I bought 4 new bilstiens for my 2000 f150 xlt 4x4 and I am ready to install them myself
Amhile back someone mentioned to me about the rear shocks being both facing the back of the trucks and that newer f150 come different. that the driver side is facing the back of the truck and the pass is facing the front of the truck.
So I looked at the rear and my truck has the bracket to face it forward on the pass but i cant find the spot where the top of the shock bolts into.
DOes anyone have pics the way theirs is set up?

is this even worth changing while I am already doing this. will the rear handle any different with the one shock facing the other way??? Please help

 

I installed 2 sets, one one a 2000 XLT SCab and the other on my 2003 FX4 SCrew. On the Scab, the shocks both faced to the rear of the vehicle, one the Screw however, one is facing towards the front and the other is facing towards the rear.

I could be wrong, but I believe the Screw on the 97-03 models (or at least the early 2000 models) is the only truck that has them facing the opposite way on each side of the bed. I think it has to do with the bed only being 5' on the Screw and not 6' like a regular or Scab.

I'd snap some pics of the Screw set up but I don't have my camera with me. If you haven't figured it out by this evening, I can throw a couple of pics up when I get off of work.

But, if you have a Scab or regular cab, both of the shocks should be facing the rear of the vehicle. I am almost sure of this.

 

any tips on doing this easier? removing wheels? jacking truck up? just sprayed the bolts down with penetratin oil. anything else i need to know?
thanks for your help

 

The front ones were a pain in the **** for me on both sets. Reason being is because it is almost like the rubber bushing on the very top is too big and I had difficulty threading the nut onto it. I threw the bushings in a vice and crushed them down as much as I could. I left them in there, put the shock on, then pulled it out and while it was still compressed a little, threaded the nut on the top.

Pulling the front tires off and jacking up the front under the A-arm on each side will help compress the shock also.

People said that the rears were difficult because there is little space to thread the nut. I didn't have this problem because the I had already installed a body lift on the truck before I threw the shocks on the rear, so I had an extra 3"s to work wiith.

They aren't the easiest to install by any means, but they are well worth it. I love the ride with the Steins. Hope this helps.

 

thanks man, cant wait to feel the difference, the ones on the truck now are stock and blown out. as soon as they are in I am going to put my 20in hd wheels with 275/55/20 pirrelies scorpion ats

I got an hd front bumper, grill, valence as well at the paint shop right now, cant wait to get that on too

 

Sweet - your truck sounds bad ***. Get those mods on and throw some pics up. Good luck with the shock install.

 

Something else to look at, assuming Bilstein has not changed how they make their shocks. In the end of the top mount, you will find a slot that will fit an allen wrench. This allows you to turn the nut on and keep the post from turning as you get tighter.l

 

I am going nuts here, with the whole passenger side going twards the front og the truck. I talked to someone with a 2000 f150 hd truck and thats how his came. if I want to do the hd exhaust in the future, i need the shock to go fowards.
for the record, right now I have a stock lightning exhaust on my truck so the stock location muffler is not there but the heat shield is there, and I think that is where the shock has to mount to. the heat shield is easy removable with 3 bolts

 

There should be brackets to accomodate mounting the shock behind the axle on the right side. This picture helps a little for the bottom bracket to give you an idea what it should look like. If it doesn't look like this, then maybe you can't swap them for some reason. As for the top, there should just be a hole up there somewhere similar to the one on the left side just inboard of the frame rail. Ford didn't make different frames for the different trucks, so the upper hole to mount the shock aft of the axle has to be there. This is also kinda wierd since I also thought the SCrews were the only trucks with staggered shocks. I'm surprised you found something to dispute that.

 

you wouldnt believe the crazyness going on here trying to figure this out I will take pics and post. I have the bracket on the bottom, to make the shock go foward but where it bolts into on top i think the heat shield for a stock f150 muffler is blocking it. I have a different muffler for now so I can remove it. I need the shock to go foward so that I can put a harley style tail pipes on my truck.
I would love to see pics, of the bottom of a stock 2000 f150 and the bottom of a stock 2002 f150. also if anyone that has 4x4 that has it staggerd. Also by doing this does it mess up the 4x4? or is it better. why is it only on the 2wheel drive trucks?
the info that i have now say its better, but everyone that has a lightning or hd change it to the way I have it now for traction reasons but need a traction bar

 

if you look in his picture the heat shiel for the muffler is there. is that where the hole is for the shock???

 

just got off the phone with you, like I said the SVT built trucks and the supercrews have the mount I'll get some pictures for you in the morning so you can see the mount and what piece your truck is missing.

you'rre correct any lightning / harley truck that is running traction bars and has switched the passenger side shock to the rear has that mount adding weight to the truck and could remove it and be sold / traded for.

the benifits of staggered shocks helps control axle wrap and improves cornering stability.

Stoffer

 

thanks man, i am now in the market for a bracket

 

Ahhhhh...so you actually want to mount the right hand shock in front of the axle on a truck that didn't come that way, correct??? Yea, that is different and there's not going to be an upper mount there to do it. The upper foward mount on the right (on select trucks) is an addition to the frame unlike the rear upper mount on both sides. It's a welded on job and not something you could go nab off another truck and bolt in place. Would take some custom fab work to do that.

 

I need to see if the screws or lightning have them bolted in