Okay, so thankfully I didn't get a 2 1/2" inch front leveling kit.

Instead, I got the Bilstein 5100's with the 2" lift (and I absolutely love the way my truck feels / handles now).

But here's my dilemma; I put all four stock tires + wheels in the bed, under my bedcover (for lack of a better storage place at the moment) and then I started thinking > Well, those probably weigh about 250 lbs, huh ? Well, that should closely aproximate 100 to 150 lbs of fishing tackle (when you include 1 or 2 deep cycle batteries) in the bed, and a light trailer, with a 100 lb tongue weight on the hitch.
So, I go out and measure from my wheel wells to the ground, and find that my rear end is sitting 3/4" lower :-(
I can live with completely flat.... or slightly higher in the rear, but I don't want any bulldogging at all.
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So, even if you skip all of the above, what is involved in those 1" rear lift kits ? Spacers and what else ? Do they include new U-bolts ? What should I expect to pay for that kit ? How much work to install ?

Thanks,
Fish

PS, The reason I want the truck to sit at the right height "with" the trailer attached, is that the trailer will end up being attached to the truck 98% of its life.... plus, most times when I'm actually driving it, the bed will be full of fishing tackle....

 

Ford already has a block in the back, 2" block I believe, so the easiest solution would be to replace that with a 3" block and get longer U bolts.
You can find the blocks & bolts seperate or buy them as a kit from most online offroad shops. I would get themn as a kit so you know everything is the right size.

Add a leaf is another option but requires alot of work to get the spring pack apart and back together. I also have found that add-a-leafs can damage your leaf packs over the years and makes the ride considerably rougher than factory.

Installing the larger block, if you go that route, is pretty easy. With 2 people and a 6 pack you can expect an hour or so if your reasonably mechanically inclined or maybe 2 hours if your not.

 

Thank you. Actually, I'm totally mechanically "declined", which is why it's a great thing that I have good buddies who are mechanical geniouses ;-)

So what do you guess... $100 for the kit ?

Thanks again,
Fish

 

Ehh, a rear block with U bolts should cost maybe $60 max. Im sure you could find them for a bill, but a quick search online turned up plenty of places selling them for 50-75. I did one on a Nissan Frontier by myself in about an hour. To make the job easy have 4 jack stands and 2 floor jacks. Make sure the jackstands can raise up pretty high also

 

3" block would be much safer than having two blocks per side in the rear.

 

Sounds totally logical to me. I'll look into replacing the 2" with 3".... rather than stacking a 1" and a 2"....

Peace,
Fish

 

Hey fish.

Dont you have a 2wd? If you do, then you do not have any blocks in the back. I belive only 4x4 trucks came with them. I know auto springs has a 1.5inch rear block for about $116.00 and another company has a 1 inch for $99.00 I think. This would be your best bet unless you go with a aal.

 

Yes, mine's a 2wd. I'm almost sure the 1" will be enough. I didn't think I had seen any spacers in mine, but wasn't about to argue with anyone :-)

Peace,
Fish

 

Understandable Fish. Im about to install a 1.5 inch block on my truck. I got it from a fellow member here. I'll post pics when i have it completed. Nice truck by the way. Love the new wheels!

 

Peace,
Fish