I bought a 2003 F150, Fx4 with the 5.4 Triton about 6 months ago. It has been lifted (supposedly Fabtech, 3in?). Within those 6 months I have had to replace the wheel bearings 3 times so I opted for smaller tires and wheels to reduce the wear, and thats where things got interesting!

Took it to the local shop to have the front end aligned and was told my outer tie rods had to be replaced before he could align it. Bought stock tie rods and returned to the shop. He removed the old ones, which were also stock, but couldn't get the new ones to work (bolt to short?). Here's my question (s). Does fabtech lifts require specific tie rods? If so, where do I find them? If stock tie rods should work what else could be the problem?

I tried contacting the previous owner to get the specifics on what all had been changed and he won't return my phone calls.