Installation Outline and Product Review
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From Alphacowboy
OVERALL THOUGHTS AND IMPRESSIONS
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First of all I would like to thank Jason B for picking up Tuff Country as a sponsor for the site. I would have to say he picked up a very good company to add to the site. I also have to thank Tuff Country for their support and also to Jaysn at TC. Great guy and definitely is A+ Customer Service. A big thanks goes out to Chris (v10sport) for his help of installing the lift on a Saturday and Sunday.
Overall installation of the lift went well, and was very straight forward. With the correct tools almost anyone could install this lift in their own back yard. Installation for Chris and I to install the kit took a little over 14 hours. On a new truck or a truck not in the "salt belt" I would have to say it would shave off a good few hours. Due to a stuck cam-bolt and other "rusted" on bolts, our install time was a little long. A few "issues" I had with the kit were easily solved by calling Tuff Country directly. If you do decide to purchase this lift, let them know if you will be still using your factory over-load springs if yours is so equipped. I did not know you must specify for the longer U-Bolts.
As to the lift, I would say it is well built for a moderate wheeler that needs to clear some larger tires. The kit is very complete and has one of the best drop brackets I have seen for the Track-Bar. I was a little disappointed that the new control arms did not have grease fittings on them, but could easily be added. I also opted for the dual shock setup and am very pleased with the ride. Many avid off-road drivers may not like the 5" coil spacer, but for my current needs it will work perfectly to get those tires out of the fenders. I use my truck for work and also is my daily driver, so I wanted to keep the stock feel as much as possible. I just needed a few inches to get the larger tires and ground clearance for muddy job sites, and for the value, this kit was perfect.
Included at the end of this article are before and after heights and some images for the final product.
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REQUIRED TOOLS
3 Floor jacks (2 at least)
4 Jack stands (2 for frame, 2 for axle)
Pitman arm puller
Tie rod separator a.k.a. Pickle fork
Angle grinder
1/2" Drill bit and Drill
Socket set w/ a 13/16...24 & 21mm socket/wrench (for control arms) with a variety of extensions.
8-15 hours of time without driving the truck
Monkey Wrench (pipe wrench)
FRONT SUSPENSION
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1) Disconnect battery, block wheels and make sure E-brake is on. Jack up the front of the truck with a floor jack and put 2 jack stands under the frame. Remove both front tires. Leave the floor jack under the axle and only let it droop a few inches for now.
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2) Take the Traction bar off using an 21mm socket. You will need to remove the cotter pin with a needle nose pliers first. Keep stock retaining nut. You most likely will need the pickle fork to remove the track bar. We ended up destroying the rubber boot, so you might want to pick one up at the dealer before you start tearing it all apart.
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3) Remove the sway bar brackets that are bolted to the frame by a 15mm bolt. Keep this hardware as you will need it later.
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4) On both the drivers side and passenger side lower control arm cam bolts, mark them with a piece of chalk. Also put a chalk mark on the coils and buckets. See picture.
5) Undo bottom nut of pitman arm, then break the taper with the tie rod separator (pickle fork). Keep stock nut. We tried not to damage the grease boot on this as well but, again, pick one up just in case. We unfortunately destroyed this boot as well.
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6) Remove nut/lock washer from the gearbox. Then remove the stock pitman arm with the Pitman Arm Puller (Available at any auto part store to buy or rent.) Keep stock hardware. Note: Soak as many items with PB Blaster a week before your install. My truck is a 2000 model and the puller would NOT take this off. We ended up using the pickle fork to get it off. I hope no damage was done!
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7) Take loose the brake line brackets on both sides of the axle. You may also want to take loose the bracket holding the vacuum lines and wires for the CAD unit.
8) Loosen tie rod sleeve to turn the tapered end 180* (Upside down) using a 15mm socket on the sleeves bolts.
9) Undo the shocks starting from the engine compartment using a 15mm socket for the three shock tower bolts, then undo the bottom using a 21mm socket then remove the top of the shock with a 18mm socket. To remove the passenger side lower shock bolt you will need a long extension and a shallow socket. A deep socket will NOT fit due to the lower track bar bracket. (used a picture from my old truck as the Diesel is very tight under the hood).
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10) Then compress coils and/or droop front axle using jacks and stands. Note: Carefully watch for lines being stretched too far. If you followed step 8 you should be fine, but do watch carefully as you let the axle droop. I was able to get the full droop and removed the coils without problems.
11) Remove lower control arms on both sides using the 24mm socket. Keep original hardware.
12) Do the same for the upper control arms using 21mm socket. Note: I did not do this, but you may want to cut some of the upper bracket on the axle for full droop clearance.
