To lift or not to lift, that is the question...

[A930Rocket]

My son wants to do a 6" lift with ~35" tires on my old 2001 Ford F150 2WD. It's for looks only, as he doesn't plan on going 4 wheeling (but we all know better).

Has anyone lifted a truck? I'm thinking of a suspension lift vs a body lift, but have no first hand knowledge of either. Thoughts, besides don't do it? Any kits better than others?

This will be a good father/son project for us. He's paying for half the mods with money earned.

Here's a pix of what he wants the truck to look like. This is similar to ours (with a Fabtech 6" lift, XD wheels and 35" tires), but it started out as a 4WD truck and we have the gold accents on the exterior.

[rattlsnak]

Well, if he wants to lift it 6" that pretty much rules out a body lift. Suspension lifts are three times the price of a body lift but that doesn't really matter in your case, being the height he wants to go. Rancho probably makes the best kits and they are relatively easy to install. Body lifts are easy also, but I think suspension kits are generally safer.

That being said, back in the day, all of my trucks had both kits!

[A930Rocket]

Lift kits looked pretty much the same to me, looking online. Price differences of a few hundred bucks seemed to be the only difference.

Anything we do will be done with safety in mind. Tires won't be crazy, just on/off road for looks.

[exc911ence]

Definitely the suspension lift. I wouldn't go over 3" for a bodylift, and even that's pushing it in my opinion. Expect a severe drop in fuel efficiency but that's the price you pay for the off-road look. If there's any rust under the truck, hit all the suspension fasteners with some Liquid Wrench (or similar) a few days in advance to loosen everything up. Breaking bolts is never fun.

The more you pay for the lift, the better the kit is going to be. Companies put a lot of engineering dollars into these suspensions to maintain ride quality and safety so hit an F-150 forum and research who makes the best kit.

It'll be a fun project for you two, enjoy!

[pbs911]

I've done three suspension lifts, the last one on my 2006 2WD F150. I also have had 3" body lifts on three separate trucks, but only did the first one myself. Fabtech makes a great suspension lift kit and you can find specials on truck forums. On a 2wd it took me about 6 hours to complete alone. The rear is very simple with just blocks and shocks.

I would not do another body lift. Body lifts are not difficult, but the steps are many and tedious. Plan on undoing the steering, the radiator, rear seats, and every single bolt that attaches the body to the frame. And when your done, go back over every bolt again after about 500 miles. My last body lift was on my F150 2wd. I paid about $200 for the kit and $300 -500 to have it installed, wit ha 500 mile follow up. Money well spent. There will also be gaps in the front and rear wheel wells with the body lift so factor in the gap filler panels too. Otherwise it just looks weird.

If I had to chose one over the other, go with the suspension. It is performance based and actually raises the axles. The body lift just lifts the body and looks kinda weird without the suspension lift.

35" tires are also getting close to needing a gear change, especially if the motor is underpowered with a V-6. My last F150 had a Fabtech 6.5" suspension lift, 3" body and 37" tires and 4.56 gears with a Triton V8. Gas mileage dropped from about 16 mpg to about 10 mpg, even on the highway. The wheels and tires are heavy! Also, forget trying to park in many older parking garages.

If you go with both, take a look at the Sidewinder door steps. They automatically drop drop down and raise up when you open and close the door. Very cool.

[mreid]

I lifted my 66 Bronco. Three inches on the body and three inches chassis. Depending on the vehicle, you will have limitations on the chassis lift before unjoint/cv angles become excessive. Pay attention to this as often resolving the issue gets very expensive. I say have at it and have fun.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

How much do you trust his driving ability? A lifted truck has much worse handling characteristics and will be inherently less stable. I personally hate them for anything but dedicated off-road but if it's something he really wants to do and is responsible enough I say let him have fun - he's a kid. Let him do the dumb "kid things" like we all did as long as be and you are comfortable with it and reasonably sure he won't endanger himself or anyone else. Just my $0.02.

He DOES realize that lifting / modding a 2WD truck is gonna get him severely laughed at and he'll never ever recoup the $$$ put into it, right?

[Chocaholic]

An alternative might be...a girlfriend.

Never mind. Do you know what the two most dangerous liquids known to man are?

Gasoline and perfume.

[Joeaksa]

Personally I hate lifted anything...

Put a lifted up truck next to a car and you soon will realize that the bumper is way over the door beams that are supposed to keep us alive in the event of an accident, so instead of just being a truck its now a killing machine in the event of an accident.

We see it pretty often here where a truck took the roof off of a car in an accident and unfortunately killing most if not all on board. Seat belts, airbags are simply no safeguard with these trucks around.

Sorry guys but if you want to drive something like this, join the military and they will let you drive all the big trucks your heart desires. On roads with passenger cars IMHO this should be illegal.

[vash]

as a younger man, i lifted everything.. thought it looked better. now i have rethought the process. for the tiny bit that i do offroad, stock does alright.

my current tacoma. i bought it used and it needed shocks. i did lift it about 2" at all four corners. offroading, any offroading put the tires hard into the fenders. i left the tires the stock size. visually, it doesnt even look higher.

your kid..let him lift it. but there is no bigger evidence, of " pay to play" when it comes to lifts. everything cost more. gas, tires, wear and tear..etc.

[A930Rocket]

It's rust free except for some surface rust. We will hit it with PB Blaster or similar to make sure though. I'm on a couple of F150 forums, so I'll be looking at them as well for advice/sellers.

