H1shawn1
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey gang, just finished my self install and wanted to record a few of my thoughts from the install while it was still fresh in my mind.
First off a list of suspension parts used:
frpp struts M-18000-F
bmr sp083
GT350 f sway (FR3Z-5482-J)
f sway Bushing (FR3Z-5484-C)
Steeda Caster Camber Plates
BMR Camber Bolts
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
lateral and tension links w/ bearing
BMR CB005 Cradle Lockout Kit
BMR CB762 IRS Bracing
FRPP toe knuckle bearing M-5A460-M
BMR RLCA Bearing BK081
BMR Vertical Links TCA048
Have a couple more things but that is the gist of it.
This was put together from reading through the many threads by @BmacIL @Bluemustang and others (I'll make a initial impression thread that will give proper credit soon):
If you are considering doing this yourself then you are probably wondering how long it will take on Jack Stands. The good news is that it's doable, even if you are a mediocre wrench turner such as I, the bad news is that if you are skilled it's at least a weekend job (assuming you have decent tools and some help available), for someone like me it took at least 3 full days. If you count all the hours spent before and after work it was probably closer to 4 full days worth of work (but remember, I don't claim to be great at any of this stuff, just barely competent).
Knowing that I was about to do this major install I started acquiring some new tools. I'll share the ones I felt were most helpful, there are obviously a lot more that are needed to install but these are ones I felt saved the most time that I didn't already have.
HF Earthquake Wireless Impact Wrench (It was so nice to be able to remove factory installed bolts that called for 200+ ft lbs of torque without feeling like I went to the gym afterwards. Batteries have come a long way and having a wireless tool as capable as this made a YUGE difference.)
Wobble extensions, as well as an assortment of different length extensions. (What good is an impact gun if you can't use it.)
18mm Ratcheting Wrench (18mm isn't the most common size, but Ford seems to love this bolt head size)
18mm Crowfoot Socket (these things are awesome, had to buy from Northern Tools since not every Crowfoot socket set comes with the 18mm but fortunately theirs does).
Harbor freight spring compressor, they have one very similar to what is used in the CJPP video for $60 and I had a 20% off coupon. A steal at $48. The ones you can rent out suck..
I also decided the easiest way to torque the center strut nut on the Caster Camber Plates was to use a Crowfoot socket on it so I could also slip a socket on the rod from up top. Fortunately the Steeda Nut size for this is 22mm or 7/8 which happens to be the same size as an O2 sensor socket which I was able to get through AutoZone and their tool loaner program. If you need a quality torque wrench or bearing press don't forget about your local Auto parts store tool loaner, they might surprise you with what's available.
Now a few install notes, hopefully some of you will be able to add to this as well.
Rear Lower Control Arm can be removed by yourself, on Jack stands, but is a real PITA to do so. When I got the first one out solo I was so ecstatic that I let out a good holler, wife came running out to the garage afraid that the car slid off the jack stands. I told her no, I was just really really happy that I had finally beat this part. However this satisfaction was very short lived when my buddy showed up and I learned just how much easier this task was with two people. That extra set of hands gets extremely helpful when it's time to wrench on something and it feels like the whole car is in your way. I'd man handle the cradle to create the room he needed and it was incredible to me just how much time this saved. To remove these I did drop the cradle, so make sure you got a jack handy to support it, and the more things you remove here the easier it's going to be. The alignment shop I took the car to afterwards said for them RLCA removal is a 6hour job on the lift and they even remove rear axles to give them more room.
Pressing out the RCLA bearing is a bear. My buddy has a 12 ton northern tool press and we tried and tried to get the OEMs to go without success. There really isn't a whole lot of info out there but I did find two videos showing peeps finally getting them out, but even one of those stated that they stripped out a rental bearing tool the first time they tried. (Does anyone actually know what happens when you break one of their rental tools?) I ended up paying a shop $90 to press out the old bearings and install the new ones and from what I could see this was no easy task and definitely took much longer then the 20-30 minutes the guy at the counter quoted. Afterwards it didn't look like the techs were all that happy once they learned I was quoted just $80-$90. IMO this was money well spent. I found a post somewhere on here where someone said they paid Steeda to order new RLCAs and had them shipped with the upgraded bearings already pressed in. This is a great idea, and depending on cost I'd be real inclined to inquire about it should I ever attempt to do this again.