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13) I opted to go with the dual shock setup so while installing the 5" coil spacer you will also need to place the dual shock mount bracket on-top of the coil bucket, under the shock tower. You must also install the lower dual shock mount as well. See pictures.
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(click for larger image)
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14) Once axle is lined up with spacers in, install the new upper control arms first, then install the new lower control arms with new hardware. Note: Be sure to use grease on the new bushings on the control arms to increase life and prevent squeaking.
These arms do not come with grease fittings. For a daily driver that does not see mud I do not see a problem with this, but if you plan on sinking your truck in the mud with this kit, I would recommend tapping the ends and installing some grease fittings.
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15) Install new shocks with original hardware. Re-Install the coils and isolators.
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16) Once everything above is tight with thread-locker, it’s time for the to reinstall the stock track bar. Place the new drop bracket on the frame. You may need to grind some of the cross member to get the bracket to lay flat. Also, remove the lower rear bolt on the steering gear box. Install the "kicker bar" and re-install the gear box bolt. Do not tighten this bolt until the track bar bracket is completely installed and tightened. You also will need to drill a 1/2" hole in the cross member for a bolt. Note: This 1/2" hole ended up right where the brake line was mounted. Re-install the track bar.
17) Reinstall new Pitman arm with old hardware. Make sure the tapered end is rotated 180*. Be sure to use thread-locker and retighten the outer tie rod sleeve (adjustment sleeve/link).
18) Now it’s time to install the stock sway bar using the drop brackets. Be sure to once again use thread locker on both new and original hardware.
19) Retighten every piece of hardware on the front end that was disturbed during the lift process and re-check torque to Tuff Country’s specs. Put old or new wheels back on.
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REAR SUSPENSION
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1) Block front tires with blocks. Jack the vehicle up. We used a 3-ton Engine hoist connected to the trailer hitch to lift the rear. If you have something like this available, it make things very easy.
2) Remove wheels
3) Next undo shocks starting from the bottom with 21mm socket. Then continue with the upper which is also a 21mm keeping the stock nuts.
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4) Remove and discard the stock U bolts but keep the plate and set it aside.
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5) Gently lower axle little at a time with each Floor Jack on the side using the middle jack as a guide for the differential so no contact of metal is done to the pinion yoke where it connects to the rear drive shaft. Note: Make sure not to over extend brake lines or hoses.
6) Now install the new tapered blocks having tapered side down going towards the front end of the vehicle for pinion correction on drive shaft.
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7) Place C-clamps on both sides of the centering pin. Remove the stock pin and slowly release the C-clamps.
8) Install add-a-leaf with the long side of the offset on the spring towards the rear of the truck. Re-compress the springs with the C-clamps. NOTE: Please use caution, these are under great amounts of pressure. Also DO NOT use the centering pin to compress the springs, you WILL damage the pin. I would recommend you use the old pin while you re-compress the springs to keep the holes in line, then replace it with the new pin when bolting it up.
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9) Cut off excess of centering pin. (Repeat steps 7-9 for opposite side)
10) Raise the axle slowly with the floor jack and line up the centering pins with the holes in the blocks.
11) After axle is elevated on both sides, install stock plates and u-bolts. Be sure to apply thread locker. NOTE: Please make sure you let Tuff Country know if you have over load springs. There is 2 sets of U-Bolts, I unfortunately was not aware of this when I ordered the kit and the standard u-bolt will not be long enough for the overload springs if you wish to still use them.
12) Tighten the old hardware like mentioned above on step 8. Distribute the torque while your or someone else is making sure that the U bolts are staying in place and not sliding away from the leaf pack/block. Check for at least 120-lb ft of torque.
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13) After the new U-bolts are in place and torque, addition thread of shaft may be removed. Be sure to wear safety goggles and protective gear.
14) Then install shocks using old hardware @ 85 lb ft torque. Retighten every piece of hardware on the rear, as you did on the front end, that was disturbed during the lift process and re-check torque to Tuff Country’s specs. Put old or new wheels back on.
** There was also hardware to lower the rear sway bar mounting points, but due to the fact I will eventually just remove the bar and the need to drop the fuel tank to get to the bolts we opted not to install it. The rear is only lifted a few inches and found no reason to mess with the rear sway bar.
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IMAGES
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HEIGHTS
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Before
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After
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Frame Ground Clearance
(Lowest point below door)
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18.50"
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23.00"
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Front Fender
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40.50"
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45.50"
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Rear Fender
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44.00"
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47.00"
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Tuff Country EZ-Ride Suspension was incorporated over 15 years ago realizing the desperate need for quality suspension products in the after market world. As well as supplying the 4WD enthusiast with the best quality, Tuff Country EZ-Ride Suspension also offers you the most competitive price structure in the industry.
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Last modified:
March 07, 2005 |
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