Advice on 6in. lift
 

I have a 2000 F150 5.4L triton v8 4x4 ext. cab. Im new to lifting trucks and I want to put a 6in. Fabtech Suspension lift on it with a 35in. tire but have heard from people i know that if i lift it 6in. its gonna cause to many problems cause of the changes in angles. So what im trying to ask is who on here has a 2000 lifted with 6in. and what kind of problems have yall run into after installing the lift, and is it going to cause as many problems as ive been told?

Hey dae54:wave: Welcome to the site!!!:thumbsup:

the Fabtech lift should not cause any problems with angles, if any thing it helps the angles on the front drive axles, and the tie rod ends, the fabtech lift is a well designed lift that will hold up very good in most aplications, it will change the angle on the front and rear drive shaft but it is not enough to cause any problems, I`ve had mine on now for about 3 or 4 weeks and have had no problems at all, it really improved the ride on my truck over stock. Hope this answers some of your questions, if you have any more feel free to ask them!!!:beers:

Are you going to do the install yourself or have shop do it?

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...283-215528.jpg

Yea i plan on putting the lift on myself with my dad. Would i have to shim the driveshaft at all or is it not neccesary. Anything i should be aware of when i go to install the lift and also with the lift should i order traction bars

You do not have to do anything to the drive shafts (front or rear)...

If you can get traction bars I say go for it!!:thumbsup:

When you do the install the torsion bars can be a little stubborn to get out and put back in, If you do a search for torsion bar removal you can find where I wrote out in detail how I got mine in and out, other than that it is pretty straight foward bolt up system, I`ve got several pics in my gallery of the install and if you cant find what you need there just let me know what parts you need pics of and I can take some for you, the pics in the directions are a little hard to see at least for me they were...:beers:

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...283-215528.jpg

what tire size are you running with the 6in. because i was planning on doing 37's but not sure if they will fit without rubbing, but now looking at 35's because there a little bit cheaper and seems most people are running 35's

Welcome bud :beers:

Fabtech is a good kit and you wont have any problems from it. But do realize, lifting a truck puts more work loads on it, a little more wear and tear, and you may need to replace certain parts more often. You will also probably begin some off-roading, again shortening the life span of much of your vehicle.

Is the truck going to fall apart ? Heck no. But you will have to keep up on the maintenance a little more often, and might want to keep an eye out and ear open for "different" things. It'll be fine. Go for it !

I'd suggest sticking with 35" tires. No rubbing issues, looks good, and saves you a couple bucks. When yours ready to go up to 37" tires, you should look into re-gearing.

this may be a dumb qhuestion but what kind of parts would have to be replaced more often due to the wear from loads of the lift?

Ball joints, tie rod ends and a little bit more attention on u-joints on the drive shafts. All of these are normal wearable parts though, just might wear out a little faster with a lift. Go for it, you won't regret it ! :beers:

^^ agreed and not stupid at all, and don't be scared off by that statement. I knew I should have gone into more detail.

Basically, by going with a real suspension kit, your keeping all your angles pretty much the same. Due to the larger tires and rotating mass, you will need new brakes and rotors faster then you would have with out the lift.

Your tranny, engine, and other drivetrain have more of a work load, due to the heavier parts, and much more rolling resistance. They will wear faster (noticeable ? doubtful) Depending on your wheel off-set you could be wearing down bearings a bit faster. I am talking minimal tho, its not like your cutting its life in half or anything.

It applies more to "off-road" use. Once its lifted, you can go more places, and generally do. You will be putting a lot more abuse on the rig, mudding it and what not. Thats all. Off-roading will take its toll, but you pay to play.
So far, the only thing I have done to my truck is a broken E-brake due to being high-centered. But know, there are plenty of people on this site, with lifts, who do some minor off-roading and have had zero problems.

i think im gonna go with the 6in fabtech because of the reputation and i think the 4in. lift is to small. also with the driveshaft u joints what do you recommend for the driveshaft, like swithching to different drive shafts or what?

I suggest waiting til the U-joints u have fail. The replace them with a greaseable version. CTM makes some quality U-joints. You'll be fine man, instead of your parts lasting you a 100k miles, it will only last 80-95k miles. Rea;;y wont be that noticable. Just need to keep an eye on your parts.

Fabtech is a great kit, its what I am running. It has taken plenty of abuse from me and my heavy right foot.

is this a complete system or is there anything else i would need other than a steering stabilizer

//4wheelonline.com/Products.aspx?CategoryId=26038&ProductID=71908

link didn't work, but when your ready to order your lift, tires, wheels and any other parts let me know. I can set you up with the best deal out there. A buddy of mine can.

ill prolly be ready to order some stuff in about may because i am waiting to sell my 93 ranger and im gonna use the money from that to pay for my parts but i will definantly contact you when im ready to order. thanks for all the help

X2
 

The only other thing that gave me a hard time were the shock bushings were so thick it was a real PIA to get the nut started on the threads.You will love driving your truck like it's new again

By the way
 

I did have to trim the front valance which you will see when you turn the front wheels and i have since trimmed the rear of the rear flares as well due to rubbage when having the bed loaded with wood and towing the camper.
There is some pics in my gallery for reference.

The only problem i had when i put the lift on was when i was bolting up the front crossmember i had to do a little grinding to one of the brackets cause the welds were too thick for it to line up. Took a few hours of grinding with a grinder but not too bad. I also had to get a shop to press out the Front CV axle from the stock steering knuckle. I would recommend replacing the ball joints while you have it apart if you have some miles on them. It is really easy to do while you are installing the lift. I also put mine in so if you got any questions ill try to help as much as i can along with the other guys. Here is a pic of the bracket i had to grind down. There are more pics of the install in my gallery.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...al/031-1-2.jpg

I personally did my install as well. It was awhile back but I did have a small issue with the ft. crossmember too though. Rather than grinding down the factory welds of the ft. support frame, I actually opened up one bolt hole (just a little bit) on the passenger control arm hole. I was able to line everything else up. I supported the ft. crossmember with a jack and lined the rest of the bolts up fine.

I haven't experienced any other issues with the set-up. I have an expedition and my rear system is Coil, so I wouldn't be able to give any input on the rear.

I am running a 3" body lift as well so I cleared 37's no problem. I'm actually thinking about going 38's next.

Hope I was of help.

;)

^^^ pics ?

When i go to put the lift on a buddy of mine has a hydrualic lift in his garage, would using the lift make the installation a little bit easier??

It's always easier with the use of a lift. I think every house with a garage should come with one ! :rocker:

X2:beers:

Hey Cletus, howz La today ? I kinda miss it there, we just moved up to Va from Houma, La on the 1st of Feb. I don't miss all the mud there was down in Houma though. Nice to see rocks again !

It is beautiful here today. It is sunny and suppose to be 80. Had to leave the truck in the driveway today and take the bike. :banana: Funny that you say you miss it here. I am from maryland and i kind of miss it there. I miss the mountains.