heard of people cranking up the torsion bars on f150s to give a little extra lift in the front end.
these 4x2's are pathetically low in the front, just wondering if i can crank up the torsion bars, and how do do it, i've read a few articles, but most seem to be 4x4's... are the 4x2's the same? 18mm 1/2" drive, two bolts crank about 5 times for 1 inch lift in the front?
I do realize it will need an alignment...
The last F150 with torsion bars was the 04 "Heritage" F150 (basically a leftover 03) but only in 4X4.... the 4X2s had coil springs...
Now... what do you have and what do you want to do?
One could offer more and more useful help if you would tell us what year, model, etc. we are dealing with......An off the cuff suggestion would be to go to the local dealer and inquire about a "levelling kit". I know they are available for some models. They do exactly what you are looking for....
DaveD
Ya, thats where the problems start.
In the title I had 08 F150 4x2... its an XL model.
Its a company truck, and they decided that the leveling kits were unsafe, and increased the rollover of the truck... mine currently has a leveling kit, which is excellent, its used in the woods, so it actually has pretty good clearance... its got 265/70/17s on it, which also help
for safety reasons... they are also taking these off, in favor of a tire no more than 10% taller than what the truck was stamped for (this truck shipped w/ 235's on it).
Anyway... i find it impossible that these leveling kits are unsafe... this truck is no higher than a comparable 4x4 model...
the company has lost it.
I will add that they began looking in to rollovers, which were on rangers... 3 ranger rollovers, and no f150 rollovers, but they started looking in to the safety of the f150s
I hear you... I would argue, however, that the company did not loose it rather the crybabies ("Oh, no. It could not possibly be my fault") and their greedy lawyers have caused the company to react in such a fashion.
DaveD
a coworker who had a truck from 07, and never had a lift kit in the front the crossmember is beat right up in the oilpan, and the oilpan is sagging down over the crossmember... my crossmember and oil pan have about 1.5" between them (for now...) until i lose my leveling kit!!
Not my truck, but i do want to take care of it
i don't feel those leveling kits make the truck any less safe at all
I agree completely. Given the litigous nature of society in general these days, I can't imagine that Ford would offer an accessory that might open them up for a flurry of suits. The leveling kits are not the same as the lift kits offered by some firms. The overall front end geometry should not be altered by a significant amount. I think this "rollover" scare is another strawman, another windmill at which to joust....
DaveD
OK.... is Ford offering the levelling kit? Is it the dealer? Is it strictly aftermarket? This is the first thing to get straight...
I do not see Ford "approving" suspension modifications... This is the stuiff that would cahnge WSM procedures as well as specifications and settings.... That shit doesn't happen...
FWIW... Many owners want mods.... But when the mods go bad, the tech or whoever installed them gets drawn into the melee....
We see a lawsuit because a cup of coffee is hot.... Excuse me? Isn't a cup of coffee supposed to be hot?
Take it from there, guys.... Am I going to climb up on a rock and shout... here I am.... sue me whenever you get the chance.....
Any modification or variation from what the engineers have accepted will have the chance of coming back to haunt the guy that did it... but you guys think that's OK because there WILL be a scapegoat...
Where'd the torsion bars go? Back on to the Ranger?
FWIW, I don't think the ban on the parts you want is related as much to "rollovers" as it is to a mismatch in bumper height with the safety devices installed in other vehicles for passenger protection. It doesn't take much for a lifted truck to go right over the reinforcements into the passenger compartment resulting in unnecessar injuries or fatalities. There have already been law suits where a lifted vehicle was found at fault in such cases. You will notice that even class 8 vehicles (truck tractors) user a very tall front bumper that extends quite low to the road surface for this very reason. Also, I have never heard of a manufacturer advocating suspension modifications other than as part of a safety recall. Even commercial vehicle manufacturers do not authorize chassis or frame modification. If you read the papers that come with the suspension modification kits like leveling kits, they will usually indicate they are for offroad use only which sort of relieves them of any liability in traffic accidents. Their lawyers have some insight into this issue. Any one who modifies or authorizes the modification of the chassis or suspension are (will be) on the hook for any negative outcomes.
Lugnut
OK, but parked right beside a 4x4 F150 with teh same tire size, it is identical in height. I haven't taken precise measurements, but the eye tells me it is the same, i guess you could measure it, but i mean a 2x4 sitting beside a 4x4 is significantly lower.
the 4x4 bumper is no different than a 2x4 bumper...
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