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