B
bczoom
Guest
Copying this from CTR as I'd never remember the steps taken.
Since some people have installed the Essex lift kit and others are about to, let me mention that the installation procedures provided by the mfgr. don't seem to work for everyone. Honestly, I haven't heard from one person that said using the provided instructions actually got anything accomplished other than smashed knuckles, lots of swearing...
So, if you have a kit, please post your installation technique (the one that worked).
If you're going to install one, you may want to consider/try one of these.
(Font increased for easier printing/reading).
OK, here's what I did.
First - the back.
Use their directions with these couple hints/thoughts.
If you're working alone, it may be hard to do the prying noted in the instructions.
I put a jack & 2x4" as an extension and lifted on the bed (right behind the tail lights). This removed a lot of the manual prying out of the equation.
If you have a hyd. dump, you'll need to remove the lower hyd connector to get the one bracket into place.
You'll find the replacement bolts that slide inside the rubber grommets are larger than OEM.
Using soapy water or petroleum jelly (I used PJ), things will make it into place. You'll need to do the outside of the grommets as well to get them back into the frame and springs.
The front ones...
These were a bit more difficult.
You WILL need a spring compressor. I rented/borrowed one from the local car parts store.
On the first one, I tried everything to get it to fit (mfgr's instructions as well as thoughts from others) but had little success. Somehow, I did get it together but it took about 2 hours.
On the 2nd one, I tried something different that worked well. Yep, a lot of steps but I'm trying to provide detail. It took about 15 minutes total to do it this way.
1. Jack up that end of the front lifting from the lower control arm, near the tire.
2. Remove the tire.
3. Install spring compressors.
4. Tighten spring compressors as far as you can.
5. Put some jack stands under the front grill guard. (Don't lower the jack that's under the suspension yet).
6. From under the hood, remove the 3 nuts that hold the strut in place. No need to do anything with the center bolt that holds the strut to the bracket.
7. While guiding the spring/strut, slowly let the jack down. The jack stands will hold the RTV up but you need the suspension to fall as low as possible.
8. Swing the strut/spring assembly out of the way so you can access the upper hole.
9. Put the foam gasket in place on the lift kit then slide into place. My bolt holes were off just a tad so it was able to stay in place so I could go to the top and install the nuts. If yours might fall, brace it up or have someone else start the nuts on top.
10. Install and tighten the 3 nuts removed in step 6 and started in step 9.
11. Now pivot the strut assembly so it's on the outside of the new bracket (outside being toward where the top of the tire would be).
12. Push in as far as possible (it probably won't go all the way in) and while doing so, keep the bolts on target for the holes in the lift kit bracket.
13. Mine didn't go all the way (step 12). I just tapped on it with a hammer and it went into place.
14. Install and tighten the nuts between the top of the strut and the lift kit. The one in the back is in a tight spot so it'll take a couple minutes and you'll probably need to flip the wrench over for each grab of the nut.
15. Put the jack back under the lower part of the suspension and start to lift it back up. Watch to make sure the coil springs fall back into their rests (top and bottom).
16. Once the springs are in place, jack it up until the jack stands are no longer holding it up.
17. Remove your spring compressors.
18. Re-install wheel.
19. Lower everything.
20. Take it for a ride then visually inspect to make sure everything is in place (mainly the coil springs).
Hope this helps. Let me know what worked for you. Each person I know tried a different approach with varying success.
Brian
Since some people have installed the Essex lift kit and others are about to, let me mention that the installation procedures provided by the mfgr. don't seem to work for everyone. Honestly, I haven't heard from one person that said using the provided instructions actually got anything accomplished other than smashed knuckles, lots of swearing...
So, if you have a kit, please post your installation technique (the one that worked).
If you're going to install one, you may want to consider/try one of these.
(Font increased for easier printing/reading).
OK, here's what I did.
First - the back.
Use their directions with these couple hints/thoughts.
If you're working alone, it may be hard to do the prying noted in the instructions.
I put a jack & 2x4" as an extension and lifted on the bed (right behind the tail lights). This removed a lot of the manual prying out of the equation.
If you have a hyd. dump, you'll need to remove the lower hyd connector to get the one bracket into place.
You'll find the replacement bolts that slide inside the rubber grommets are larger than OEM.
Using soapy water or petroleum jelly (I used PJ), things will make it into place. You'll need to do the outside of the grommets as well to get them back into the frame and springs.
The front ones...
These were a bit more difficult.
You WILL need a spring compressor. I rented/borrowed one from the local car parts store.
On the first one, I tried everything to get it to fit (mfgr's instructions as well as thoughts from others) but had little success. Somehow, I did get it together but it took about 2 hours.
On the 2nd one, I tried something different that worked well. Yep, a lot of steps but I'm trying to provide detail. It took about 15 minutes total to do it this way.
1. Jack up that end of the front lifting from the lower control arm, near the tire.
2. Remove the tire.
3. Install spring compressors.
4. Tighten spring compressors as far as you can.
5. Put some jack stands under the front grill guard. (Don't lower the jack that's under the suspension yet).
6. From under the hood, remove the 3 nuts that hold the strut in place. No need to do anything with the center bolt that holds the strut to the bracket.
7. While guiding the spring/strut, slowly let the jack down. The jack stands will hold the RTV up but you need the suspension to fall as low as possible.
8. Swing the strut/spring assembly out of the way so you can access the upper hole.
9. Put the foam gasket in place on the lift kit then slide into place. My bolt holes were off just a tad so it was able to stay in place so I could go to the top and install the nuts. If yours might fall, brace it up or have someone else start the nuts on top.
10. Install and tighten the 3 nuts removed in step 6 and started in step 9.
11. Now pivot the strut assembly so it's on the outside of the new bracket (outside being toward where the top of the tire would be).
12. Push in as far as possible (it probably won't go all the way in) and while doing so, keep the bolts on target for the holes in the lift kit bracket.
13. Mine didn't go all the way (step 12). I just tapped on it with a hammer and it went into place.
14. Install and tighten the nuts between the top of the strut and the lift kit. The one in the back is in a tight spot so it'll take a couple minutes and you'll probably need to flip the wrench over for each grab of the nut.
15. Put the jack back under the lower part of the suspension and start to lift it back up. Watch to make sure the coil springs fall back into their rests (top and bottom).
16. Once the springs are in place, jack it up until the jack stands are no longer holding it up.
17. Remove your spring compressors.
18. Re-install wheel.
19. Lower everything.
20. Take it for a ride then visually inspect to make sure everything is in place (mainly the coil springs).
Hope this helps. Let me know what worked for you. Each person I know tried a different approach with varying success.
Brian