The Toe Knuckle bearing is significantly easier then the RCLA bearing, but not easy. I think the best way to do this is to remove the knuckle and if you have access to a press use it. Even with the "right" tools this isn't exactly easy, being a press novice I had no idea just how time consuming this would end up being. We were really careful about making sure everything was aligned right, and had to play with figuring out how best to set up the press to allow access to the bearing.
If you remove the knuckle be sure to follow BMRs suggestion for tightening up the axle nut. Red LockTite, torqued to 150 plus an extra 1/8 of a turn. The axle nuts should be replaced anytime they are removed, I didn't learn this until after I was ready to finish up my install so unfortunately I didn't have new ones on hand and decided to reuse the original ones. Fingers crossed no issues, but if I do notice a new noise develop these will be the first things I replace. PS this 1/8th of a turn suggestion after torque is also a good thing to remember if you ever find yourself needing 200ftlb of torque with a 150 ftlb torque wrench. I was fortunate to have my buddies 250 ftlb torque wrench, but I think the 150 plus an additional 1/8th will get you close enough in most situations.
Changing the bumpsteers, and lateral links and tension links all at once is ideal. One thing I've learned is that anytime the directions call for a hammer its going to be more difficult then I think it ought to be. Banging on these to release is no fun, but they will release when you do it right. If you've never done it before be sure to check youtube as you might be surprised in seeing where to hit them. Buying these I understood that they were offering roll correction and fixing the geometry for my lowered car, but didn't really understand how they do this. As it turns out the arms are slightly shorter then OEM (which makes sense to me now, but it's not what I originally would have thought), this becomes significant when installing the new bumpsteers. CJPP video shows adjusting the nut 3/16 of an inch out, which probably works well enough for stock arms, but with upgraded Steeda arms it's a movement in the wrong direction. I was very surprised by how much these had to come in from my initial setting, but fortunately I was able to get TOE set well enough by eye to feel comfortable driving the car in for an alignment. If I were to do this again I would probably start off by moving the nut 1/2 inch in and see where I was from there. Adjusting these post install is not too too bad, but it sucks when you are exhausted and just want to be finished already.
Last thing I'd say is watch all the you tube videos you can find. We have a lot available and each person doing the install has a few tricks that maybe the other one doesn't know or just forgot to mention. On several of these parts I ended up mincing together directions to come up with a way that would work best for me. Having so many resources available can be overwhelming, but worth your time. Take advantage of what others got to learn the hard way.
First off a list of suspension parts used:
frpp struts M-18000-F
bmr sp083
GT350 f sway (FR3Z-5482-J)
f sway Bushing (FR3Z-5484-C)
Steeda Caster Camber Plates
BMR Camber Bolts
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
lateral and tension links w/ bearing
BMR CB005 Cradle Lockout Kit
BMR CB762 IRS Bracing
FRPP toe knuckle bearing M-5A460-M
BMR RLCA Bearing BK081
BMR Vertical Links TCA048
Have a couple more things but that is the gist of it.
This was put together from reading through the many threads by @BmacIL @Bluemustang and others (I'll make a initial impression thread that will give proper credit soon):
If you are considering doing this yourself then you are probably wondering how long it will take on Jack Stands. The good news is that it's doable, even if you are a mediocre wrench turner such as I, the bad news is that if you are skilled it's at least a weekend job (assuming you have decent tools and some help available), for someone like me it took at least 3 full days. If you count all the hours spent before and after work it was probably closer to 4 full days worth of work (but remember, I don't claim to be great at any of this stuff, just barely competent).
Knowing that I was about to do this major install I started acquiring some new tools. I'll share the ones I felt were most helpful, there are obviously a lot more that are needed to install but these are ones I felt saved the most time that I didn't already have.
HF Earthquake Wireless Impact Wrench (It was so nice to be able to remove factory installed bolts that called for 200+ ft lbs of torque without feeling like I went to the gym afterwards. Batteries have come a long way and having a wireless tool as capable as this made a YUGE difference.)
Wobble extensions, as well as an assortment of different length extensions. (What good is an impact gun if you can't use it.)
18mm Ratcheting Wrench (18mm isn't the most common size, but Ford seems to love this bolt head size)
18mm Crowfoot Socket (these things are awesome, had to buy from Northern Tools since not every Crowfoot socket set comes with the 18mm but fortunately theirs does).
Harbor freight spring compressor, they have one very similar to what is used in the CJPP video for $60 and I had a 20% off coupon. A steal at $48. The ones you can rent out suck..
