The manufacturer that has been building America's best-selling trucks for more than four decades in a row, Ford isn't used to taking any chances with its vehicles. Ford F-150 trucks are almost indestructible machines built to last, being constantly given numerous updates and engineered with a lot of attention to detail. Ford's stock suspension is a reliable and durable assembly, but if you're going to tackle difficult terrains, the original ride height may seem too low.
For this installation, we'll use the 6-inch lift kit by Pro Comp - it comes complete with all components required for the project, with each and every one of them built to be sturdy enough to withstand the toughest environments. A Lifetime Warranty is a good proof for it. In this short step-by-step instruction, we will give you an idea on how to install this lift kit on your truck.
- Use a lift or a jack to hoist your vehicle.
- The front suspension needs to be disassembled. Remove the brakes, tie rod end, struts, sway bar, spindle, and lower control arm.
- Prior to removing the front differential, disconnect the front driveshaft. With the help of breaker bar receivers and extensions, unbolt three bolts that mount the front diff to the vehicle.
- Now a cutting job needs to be done. Refer to detailed Pro Comp's instructions that come with the car suspension kit on how to cut the driver's side control arm pocket. Measure 2 11/16 from the top of the cam bolt hole, draw a horizontal line across the entire mounting pocket, and start cutting along the marked line. Make sure the cut is flush with the sway bar mount. Polish the surface and apply a black spray paint to protect the metal.
- Get ready to install parts provided with the kit. Install front differential drop brackets with the OE hardware previously taken off. Hang the diff back in place using new hardware from the kit. Reconnect the vent line with the supplied extension, make sure that its route remains unchanged. Then install a new rear crossmember. Test-fit the driver-side lower control arm to make sure that the new control arm pockets line up properly.
- Installing the rear crossmember brace will require drilling into frame. Prior to drilling, use the brace as a template to mark the holes. Install the lower front skid plate. Torque all differential and crossmember hardware.
- Reinstall the front driveshaft to the differential. In the kit, you'll find the spacer needed to take up space created between these two parts due to lift. It needs to be installed only if your vehicle is faced with light off-roading only; in case the intended usage is serious high-speed off-road racing, this spacer shouldn't be installed. In the latter case, the help of a professional mechanic will be needed to lengthen the driveshaft. Install the stock sway bar.
- You'll need to swap some OE spindle parts to those supplied with the kit. Move the bearings over to the Pro Comp spindles, then install the strut spacers supplied in the kit onto the factory OEM struts, bolt up Pro Comp knuckles with the hubs transferred over to them. Once the front brake components are reinstalled, proceed with the rear end lift.
- At the rear, you'll need to install Pro Comp's lift blocks above the rear axle, raise the differential to install new rear shocks, and bolt the relocation brackets for brake lines. The kit comes with block spacers to slightly increase the height of the rear end. Leaf springs need to be disassembled to fit the block spacers. Install the new spacer on a rear driveshaft (this should be done with the gearbox in neutral). Once the wheels and tires are in place, retorque the suspension (some torque procedures need to be done with the vehicle already on the ground), and take it to an alignment shop to be aligned.
Installing a lift kit is definitely not the easiest job, but given the right skills and a wide range of appropriate tools and equipment in your garage, your Ford F-150 project will be a success. If you need further details regarding how to install a 6-inch lift kit on your truck, check out this video by carid.com.
