after rounding up all the parts it was missing, and waiting for my gears to show up, i am going to install my bds 6 inch lift on my 97 f150 4x4. i know the instructions say it is estimated at a 10 hour install, but i was looking for opinions on how long it took for others to get theres on. i am a diesel mechanic that works on hwy tractors, and have done lots of front end work, etc, on these 97-03 types of ford truck, just never have done the lift. just going by the instruction i didnt think it would take much more then 5 or 6 hours. am i assuming this will be easier then it will end up being? any input would be great.thanks.

 

You gotta remember to take into account that you will not be going step to step instantly and inevitably you will run into something that doesn't go as planned. Ended up taking me an entire weekend on my 04 but I also had to stop to get more tools throughout and was just taking it slow since i didnt have anything else to do over the weekend. I'd say 10-12 hours is gonna be a decent estimate with air tools on a floor lift. But hell maybe you can do it in less. Just don't try and cram it into one day and leave an open weekend to do it.

 

i just installed my 6" lift over the weekend and i had the same thinking as you. I thought it would only take about 6 hours. Boy was i wrong. It took just under 10 hours with me and one friend, hand tools and a floor jack and some jack stands. We didnt encounter any bumps in the road during install, thats just how long it takes. And as bossman said, make sure you set a side an entire weekend for install just in case. Good luck with the install.

 

thanks for the reply, im off as of tomorow for 6 days, so its not that i dont have the time, i was just looking for some feedback on how long it took others to do it. thanks for the help.

 

also, make sure you get an alignment done right after. But you probably already know that.

 

Took me 8hrs with 2 people on it.

 

Took me 12 hours to install my fabtech by myself using a 4 point lift.. the rear is easy, its the front that takes forever.

 

I did mine on my 02 in about 6-7 hours by myself with floor jacks in my driveway...there was supposed to be another guy helping but he never put the beer down and got off the lawn chair....

 

good info, i got all the tools ready and ill be starting it tomorow, i have 4.56 front and back, 6 inch bds lift, air lift bags and compressor for the rear on top of the blocks, and eagle alloy 186 with 315/75/16 x-terrains when its all done, i will post pics when im all finished up. hopefully sat night or sunday.

 

nice. i cant wait.

 

make sure you have a grinder handy. the front frame crossmember will probably require some "persuasion" to make the lift crossmember fit. pretty much everyone I've talked to, including myself had to do this when installing lifts on the 97-03 trucks.

 

well as you guys were saying i ran into a few bugs putting everything together. I started on friday morning, and after a few long days i have the 6 inch lift on, front and back 4.56 gears, got the air bags in the back, and shes sitting high on the new wheels and tires. Its monday morning and i am running out to get a u-bolt as one of the bolts from the used kit i purchased had been broken on the top, missing about 3/4 inch. I didnt notice until friday at 6:30pm and i couldnt get a ubolt anywhere on the weekend. The truck has been sitting since sunday morning waiting for me to try it out. I am going to finish it up right away, go get an alignment, and hopefully everything is good. When i get it home from my buddies shop, and get the alignment done, i will try and post pics, hopefully later tonight.

 

awesome. glad to see everything went smooth for the most part.

 

Congrats man, glad to see you got it done! I think it's always best that folks do big jobs like this by themselves!

Can't wait to see those pics!

 

exactly, its a great learning experience.