Installing lift kit, but it won't fit!? 2004 Eddie Bauer 4wd

[OverlandExpy]

Hey everyone, here's the situation. So I got the Rancho quick lift struts and a 2inch supreme suspension lift kit on top of that for a total of 2.75 inches in the rear and 3 inches in the front more than OEM coilovers. Right now I am working on the front right one, and I cannot for the life of me get it to fit in. I was able to mount the top and bottom of the strut, but to get the bottom strut mount to fit into the lower control arm, I had to separate the ball joint from the hub/knuckle. After putting the lower strut mount bolt in, the ball joint will just NOT go into the knuckle. I tried lowering the truck on the lift onto a jack on the LCA to push it up while pulling down on the upper control arm, but the closest I could get the ball joint was about 2mm short. It seems like the bottom of the cv where it meets the hub keeps hitting the LCA and the ball joint bolt will just not go in. The grease nipple for the ball joint was getting in the way and I was alllmost able to get in after removing it, but couldn't quite get it in. I attached a few pictures of it here. You can see the grease marks from the LCA on the bottom of the outside of the cv in the second picture, that's where the issue is. I tried rotating the hub around and tried to reattach from different angles, but full lock to the right seems to be the only way it may even possibly work. Got fed up with it tonight and called it quits for the day, but the only thing I can think of would be to remove the bottom strut mount bolt, reattach the ball joint, then try to use a prybar to get the lower strut mount back in. But I just don't think there's anyway I can compress the strut that much, even dialing it to its softest setting.

I've seen plenty of people running 3"+ lifts here, can anyone who installed theirs let me know how you got them in? Thanks in advance!!!

PS: Also had to remove the sway bar to get this lift in, has anyone gotten sway bar link extenders or did everyone just remove theirs?

 

[OverlandExpy]

Status update:

Got the front suspension done tonight, just had to disconnect the upper ball joint and with some persuasion from a pry bar and a floor jack under the LCA I was able to get it in. But I noticed the upper control arm hits the spring at full extension, anyone else have that problem?

Also started on the rears, but it seems like the brake line and abs loom are at their limits. Didn't want to push the rear LCAs any lower in case I'd rip the line, did anyone who put a 2-3" lift on the rears have any issue or have to extend their brake line?