OverlandExpy
Full Access Members
Hey everyone, been lurking these forums for awhile, but now that I finally was able to purchase a family members 04 Eddie bauer I figured I'd make an account.
It has 155k miles on it, was primarily used for towing, and in excellent condition. Except for the air suspension which has a leak, but is going to be replaced anyway. Which brings me to the purpose of my post; I am looking to turn this into a 100% purpose built over lander. I have a 9000lb car lift, a well stocked shop, tube benders, and welding equipment. What I don't have is tons of experience/knowledge about fords, other than the routine maintenance I have performed on the truck for my family over the years.
From what I've read here it seems that there really aren't any purpose built suspension lift kits for us. Ideally a 4" front, 3" lift is what I'm looking for. No matter what I do, the air suspension is going to be the first thing to go. 35" tires with no rubbing is the goal, and I do not want to do a body lift or spacers. Maybe a 1inch spacer in the front if needed to level it out. Swapping control arms or any other parts needed for a true 3-4 inch lift wouldn't be a problem, has anyone here done anything similar to this?
Once suspension is figured out I plan to weld up some bumpers and skid plates, and I definitely need to make some armor for the gas tank. Had it up on the lift the other day and noticed how exposed it was.
I'll make more posts and add some pictures once I get started on working on it, but any advice or recommendations, or links to posts that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers
It has 155k miles on it, was primarily used for towing, and in excellent condition. Except for the air suspension which has a leak, but is going to be replaced anyway. Which brings me to the purpose of my post; I am looking to turn this into a 100% purpose built over lander. I have a 9000lb car lift, a well stocked shop, tube benders, and welding equipment. What I don't have is tons of experience/knowledge about fords, other than the routine maintenance I have performed on the truck for my family over the years.
From what I've read here it seems that there really aren't any purpose built suspension lift kits for us. Ideally a 4" front, 3" lift is what I'm looking for. No matter what I do, the air suspension is going to be the first thing to go. 35" tires with no rubbing is the goal, and I do not want to do a body lift or spacers. Maybe a 1inch spacer in the front if needed to level it out. Swapping control arms or any other parts needed for a true 3-4 inch lift wouldn't be a problem, has anyone here done anything similar to this?
Once suspension is figured out I plan to weld up some bumpers and skid plates, and I definitely need to make some armor for the gas tank. Had it up on the lift the other day and noticed how exposed it was.
I'll make more posts and add some pictures once I get started on working on it, but any advice or recommendations, or links to posts that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers