Hi,

First of all - sorry for my bad English! But it couldn't be changed in next visible years, so - I cant make it better...

Recently I've bought F-150 from EU (Netherlands), but unfortunatelly I don't have any workshop history for this truck (Dutch doesnt speak English). Meanwhile I ordered RC 2.5 inches suspension lift kit, but whem my technicians started to mount it, they were supprised. Probably truck was lifted before, they wandered if it is possible to mount it at all.

Here are some pics from the bottom.

My question is: Is this stoick suspension, or not? It is easiest to see at rear.

Thanks for the help.

 

Rear looks stock. Front might be stock or stock plus cranked torsion bars

Need pics and or measurements from the side to determine if they're cranked or not

 

Thanks!

This is interesting... Actually, RC 2.5' includes these components:



It means that RC rear lift blocks are intended for adding more height?? That's good!

For the front, obviously stock torsion bar keys should be changed with new - RC one. You are right, I need to measure them in order to check if they are stock or not.

I was really supprised that vehicle came with 33', instead of stock 31' tyres. I can guess, that with this lift I could wear bigger tyres.

 

If you're fitting 33s it's probably cranked up front to level

You really shouldn't stack blocks, you should replace the factory 2" block (with horn) and install a 4" block. It's a potential safety issue since stacked blocks can be more unstable

 

Yep, your suspension looks stock to me.
But, I'd caution you against that RC kit. It is just re-indexed torsion bar adjustment keys, new shocks and a lift blocks. They problem is that the re-indexed torsion bar keys allow you to put way, way too much preload on the torsion bars. This will destroy your ride quality and leave your CV and ball joints at angles too severe to last. If you want just a little more lift, a 3 inch body lift would be a much better choice.

 

I need to check installation list from RC first, because I'm not sure what you exactly mean.

Thank, I'll have that in mind. But I've already bought it.

 

He mean's to remove the factory block (look at your last picture, its the hunk of metal in between the axle and the leaf springs with the horn coming off of it towards the inside of the vehicle) and replace it with a proper sized one.

Stacking blocks is bad practice and can lead to more serious problems down the road. So instead of adding the 2.5" block with the "kit" you bought on top of the factory one he's saying remove the factory one and add a 4" block instead.

I'd suggest returning it or selling it off it at all possible unless you don't mind doing expensive repairs a lot more often than they should be needed. Basically with those aftermarket torsion keys cranked up your CV axles, ball joints, and tie rod ends will be lucky to last more than 10-15k miles. Not to mention it'll ride like it has no suspension at all from all the extra preload.

Cranking the factory keys allows you to still keep the front end suspension angles in check, meaning those parts will make it a lot closer to their intended lifespan.

Unfortunately, if you really want to gain some more height you'll either need to get a body lift or a full suspension lift. Besides cranking the factory keys there is no cheap way to lift the 97-03 4x4s. Those torsion key kits like you bought exist solely on the market due to people not doing the research and purchasing them anyway trying to do it cheaply.

 

I understood this after reading the RC manual. Their blocks in this kit are 1", not even 2.5", and are intended for adding to factory blocks only. I'll make it like that, bearing in mind possible potential problems.


I don't like body lifts because they lift the body only, not reflecting the clearance. Full suspension lift is ideal solution, but it cost 1000 $ (doubling with transport to my country) and I can't afford it, so I'll postpone it for now.

From the other side, parts for this vehicle - like CV axles, ball joints, and tie rod ends - are exceptionally cheap for this truck (rockauto), and labour prices here too. So, I'll take that risk and went to potential (cheap) repairs, when necessary.

Actually, I'm using the truck mainly when hunting, where terrains are usually “middle” level of off-road. I was once only on a “hard” trip, where the vehicle impressed me with its off-road abilities. I use BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/ A tyres (295/75R16 – 33.4”). The only things that I broke on this trip was transmission mount (which carry the transmission itself), and my left towing bracket. All other components withstand this journey. On the same trip some of the other vehicle (Daihatsu Feroza, Mitsubishi Pajero) has their pull /push situations. So, I’m glad from this performance, having in mind that was w/o any cargo in the bed.

Here is my beauty:

In the mud...



Missing bracket:


With some cargo:




I’ll keep you informed for the current situation.