I recently purchased and installed a set of Explorer Pro-Comp add-a-leafs on my 1997 F150 4x4. I got them from Summit and they cost $50. For the price you can't do better. The kit promises 1.5-2 inches of lift and they deliver. For the install you will need a floor jack, some hand tools and the factory bottle jack that came with your truck. The kit includes all necessary hardware and four spring retention clips. The instructions are kind of vague, but the install is pretty simple. The instructions call for the complete removal of the spring, but I only removed the rear shackle bolt.

Here is the low down on the install. You will need to do this one side at a time. First, remove the rear tire and then jack up one side of the truck. You will need to put a jack stand under the frame. Make sure it is as high as it will go. I also put a jack stand under the rear spring mount just in case if fell. Then lower the jack down and let the axle down as far as it will go. Remove the U-bolts and the top mounting plate. This will expose the spring alignment nut on the top of the spring. Put a large C-clamp in front of and behind the axle tube on the spring. Make sure these are fairly tight. Even though the spring is at full drop there is still a lot of tension built up in the springs. Remove the spring alignment nut and then slowly loosen the C-clamps. Once the c-clamps are removed you will need to jack the spring up a little to remove the factory spacer and bumpstop, and the spring alignment bolt. When these have been removed you can lower the jack and remove the 2nd and helper springs. Then remove the rear spring shackle bolt. This will allow you room to re install the 2nd spring, overload spring, and the add-a-leaf. The Add-a-leafs I got were a little long so I had to rim of about 1.5" from one end of the add-a-leaf. The end that has been trimmed must be installed toward the front of the truck. Now assemble the spring pack. The helper spring will be at the bottom then the 2nd spring and then the add-a-leaf. After stacking these on top of each other insert the new, longer spring alignment bolt. Now take this spring pack and install it under the top spring that is still attached to the truck with 1 bolt. Install the spring alignment nut on top of the bolt and tighten.

Now that the spring pack is re assembled you need to attach it to the rear spring shackle. To do this you will need to place the stock bottle jack that came with your truck on top of the spring pack and under the bed. Now operate the jack until the spring is in position and you can insert the rear shackle bolt. Remove the bottle jack. Now jack the springs up a little and re install the factory spacer and bumpstop. Then jack up the axle and install the u-bolts. Make sure all the bolts are tight and re install the tire.

Now you can move on to the other side. Make sure after you have driven for a week or two you recheck everything and make sure it is tight. My install was pretty simple. It seems like a lot, but it only takes about 25 minutes per side. If you have a helper it may go even faster. I did have one problem. One of my rear spring hangers was bent so I had to do a little work to get the rear shackle bolt out and then back in. It may be simpler to remove the entire spring and then re install the entire spring pack, but I have been known to do things the hard way.

I am very pleased. The springs lifted the rear of my truck 1.5 inches and it handles better now. The body roll has been decreased and there is a little more articulation off-road. The truck also seems to brake a little better. I think this is due to the fact that the rear end does not lift as high when I come to a stop. This causes less weight to be transferred to the front resulting in better braking. If you are looking for a little more load capacity, better handling or just some lift this is the way to go. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.