I also decided the easiest way to torque the center strut nut on the Caster Camber Plates was to use a Crowfoot socket on it so I could also slip a socket on the rod from up top. Fortunately the Steeda Nut size for this is 22mm or 7/8 which happens to be the same size as an O2 sensor socket which I was able to get through AutoZone and their tool loaner program. If you need a quality torque wrench or bearing press don't forget about your local Auto parts store tool loaner, they might surprise you with what's available.
Now a few install notes, hopefully some of you will be able to add to this as well.
Rear Lower Control Arm can be removed by yourself, on Jack stands, but is a real PITA to do so. When I got the first one out solo I was so ecstatic that I let out a good holler, wife came running out to the garage afraid that the car slid off the jack stands. I told her no, I was just really really happy that I had finally beat this part. However this satisfaction was very short lived when my buddy showed up and I learned just how much easier this task was with two people. That extra set of hands gets extremely helpful when it's time to wrench on something and it feels like the whole car is in your way. I'd man handle the cradle to create the room he needed and it was incredible to me just how much time this saved. To remove these I did drop the cradle, so make sure you got a jack handy to support it, and the more things you remove here the easier it's going to be. The alignment shop I took the car to afterwards said for them RLCA removal is a 6hour job on the lift and they even remove rear axles to give them more room.
Pressing out the RCLA bearing is a bear. My buddy has a 12 ton northern tool press and we tried and tried to get the OEMs to go without success. There really isn't a whole lot of info out there but I did find two videos showing peeps finally getting them out, but even one of those stated that they stripped out a rental bearing tool the first time they tried. (Does anyone actually know what happens when you break one of their rental tools?) I ended up paying a shop $90 to press out the old bearings and install the new ones and from what I could see this was no easy task and definitely took much longer then the 20-30 minutes the guy at the counter quoted. Afterwards it didn't look like the techs were all that happy once they learned I was quoted just $80-$90. IMO this was money well spent. I found a post somewhere on here where someone said they paid Steeda to order new RLCAs and had them shipped with the upgraded bearings already pressed in. This is a great idea, and depending on cost I'd be real inclined to inquire about it should I ever attempt to do this again.
The Toe Knuckle bearing is significantly easier then the RCLA bearing, but not easy. I think the best way to do this is to remove the knuckle and if you have access to a press use it. Even with the "right" tools this isn't exactly easy, being a press novice I had no idea just how time consuming this would end up being. We were really careful about making sure everything was aligned right, and had to play with figuring out how best to set up the press to allow access to the bearing.
If you remove the knuckle be sure to follow BMRs suggestion for tightening up the axle nut. Red LockTite, torqued to 150 plus an extra 1/8 of a turn. The axle nuts should be replaced anytime they are removed, I didn't learn this until after I was ready to finish up my install so unfortunately I didn't have new ones on hand and decided to reuse the original ones. Fingers crossed no issues, but if I do notice a new noise develop these will be the first things I replace. PS this 1/8th of a turn suggestion after torque is also a good thing to remember if you ever find yourself needing 200ftlb of torque with a 150 ftlb torque wrench. I was fortunate to have my buddies 250 ftlb torque wrench, but I think the 150 plus an additional 1/8th will get you close enough in most situations.
Changing the bumpsteers, and lateral links and tension links all at once is ideal. One thing I've learned is that anytime the directions call for a hammer its going to be more difficult then I think it ought to be. Banging on these to release is no fun, but they will release when you do it right. If you've never done it before be sure to check youtube as you might be surprised in seeing where to hit them. Buying these I understood that they were offering roll correction and fixing the geometry for my lowered car, but didn't really understand how they do this. As it turns out the arms are slightly shorter then OEM (which makes sense to me now, but it's not what I originally would have thought), this becomes significant when installing the new bumpsteers. CJPP video shows adjusting the nut 3/16 of an inch out, which probably works well enough for stock arms, but with upgraded Steeda arms it's a movement in the wrong direction. I was very surprised by how much these had to come in from my initial setting, but fortunately I was able to get TOE set well enough by eye to feel comfortable driving the car in for an alignment. If I were to do this again I would probably start off by moving the nut 1/2 inch in and see where I was from there. Adjusting these post install is not too too bad, but it sucks when you are exhausted and just want to be finished already.
Last thing I'd say is watch all the you tube videos you can find. We have a lot available and each person doing the install has a few tricks that maybe the other one doesn't know or just forgot to mention. On several of these parts I ended up mincing together directions to come up with a way that would work best for me. Having so many resources available can be overwhelming, but worth your time. Take advantage of what others got to learn the hard way.
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