Can anyone provide me with detail instructions on how to install 3" lift spindles and blocks for a 2WD or is this a job best left up to the pros? I have little mechanical skills and average tools. I would basically be doing this job in my driveway.

Please advise. Thanks.

 

I installed my lift , and it was pretty tough by myself. I did it one day though. The front was pretty straight forward. Jack up the truck, put the jack stands under the a-arms. Remove the wheel, brake caliper, brake rotor, tie rod, sway bar link, brake line retaining bolt, and upper control arm bolts. Pull the upper a-arm out and seperate the spindle from the a-arms. I used a ball joint tool, pitman arm puller, and a big hammer to knock out the ball joints. The new spindles go on in reverse. The front took about an hour on each side for me, with regular tools, no air tools. The rear was a different story, the blocks were harder to do than the entire front lift. I had to go buy another, taller jack and the tallest jack stands that I could find. What I ended up doing was jacking up the truck as high as I could from under the differential and putting the jack stands under the lowest, most rear point that I could find. This was around the door area where the frame runs parallel to the ground. I put them as far back as I could right before the frame bends up toward the bed. The top of the tailgate of my truck was over my head. Then I used two jacks to lower the axle after I removed the u-bolts. I tried just one, but as I lowered the axle, the driveshaft would cause it to rotate really far and put the springs in a bind. I put one jack under the pinion part of the axle and another under the cover. I lowered them together as low as I could. As I lowered them, I had to manipulate the rear by hand to free it from the springs. With the jacks all the way down, I had about a 1" gap between the axle and springs. I then pushed the axle down, teetering on the jack, and installed the blocks on each side. The new u-bolts were a pain! Unless you have the world's longest socket set, you have to use a wrench. I wish I had a ratchet wrench that big. The whole rear took me several hours. Anyway, I don't know how much installation is at a shop, but if you aren't 100% you can do it, or have somebody that can help you, then you might want them to do it. Hope this helps.

 

Decides,

Thanks for the detailed instructions...appears to be a little more than I can handle but may still give it a shot. Of late, it appears I can not count on the shop guys to do a quality job. So I wanted to do this myself.

Thanks again.

 

crain-

I'm sure that you can do it yourself, just leave yourself plenty of time to do the work and if you had somebody there to help, it would probably be much easier. I would crawl under the truck and spend a few minutes looking at the suspension to get familiarized with it before you start, too. Good luck, and if you have anymore questions, let us know. Later

 

im probably going to be doing the same install this weekend.so i will let u know on my progress

 

nace19,

Did you complete your install yet? Any word on how it went and the ride afterwards?

 

Decides,

I hope you are still checking this post. I have decided to take the bold step and try to install the spindles and rear blocks myself. I have a question about the ball joint tool and pitman arm puller you referenced in your instructions. What size of each tool do I need for our truck? If one size fits all, forgive my ignorance because I wasn't even sure what a spindle was until the kit arrived via UPS the other day. Thanks for your feedback.

 

i did go through with it two weeks ago and the install was fairly simple except for a few tight bolts.i have been working on engines for a while now but this is the first suspension mod i have done myself and i did do it without any probs.the ride seems the same but it does depend on the tires you get also.

 

All,

After a year of reading about spindle lifts on this board, I finally got mines installed...ProComp. I didn't think I could do it, but I did the install myself...thanks to all the help on this board.

The install was actually pretty simple, but the brake caplier nuts were as tight as a bear. I am glad I went with Procomp. While they push the front wheels out some, it is not as noticable as I thought it would be. The look and ride is great.

The alignment is off...I had to adjust the tie rods a bit in order to test drive my truck after the install. I am going to get the alignment done this week.

I also purchased a cam bolt kit to help with the alignment. Will any alignment shop know how to install the cam bolt kit and do I need to find one that work with lifted trucks?

Thanks again for everyones help.