Hi im new to the forum and i had a question about raising my 98 f-150 without getting an expensive suspension lift? Is there anyway i can just change out the shocks and raise it any? and if so what kind of shocks do you recommend? Thanks for the help.

 

4x4 or 4x2? Need to know this before any options can be recommended.

 

can you with 4x4?

 

Not to my knowledge on the 97-03's, but yes on the 04+s... I just wanted to make him aware that if he does have a 4x4, he would either have to look at a torsion bar crank + body lift if he wants to avoid a suspension lift, or just a torsion bar crank.

I think the 4x2's on the 98 allow you to put a leveling kit on, but I don't think they make any shocks that allow you to lift the front a couple of inches like the Bilstein 5100s do on the newer 4x4s.

 

No...you can not get any lift with a shock absorber. Shocks to do not lift anything nor support any weight on any truck. Never have. For a '98, your only options are for some type of kit (2WD) or crand up the torsion bars a little (4WD) or a lift kit. The only thing that's completely free is adjusting the torsion bars on a 4WD. Any thing else involves buying components of one form or another.

A lot of guys get sucked into the whole "a shock can lift your truck" bit because of the bilstein shocks for the late model, coil-over F-150's. The shock does not lift the truck. The shock mounts between the control arm and the upper mount just like the stock one...it's the preload on the coil spring (altered by its mounting position on the shock) that actually induces the lift, and not the shock itsef.

 

yeah ok that makes sense. I feel kinda dumb for asking this but how would I go about cranking the T bars? Where and what and all that good stuff. I know more about engines than suspension, when it comes to suspension I am more lost that an Asian immigrant on the I-5 in San Diego lol.

 

Just follow each torsion bar back from the lower a-arms. At the end of each torsion bar there is an adjustment cam and bolt mounted in the crossmember. Just crank up each torsion bar adjustment bot an equal number of turns. Then get an alignment.

 

wow...simple. Thanks guys. I think i will be doing this in the next week or two. Thanks for the input!

 

its a 4x4, I had heard about the bilstien shocks. is that just for the later models? Thanks

 

according to other members it does not do it to our trucks. Only the later models.

 

ok thanks yall