basspro48 Posted October 12, 2009 Posted October 12, 2009 I've decided to go ahead and lift my daily driver truck, 1993 Ford F150 5.0 V8. But I am running into some issues regarding who to buy my lift from. I am looking at getting the 6" kit from Roughcountry and getting 3 more inches of body lift, but my cousin has a Roughcountry lift on his F150 and the pitman arm and ball joint broke a few months after he put it on. Also, I've heard several people talking about how there's a reason their lifts are so much cheaper than other competitors. So I'm a little uneasy about buying a lift that could come back to haunt me down the road. As an alternative I'm looking at an 8" Skyjacker kit, which is unmatched quality no doubt but we're talkin biig bucks for that, over $1500 just for the lift. So I'm wondering if anyone on here has some suggestions or information that could help me out? thanks. Quote
tipptruck1 Posted October 12, 2009 Posted October 12, 2009 I have never lifted a truck. But I would rather pay a little more for some thing from a company that has a proven history. Also If you go with skyjacker they will make sure all the parts are there so the install is complete. Are you going to spend a weekend installing it in the drive way? Or are you going to take it to a shop? The reason I ask is that If a shop dose it you have two things. The warranty from the company, and a peace of mind driving down the road. Also late model trucks are a lot harder to lift the right way. Its not like changing a few leaf springs any more. So what ever you chose do it right. Quote
CanalStalkin Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 skyjackers are nice lifts, My dad is very involved in the rockcrawling stuff and said for a daily driver he'd recommend a rancho or skyjacker. if you want to spend a bit more Fabtech has gotten better. Also superlift is out there so check them out. On my 88 fullsize jimmy I trimmed the fenders and tucked 33's on stock suspension and went everywhere my buddys did ;D Quote
basspro48 Posted October 13, 2009 Author Posted October 13, 2009 tipptruck- I can do all of the installation myself in my buddy's shop but I never thought about the warranty, now that you mentioned that I might go ahead and pay the shop to do it professionally. cannalstalkin- haha yeh my truck has stock 32's on it and she'll tear some mud up but we got some real nasty holes around here that require a whole lot of ground clearance to get through. I was lookin at Rancho too but if I spend that much money for a premium lift i want at least a 8" and I don't think they make one that big for my truck. So far Skyjacker is the only company I've found that makes an 8" suspension kit for an early 90's 150 Quote
FordNFishinLover Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Just realized, are you the same BassPro48 from my Ford Truck forum? Quote
fatmanslim247 Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 I wouldn't recommend a body lift, I have seen to many bad things happen with body lifts. Another thing is make sure your wheel bearings and u-joints are in good shape, b/c there is more weight once you put bigger tires on they will take a very small problem and make it bad in a hurry. Quote
Super User Redlinerobert Posted October 13, 2009 Super User Posted October 13, 2009 Check out Rize...these guys have been making some noise lately. http://www.rizeind.com/index.html Quote
CanalStalkin Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 cannalstalkin- haha yeh my truck has stock 32's on it and she'll tear some mud up but we got some real nasty holes around here that require a whole lot of ground clearance to get through. Ya you will definitely need the clearance in the mud you guys get into over there. Skyjackers are good lifts man, and if you plan on driving it everyday id shell out a bit more cash for the street manners. Quote
Super User Tin Posted October 13, 2009 Super User Posted October 13, 2009 Get ready to keep replacing ball joints. : Why do you want to put a six or eight inch lift on a truck you drive everyday? That $1500 could be a down payment on a newer truck. Which you could be needing soon given that it is a 1993. Quote
Super User skunked_again Posted October 14, 2009 Super User Posted October 14, 2009 Get ready to keep replacing ball joints. : Why do you want to put a six or eight inch lift on a truck you drive everyday? That $1500 could be a down payment on a newer truck. Which you could be needing soon given that it is a 1993. id also add u-joints and drive shafts to the list of parts that will fail. changing the geometry will add wear to the truck X's 1000 and when youre done with the truck it will be because the truck its self is done. with that said, id buy you a daily driver and go for it. if youre working on the truck just to get from here to there the "fun" of the truck will be gone quick. JMO Quote
Use ONLY Stren Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 In my opinion an 8 inch lift on a half ton, gas truck is overkill. Quote
aceman387 Posted October 14, 2009 Posted October 14, 2009 i think as long as you pick a big company that makes lift kits you wont have any problems with your truck going with going thru u joints or ball joints .they will provide you with any drop down brackets to re align any big angles . years ago (like 20 , yikes.) me and my brother both had ford trucks we jacked up , my was a 79 ford 150 that i had a rugged trail 6 inch suspension lift and a 3 inch body lift on 38 inch tires ,my brother truck was even higher with 44 inch tires ,neither of us went thru alot of parts and we drove them alot , i used to have cops pulling me over so they could check it out .back in 86 i was on the cover of peterson's 4 wheel &off road magazine. those trucks were fun. Quote
basspro48 Posted October 15, 2009 Author Posted October 15, 2009 Get ready to keep replacing ball joints. : Why do you want to put a six or eight inch lift on a truck you drive everyday? That $1500 could be a down payment on a newer truck. Which you could be needing soon given that it is a 1993. Lifted trucks are basically a way of life around here lol it is not uncommon at all to see someone's daily driver truck with 9, 10, or even 12 inches of lift on it. I want to lift this truck because it was my first vehicle, and my dad bought it new back in 1993 so it has been in the family for almost as long as I've been alive. It has been kept in near perfect condition and has only 121,000 miles on it. Plus, the early to mid nineties F150's are my absolute favorite body style Ford ever made. As far as parts are concerned, I've never encountered any problems with lifted road trucks going through ball joints or U-joints on a "regular basis", the mud trucks I have run will go through em but that's because they get beat to ****. I'm aiming for something like this but a few inches smaller... A guy I know drives that truck every day with no problems and it sits on 12" of suspension and Mickey T 39's Quote
Super User skunked_again Posted October 16, 2009 Super User Posted October 16, 2009 is that truck for sale? Quote
ALbasser Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 I have a rough country lift on my truck, but it is a 1985 Dodge Ram, so it was just leafs all the way around. Rough country is OK, Skyjacker is just about the best you can get. Go Skyjacker is you can afford it. I work at a Dodge dealership and this is just my opinion... but I would never have a lift kit on a daily driver, especially not more than 2". What I see more than anything with lifted trucks is U-joints, front hubs, and ball joints. Not to mention if you get really big tires your factory axle can't handle it... and axles are not cheap :-/ Quote
basspro48 Posted October 16, 2009 Author Posted October 16, 2009 is that truck for sale? Sure is. Quote
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