briandye
Full Access Members
The lift is done! Currently at the tire shop getting the new tires on and alignment. (Nitto Terra Grappler G2’s)
So everything went very very straightforward, and fairly easy. I kept that stage3motorsports install video handy for some pointers.
The issues I had: the front passenger wheel had the lug nuts torqued down to 1500 ft/lbs (or so it seemed). I needed those giant sockets (I rented a kit from Advance with big ones, 30mm was the main one), I actually broke my 8(?) year old cheap 2’ 1/2 drive breaker bar on the front passenger lower shock bolt. Improvised with a 1/2” ratchet and my floor jacks 5’ handle. Worked WONDERS.
I started at 100% motivation. Just getting that passenger side tire off, taking an hour dropped my motivation to very little. I powered through that side, and the drivers side. By this time, it had already been 3-4 hours as I had to wait on a friend to pick me up and run me across town for those sockets and tools. Also stopped for food, because I was hangry as hell.
Fronts done - start on the rear. Should be way easier right? Nah. That rear-most/inner upper nut on each side was the worst part of the whole install. I could barely get enough leverage after scraping rust and corrosion off and getting the wrench to slide fully down, finally broke it loose and it’s so cramped that I got about 1/4 of a turn with each turn of the wrench.
By this time it was pitch black outside and damn near 9:30. Got it off, got the lower nut/bolt off and then took the inner lower control arm but/bolt off. The video said to loosen the lower ball joint nut, but I skipped that part. It may have made it a bit more challenging to get that arm lined back up and get the bolt through, but I didn’t have a socket that fit, of course. Nothing a small floor jack couldn’t work around. Used that to push the arms back up into place. I don’t recommend that, because if they slide off the jack, that’s a lot of tension against it.
Finished up the suspension stuff on that side and called it a night. I was unbelievably sore, tired, and wet from the gravel driveway and all the rain the day before. Woke up even more sore, but with a fresh clear head, so I went back out and got the other rear side done in a fraction of the time. That upper rear bolt was still the biggest pain out of the whole install.
I’m sitting at home so antsy to get the call that it’s done. Also got a lifetime alignment so I can get it realigned anytime for free which is cool. I plan on overhauling most of the stuff this summer, ball joints, tie rod ends, upper control arms, etc just as preventative maintenance because some of the stuff is at a pretty good angle now.
Thanks guys for all your help!
So everything went very very straightforward, and fairly easy. I kept that stage3motorsports install video handy for some pointers.
The issues I had: the front passenger wheel had the lug nuts torqued down to 1500 ft/lbs (or so it seemed). I needed those giant sockets (I rented a kit from Advance with big ones, 30mm was the main one), I actually broke my 8(?) year old cheap 2’ 1/2 drive breaker bar on the front passenger lower shock bolt. Improvised with a 1/2” ratchet and my floor jacks 5’ handle. Worked WONDERS.
I started at 100% motivation. Just getting that passenger side tire off, taking an hour dropped my motivation to very little. I powered through that side, and the drivers side. By this time, it had already been 3-4 hours as I had to wait on a friend to pick me up and run me across town for those sockets and tools. Also stopped for food, because I was hangry as hell.
Fronts done - start on the rear. Should be way easier right? Nah. That rear-most/inner upper nut on each side was the worst part of the whole install. I could barely get enough leverage after scraping rust and corrosion off and getting the wrench to slide fully down, finally broke it loose and it’s so cramped that I got about 1/4 of a turn with each turn of the wrench.
By this time it was pitch black outside and damn near 9:30. Got it off, got the lower nut/bolt off and then took the inner lower control arm but/bolt off. The video said to loosen the lower ball joint nut, but I skipped that part. It may have made it a bit more challenging to get that arm lined back up and get the bolt through, but I didn’t have a socket that fit, of course. Nothing a small floor jack couldn’t work around. Used that to push the arms back up into place. I don’t recommend that, because if they slide off the jack, that’s a lot of tension against it.
Finished up the suspension stuff on that side and called it a night. I was unbelievably sore, tired, and wet from the gravel driveway and all the rain the day before. Woke up even more sore, but with a fresh clear head, so I went back out and got the other rear side done in a fraction of the time. That upper rear bolt was still the biggest pain out of the whole install.
I’m sitting at home so antsy to get the call that it’s done. Also got a lifetime alignment so I can get it realigned anytime for free which is cool. I plan on overhauling most of the stuff this summer, ball joints, tie rod ends, upper control arms, etc just as preventative maintenance because some of the stuff is at a pretty good angle now.
Thanks guys for all your help!
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