers, businessmen, and fans of outdoor activities and travel. F-series vehicles are considered the most successful in the Ford lineup. And all this is due to reliability, unpretentious maintenance, excellent handling, and cross-country ability of the vehicles. The F150 is no exception: it’s a utilitarian vehicle for all occasions, with an impressive exterior and a powerful engine. Today I’m going to tell you how you can raise the front end of your car. Let’s go!
Installing Spacers
If you still decided to install spacers, I will tell you about the technical nuances of this procedure, which will allow you to assess your options and determine the order of its implementation. To install the spacers on the front end of the machine requires the complete removal of the two front struts. There is no need to disassemble removed struts. You also have the option of using Front Lift Kits.
You still should lengthen shock absorbers, because of the changed suspension geometry their rods stroke is displaced. In the static position, they are pulled out almost up to the stop, and when working at rebound it causes a hard blow. Therefore, it is necessary to lengthen the shock absorber by the thickness of the spacer. It is made in three ways.
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The first is changing the “shock absorber” for longer, from another car model, but with the same upper and lower mounts. You can find out about their existence on the thematic forum of your car. Here as luck would have it, because the extended shock absorbers, suitable, what is called, “bolt-on”, may simply not be in nature. In this case, the second way is practiced – lengthening of shock absorber rods with the help of extensions, often called “soldiers”. And the third is to lengthen the shock absorber from below by installing lug extensions.
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The option with “soldiers” is attractive because of its simplicity and some technical aesthetics. However, the search for a “pair of soldiers” can be delayed: the product is not marketable, and the quality of the sold is not always at a high level. An impeccable option – the services of a responsible turner. The first will chisel out your extensions, and the second will harden them.
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It is not at all worse to lengthen shock absorbers not from a side of a rod, but from a side of an eyelet. The U-shaped extension is bolted to the native eye bolt, and it, in turn, is bolted to the moving elements of suspension. But the lug attachments, as well as the “soldiers”, are not sold everywhere, they are not universal, so it can be difficult to find the part you need for your car. In this case, a rough, but the quite working variant is often practiced. A new eye, cut off from the defective shock absorber, is welded to the shock absorber eye through the metal extension made of a profile pipe.
That’s It!
Thus, in any case, do not forget that the installation of spacers, despite its popularity among the people and the relative harmlessness, is still not an event approved by the manufacturer of your car. Don’t forget to use Best Lift Kits for Ford F150, F250, F350. During the warranty period, you can get troubles related to the official service, and the illiterate installation of spacers together with shock absorber lengthening can cause a lot of trouble.
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