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2015 F350 4.5 in lift disaster

6K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  HectorSaenz 
#1 · (Edited)
I decided to lift my truck. I went to the local shop. When I picked up my truck I was like DAMN! She look good. So when I drove off in her I was like whoa ****. This sucks. I had installed a 4.5 in lift from Rough Country, 37 13.50 R20 Nitro MT's and 20x12 TIS 535b's with backspacing of 4.5. Bilstein 5100 shocks all the way around. Top Gun Customz Dual Steering stabilizer with Bilstein 5100 shocks. Well my truck drove horrible. The front end was loser than a 20 dollar hooker. So after an investigation and many hours on the interwebs I found out that the shop didn't install the drop pitman arm, extended anti-away bar end links and the extended brake lines. Oh also my steering wheel was completely turned upside down. Man I am still pissed off about this whole deal. I've bought all the parts to make it right I just need time to do it.

My driver's side front tire rubs when I make a tight turn to the right.
Do I need an adjustable track bar?
Should I go down a size in tires? 37 to 35?
Should I lift the truck up 2 more inches?
The truck sits level and I hate it. I want it to sit at the stock rake.

But other than that she has a mean stance and I get all the damn dodge boys reving up and trying to show me up, wanting to race.

Any advice or comments welcomed.


What are your all's thoughts?
Should I confront the shop or just let it go?
 
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#3 ·
X2. Id be in their face so fast its not funny! your lift came with all the parts to do it right, trust me ive got the exact same lift and my truck rides and drives great.

As far as the tires go. I didn't notice what offset rim you have but Im running 20x10 -24 offset with 35s and mine will still rub sometimes on the back of the wheelwell while backing out of a driveway and turning. You can probly run the 37s but its gonna rub from time to time.

Oh and that kit doesn't come with extended brake lines, It uses a drop braket to relocate the brake line to give it the slack needed.
 
#4 ·
Yeah I have the pitman arm now. But as for the brake line brackets I have the extended brake lines now just waiting to put them on.
Actually i have a pile of parts to put on.
Hellwig Big Wig Front and Rear sway bars
PMF extended sway bar end links
I got some Hotchkis sway bar mounting brackets T6-7075 billet aluminum to mount the front sway bar. (I got a hell of a deal off of eBay) I have to fab up a couple of brackets to drop the front sway bar down a little. With the PMF adjustable end links it should be a good setup.
I have the Mag-Hytech oil pan and transmission pans to install.
Upfitter switches and 20 in light bar
The whole JL Audio 13.5 in sub install.

The perils of being a truck driver. I have all these parts and no time to put them on.

How about these numbers right here - In the last week I drove 3,400 miles and only put 15 on my pickup.

There is no way in hell I'm going to let that shop touch my truck again. They did do a good job on my delete and exhaust though.

Alright it's time to bust some knuckles.
 
#9 ·
I've acquired the correct pitman arm puller. I'm just worried about the 400 ft-lb torque spec. My torque wrench only goes up to 250ft-lbs.
 
#6 ·
I can relate to you buddy
Went through this very similarly with a 6" lift with a shop here in Dallas when I was new to the diesel scene. I understand the other guys saying "make them make it right" but I also understand you saying "I'm never pulling into their parking lot again" for fear that they'll screw it up worse. Even Ford techs themselves screw things up like oil changes or coolant flushes, which puts some truth to the phrase "if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself"
You should be floating in the air with all the stuff you're buying for it, and please for the love of everyone on this site take some progress pictures & let us see
 
#10 ·
Alright so I came up with the solution. I'm going to change out my chit for all PMF components. I've got the sway bar drop ordered. Already got the 4" to 6" extended end links.

I'm probably going to go down a tire size to 35in tires. That should solve the rubbing for the most part.

Next- should I go with the PMF 2.5" bottom mount rear spring hangers? Or just get the 7.5" fabricated lift block?

After that either the 4 link or 3 link adjustable control arms. (Need feedback from you all on this one)

Anyways that's the plan.
 
#7 ·
Where do your tires rub? Pretty sure you bought the wrong offset wheel as 4.5 BS is for leaf spring trucks and 5.X BS is for coil trucks.

Also you went to a bogus shop if they didn't do an alignment right after doing the lift. After any lift or major suspension work an alignment is mandatory. I'd go back there and get your money back and take it to a good shop, wouldn't even trust them to fix it.
 
#11 ·
The tires rub the back side right about the pinch weld of the left inner fender well when I'm making a full hard left turn. And while backing up with the wheels cut hard either way.
 
#8 ·
Tire recommendation for that setup is 35x12.5 so I'm not surprised it is rubbing, you'd need to get the appropriate wheels (as said) to get 37s to fit, but they'll most likely still rub unless you push them really far out. Curious, did they hand you a bunch of parts back because pitman arm, brake line brackets, etc, all came with your kit? As for the steering wheel alignment, good luck, mine was insanely hard to get right and it still isn't perfect. Agree with others, why aren't you having the shop do the install correctly?
 
#12 ·
Few pics

Here is a few pics
 

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#13 ·
Have you tried zip tieing the inner fender liner back some? If it's rubbing the actual fender where there is paint than you need to change wheels, tires or lift.
 
#14 ·
When you can, measure your fender heights when you're on a completely level surface with the exact same tire pressure
My question is, is your truck perfectly level? One thing I can suggest is lifting the rear up another inch or so if it's not level. (I'm assuming it's taller in the front vs the back)
I feel like that should help your truck even out & help you with your rubbing issue
Essentially it'll make the front of the truck lower the angle it's up at
Hope that makes sense
 
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