has anybody had or heard of problems with a 2 inch leveling kit on the 04-06 f-150s , such as worn out ball joints or cv joints. i took my 2 1\2 inch kit off and the truck looks horrible. thinking about 0-2 inch lift shocks from bilstein to improve the looks. any info would would be great.

 

There is a ton of threads discussing these items. Just search and read.

 

The new ride height adjustable shock is going to do the same thing a spacer would do to your ball joints and CV angles.

 

just curious cause I have the 2" AS. Why did you remove lift and want to go with another? You notice ball joint wear?

 

Removed my AS's after 30,000 plus miles so I could install my 2/5" lowering kit and while installing the new 2"drop lower control arms, was thankful that they came with new ball joints installed, as we discovered the stock ones were totally eaten up....Its a good thing I decided to change my trucks looks.
Yes, I like the new look. With the removal of the AS's I took a total of 4" out of the front..Handling is now much nicer....

 

Total Chaos has UCA that use a ball joint like the Baja trucks. Check them out and I belive they will help with the ball joint concern..not to mention they look sweet. I am going to install my adj. ranchos and when the money get right they are next on the list as is new rotars. Just a thought but without going with one of the big kits that relocate things that is one of the trade offs.

 

How much are the Total Caos arms?

I thought they are like $900. I'd say it'd be smarter just to spend the extra few hundred and get a 6" lift.

 

I've decided against the leveling kit on my truck due to concerns with the ball joints and the added angle of the CV joints. Instead, I'm going to save up for a 3-6 inch lift and do that when I have the money available.

 

What 3" lift?

 

i took the 2 1\2 spacer off because the suspension made a clunk when it was rebounding. made me wonder what it was doing to the ball joints. thought a 2 inch spacer or a 2 inch leveling shock might not be as hard on parts as 2 1\2 inches.

 

I debated this issue for a long while before I finally went with the 2" AS. Ball joints run $35 apiece for our trucks. You can buy and replace every 20K to 30K mile for a lot less than a full suspension lift. I put the AS in @ 37K miles and I plan to replace the ball joints @ 60K miles to save my tires...cheap insurance. From my previous IFS lifted trucks, CV joints last 2\1 to balljoints so at about 90K - 100K I will replace them too. F150 is by far the best truck out there for the long run.

 

Im almost positive to replace the upper ball joints, you have to replace the whole upper control arm.

 

I thought that the ball joint were a press in issue for replacement? If not, I found this thread.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=238447
$600 for replacement A-arms that will take the abuse. Still a lot cheaper than a full lift. The price we pay for leveling our trucks...if Ford would just sell us a truck that wasn't 2.5" off front to rear it wouldn't be a problem. Before the '97 trucks, this wasn't an issue...progress I guess.

 

does anybody know for sure if you have to replace the whole arm or just the ball jpint, and if so how much would the whole a-arm would be?

 

I believe they are around $90 and like I said before, Im almost positive.

However, your CV angles will still not be that great. I don't think its too much to worry about in the short term but for the long haul it would be IMO.