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suspension lift installation

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Guest

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Hey guys, <br>im kinda new to the forum. I have a 75 bronco and man i love the thing!!! however i would like to install the james duff 2 " suspension lift on it to get better gruond clearance, and possibly a new leaf spring pack. is there an installation guide anywhere on this type of thing? should i get it professionally installed? how much does that normally cost? thanx guys you rock <br>keep rollin!<br>Paul
 

broncobsession

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 12, 2001
Messages
4,049
Don't pay someone, just follow these directions. I am assuming you will be installing new bushings too. BE CAREFUL!<br>Tools: 2 jack stands, 1 jack (at least), and a socket set.<br><br>Procedure: Break the lugs on your wheels. Jack up the vehicle and immediately put jack stands under each side of the frame about 4 inches inside of the radius arm brackets (never leave it supported by only the jack--they can break). Remove the wheels/tires. Then I usually put the jack under the pumpkin and "droop" the suspension. Using 1/2", 5/8", and 9/16" sockets, take off the two bolts holding the tops of the coils in place. Then take the two bolts from inside the coil at the bottom (it's kind of tricky to get a thick socket through there, but work with it or wind it from the top). You should be able to slide the coil out by twisting and pulling it out. Then unbolt the shock and the 4 bolts on the radius are that are right under the coil spring. You might have to use a cheater pipe (long pipe to help gain torque) to break them. Then unbolt the other end of the radius arm right under the rocker panel. Put in the supplied bushings and then just go in reverse to reinstall. The bushings might be hard to compress to put the radius arms back on, but keep trying. For the rear, jack it up and jack stand it and then remove tires. Then support the axle under the pumpkin. Use a 13/16" (I think) socket to break the u-bolt nuts. Leave the middle bolt in the leaf springs -- it holds the leaves together. Then unbolt the shackle and hanger bolts (also tough to break sometimes) and remove the leaf springs. If replacing whole spring, repeat steps in reverse; if adding a leaf, unbolt that middle bolt, add the leaf into the pack, and re-bolt the new middle bolt that the kit should provide.<br><br>Tips: Do one side at a time so if you get confused you can use the other side for reference. Lube up all the aforementioned bolts the night before you perform this...it will make them easier to beak. Lube up the bushings so they don't squeak. Block off a weekend to do it, and take your time. It really is easy even though I took a long time to explain it ;D Good luck.
 

broncobsession

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 12, 2001
Messages
4,049
Arlington, eh? I didn't realize you were so close. If you would drive down to Waco, I would do it for you or at least look over your shoulder.
 

joes75

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 8, 2002
Messages
1,228
Loc.
Pittsburgh
[quote author=75_bronco_guy link=board=5;threadid=8940;start=0#63808 date=1031694684]<br>Hey guys, <br>im kinda new to the forum. I have a 75 bronco and man i love the thing!!! however i would like to install the james duff 2 " suspension lift on it to get better gruond clearance, and possibly a new leaf spring pack. is there an installation guide anywhere on this type of thing? should i get it professionally installed? how much does that normally cost? thanx guys you rock <br>keep rollin!<br>Paul<br>[/quote]<br><br>why 2" and not 3.5" ...<br><br>I have 2 75's by the way.
 

Ranger77

Full Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2001
Messages
150
Loc.
Albuquerque,NM
Do it yourself. Just don't be discouraged if it takes longer than you had planned. I've been installing the Duff 3.5" ultimate lift and I ran into a few problems, one of those being that I needed to extend the rear driveshaft. I was under the impression that I didn't have to. If I would have known I did I would have went with a 5.5" lift. Anyways, just take your time with it. One more tip, when you replace the shackle bushings there is a metal sleeve in there that need to be torched out. I was able to do this myself but when I went to a local spring shop(another problem was that I had to grind off a shackle bolt so I needed a new one) they said they would charge me $14 for both. The same needs to be done on the tracking bar.
 

75_Bronco

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2002
Messages
50
Loc.
Arlington, Tx
well i fugured i would go with 2 beacuse i dont have unlimited funds, and i dont think i need more than 2, i dont do any crawling...<br>what are the benefits of having more than 2 inches?
 

brian72

Early Bronco Student
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
4,157
Air tools save the day...and knuckles. The time was near for the compressor and decided to get it. When I did mine I started out with wrench and sockets. I had been PB blaster for days and started with the sockets. Slow going. Hooked up the compressor and undid all bolts in about 15 min. <br><br>Take digital photos. If can't remember how it goes together...look at the picture.<br><br>3.5 over 2 for non-rock crawling - LOOKS - some like it bigger. If daily driver you will probably not be putting big tires on it. 2" is OK, but if you want 33 or bigger tires then go with 3.5<br><br>Just my .02 :D
 

Rustytruck

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
10,875
Use a come along or a strap and High lift around the front axle to the rear frame to pull back to compress the c bushings so you can get the bolts and caps back on. I was cheap and reused my rear springs with lift blocks but also replace the bushings with poly bushings. This is a major pita getting out the old bushings and sleeves and I found that using a pannel ripping blade in an air chizel I could fold the sleeve in and drive it out. another option was to drill out enough rubber to drive it out. The rust behind the rubber just wont let go.
 

75_Bronco

Jr. Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2002
Messages
50
Loc.
Arlington, Tx
well the first thing i think im gonna do is replace those bushings because it kinda leans... but thanx for the help guys if i have more questions i will let you guys know!<br>thanx alot guys <br>Paul<><
 
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