I’m really struggling with this truck! Im starting to understand why some have such an aversion to these things. 😩 The new lower control arms are about 1/4” wider on the outside measurement. Unless I get forceful, I don’t see these things going in. I’m stalled. 🤔 Am I supposed to force them in? It doesn’t seem right.

Thanks. 😎👍

 

I have a functional truck again! After a short break, some American ingenuity came to mind, and it went together rather easily. But now there's a new concern. The suspension seems awfully maxed out. I put in a lift block that measured at 1.25", but once assembled, the truck was slightly over 4" higher than the measurement that I took before I did the work. My local tire store that did the alignment seemed to think that something wasn't right as well, but since the tech "wasn't told to inspect the work done", he didn't. Though he admitted to me that something didn't seem right about it. So, I even called Monroe's technical support line to verify that the parts I was sent were the right ones. Apparently they are. The A-Arms seem to measure out the same as well. So I'm still searching for answers about it. I understand that any kind of lift on an IFS truck like this will put the suspension components are steeper angles. But have I gone too far? I hope to decipher this without having to take the lift blocks out and see what happens.

For the record, it seems to steer fine, maybe a little more pull to return to center than I'm used to, but I'll adjust. It rides much better than before as well. I still have to install the coil-over gas shocks on the rear (hopefully it will lift the back up a little), and the front sway bar (I damaged the bottom boot on one of the end links while trying to install it), and then we shall know more. But I'm happier about the ride than before. Obviously this truck was way overdue for these parts.

 

To quote a modern parable, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!" We were not there to see what it looked like before, or how it went back together.

It could be that the old stuff was so worn out that it was really droopy, and the new stuff bumped it up enough to make it look high.

 

 

Moved to the correct section.

 

Those look to be some pretty severe angles, on the tie-rod ends, on the upper control arms, etc. if I'm seeing things correctly and the weight is on the front end. Something isn't right.

 

 

Are those new struts and springs?

 

What size leveling kit?

 

Yes, new struts and springs. The leveling kit measured 1.25". I thought that I'd ordered a 2', but I'm glad now that it was shorter. Like I said before, I even called Monroe and talked to their techs, and part number 171100 was what they show it's supposed to have. Which is their Quick Strut, that comes pre-loaded with a new coil spring installed. Literally just R@R. The upper control arms were from Detroit axle through Amazon, and the lowers are Metovech items that I got through Rock Auto. The lift kit was through Amazon with a company called Big Brawnz. Never heard of them before, but it was honestly the same with about every supplier of lift kits for my truck. So there it is, I am really scratching my head here. Every logical explanation I can come up with hasn't panned out.

I'll hopefully get the rear shocks and the front sway bar done in the next few days. Unless that sway bar sucks it down some, I might have to take the lift out and see what happens. But I definitely don"t want to.