He's just getting interested in car, even though he's 17. At that age, I had been into them for about 17 years.

Originally Posted by exc911ence

Definitely the suspension lift. I wouldn't go over 3" for a bodylift, and even that's pushing it in my opinion. Expect a severe drop in fuel efficiency but that's the price you pay for the off-road look. If there's any rust under the truck, hit all the suspension fasteners with some Liquid Wrench (or similar) a few days in advance to loosen everything up. Breaking bolts is never fun.

The more you pay for the lift, the better the kit is going to be. Companies put a lot of engineering dollars into these suspensions to maintain ride quality and safety so hit an F-150 forum and research who makes the best kit.

It'll be a fun project for you two, enjoy!

Fabtech is the front runner right now, but there are several others that have kits that look the same. Reliability and support may sway the choice. The truck has a 5.4 with 3:73 gears I think. As he drives very little (school and swim practice, hopefully gas MPG won;t be too bad). He wan't nurf bars as well.

Originally Posted by pbs911

I've done three suspension lifts, the last one on my 2006 2WD F150. I also have had 3" body lifts on three separate trucks, but only did the first one myself. Fabtech makes a great suspension lift kit and you can find specials on truck forums. On a 2wd it took me about 6 hours to complete alone. The rear is very simple with just blocks and shocks.

I would not do another body lift. Body lifts are not difficult, but the steps are many and tedious. Plan on undoing the steering, the radiator, rear seats, and every single bolt that attaches the body to the frame. And when your done, go back over every bolt again after about 500 miles. My last body lift was on my F150 2wd. I paid about $200 for the kit and $300 -500 to have it installed, wit ha 500 mile follow up. Money well spent. There will also be gaps in the front and rear wheel wells with the body lift so factor in the gap filler panels too. Otherwise it just looks weird.

If I had to chose one over the other, go with the suspension. It is performance based and actually raises the axles. The body lift just lifts the body and looks kinda weird without the suspension lift.

35" tires are also getting close to needing a gear change, especially if the motor is underpowered with a V-6. My last F150 had a Fabtech 6.5" suspension lift, 3" body and 37" tires and 4.56 gears with a Triton V8. Gas mileage dropped from about 16 mpg to about 10 mpg, even on the highway. The wheels and tires are heavy! Also, forget trying to park in many older parking garages.

If you go with both, take a look at the Sidewinder door steps. They automatically drop drop down and raise up when you open and close the door. Very cool.

His driving is good, but he's only been driving 2 years around town, so he has limited experience. I told him he won't get his money back when and if it sells. I bought it new and don't plan on seling it any time soon. It's always good to have a truck for things.

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

How much do you trust his driving ability? A lifted truck has much worse handling characteristics and will be inherently less stable. I personally hate them for anything but dedicated off-road but if it's something he really wants to do and is responsible enough I say let him have fun - he's a kid. Let him do the dumb "kid things" like we all did as long as be and you are comfortable with it and reasonably sure he won't endanger himself or anyone else. Just my $0.02.

He DOES realize that lifting / modding a 2WD truck is gonna get him severely laughed at and he'll never ever recoup the $$$ put into it, right?

He barely knows what girls are, so the gasoline is good fo rnow.

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

An alternative might be...a girlfriend.

Never mind. Do you know what the two most dangerous liquids known to man are?

Gasoline and perfume.

[vash]

nerf bars? nah..sliders are the new thing. keep in mind if he lifts this thing, his stock jack is just about useless. he will need a hi-lift, and Sliders are just the ticket to providing a good jacking point.

oh, the slippery slope. i love it. he is 17, by all means, lift it. may as well get it out of his system..it takes a good 30 years to purge the modifying bug..so start early

[Gogar]

The girlfriend would likely be a more expensive endeavor, so maybe the lift thing is a good idea.

[kaisen]

Sell it, buy an already-lifted 4x4

Done

You'll be way better off

[porsche4life]

Kaisen hit the nail on the head..... Plus then you've actually got something useful....

If you do add it.... Keep a strap in the truck, as he will need it of he tries off roading. That thing will be like a wallering pig in the muck. Prolly worse than before.....

[vash]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

This will be a good father/son project for us.

you two miss this part?

[madmmac]

Get ready to rebuild the tranny.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by vash

you two miss this part?

No, but flushing money and time for the sake of father/son bonding isn't smart.

The bonding can still occur by walking him through the selling process, searching for the new one, the buying process, and then performing all the little maintenance and upgrade things on the new truck to make it 'his'.

Lifting a 4x2 is a total money flush
Lifting a 4x4 is expensive, and not usually a good return
Therefore, buying one already lifted saves you a lot of money....you don't pay much more than one that's not lifted
I'm sure it will need tires and suspension work (ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings, bearings, etc) -- so there's your project

Since a 6" FabTech lift kit is $1500 (plus a dozen hours labor) and the wheels and tires are another $1000-$1500+.......I think you're smarter buying one done. There's no way you'd spend $3000 more buying a lifted twelve year old truck vs one not lifted.

Just my two cents

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by vash

you two miss this part?

I saw it.... But I don't see throwing good money at making a truck worse as a very good project. I'm sure a new truck would need a few new goodies that would make new projects....

[kaisen]

Or sell the 2wd and buy a comparable 4x4

Then do your father/son thing by lifting the 4x4