I own a 1999 f-150 x-cab and am looking into a lift kit.(6"). I have spoken with people who have explained that i should get the upper and lower control arms,not just the upper because the ball joint can become loose and begin to move creating noise. In one instance a mechanic showed me where his became noisy and he had to weld the ball joint.Any suggestions?

 

2WD? If so, and you are getting a 6" lift, that's probably a good idea. What kind(brand) of lift are you looking into?

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'98 F150 S/C 5.4 V8 4x2, Aggie maroon, spindle lift, blocks and leafs, Rancho RSX shocks, Airaid filter system, Pro Comp 305/70/16, AR Baja 16x8, Dynomax duals, and some other stuff

 

Yeah, i failed to mentioned that i own a 2WD and am looking into the fabtech kit.I am only afraid that i will have problems if i don't buy both the upper and lower control arm. Also i heard if i go with the fabtech ulimate long travel the front will sit a bit higher than the back.Any comments or suggestions? Thank you.

 

Why not just get the 3.5 inch coil and upper arm kit, and the lift spindles. I believe Fabtech sells this as the 6.5 performance kit. Ive never heard of the problem you are talking about, and cant forsee any problems with just upper arms(some drop kits even have just coils and lower arms). However just upper arms only give 3.5 inches of lift so you need something else. Unless you are running in Baja i dont see why youd need both arms. Just my .02

 

I just did what Brew suggests and the results are great so far! Can't see how not changing the lower control arms too will cause the ball joint to work loose... Fabtech sells this 6.5" kit as their "Ultimate" suspension lift. It's actually just a combination of their 3.5" "Performance" kit and the 3" spindle kit with 4" blocks and slightly taller shocks. By the way, Fabtech apparently has changed from the 3" Bullseye supplied spindle to a significantly different looking (and beefier!) 3 1/2" spindle with "Fabtech" and the part# cast into the back of it. You actually end up sitting a little taller and with a wider front stance (about 2") than with the older spindles. I am very impressed.
I would suuggest to anybody changing to aftermarket suspension parts that they periodically check for things such as loose connectors or fittings and the like anyway. It's just good sense, I think... After all, we'll probably push 'em a little harder now anyway, right?!

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-JonC-
*Silver 2000 4x2 F150 Supercab
*4.6L Triton V8
*BFG 285/75/16 AT KO's
*16 x 8 Panther Custom 108's
*K&N GenII FIPK
*Custom Cat-back w/ Flowmaster 50 Series
*Fabtech 6.5" "Ultimate" suspension lift
*Extang Black Max soft tonneau
*tint/vent visors/air deflector
(no, I did NOT get stuck in
the accessory dept. at K-Mart!)