just finished installing the readylift 2.5" stage 2 on my 2011 f350, things were going very well up until we went to add the brackets under the shocks. shocks wouldn't fit in the brackets, so after some harsh words some bloody fingers we took the shocks and brackets off completely. ended up grinding alittle of the metal bushing off the shock so they would fit. after that fit like a charm. Finished up, went for a test ride well now the steering wheel sits about a 1/4 turn off. the horn sits straight up and down. Where did we screw up? and it also has alittle pull to the left, and i'm assuming an alinement should cure that. but where do i start with the steering wheel?
Readylift issues
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1,195 Posts
To expand on what Caryt said:
You need to lengthen the drag link that connects your passenger steering knuckle to the pitman arm that comes out of the bottom of the steering box.
It looks like this. The arrow is pointing to it.
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You can do this by loosening the keeper bracket and moving it out of the way. Then you will see a collar that connects both sides of the link. There are bolts on both sides of the collar that you will need to loosen. Once these are loosened, you can rotate the collar to shorten or lengthen your drag link. You will need to LENGTHEN it. Be sure that your wheels are pretty much perfectly straight or it will be hard to eyeball it straight. It will still probably take you 3 or 4 times of adjusting it to get it exactly right.
This is a very easy thing to do.
Caryt is right though. If your kit didn't come with a trac bar drop bracket, you might want to get one. You know you need one if your drag link and trac bar are sitting at different angles. See how in the pictures both are perfectly parallel?
That is the problem with the economical quick lifts. They don't always have all of the neccessary parts. Lifting coil sprung trucks can make steering geometry kinda hairy, especially if you do it the cheap way.
You need to lengthen the drag link that connects your passenger steering knuckle to the pitman arm that comes out of the bottom of the steering box.
It looks like this. The arrow is pointing to it.
You can do this by loosening the keeper bracket and moving it out of the way. Then you will see a collar that connects both sides of the link. There are bolts on both sides of the collar that you will need to loosen. Once these are loosened, you can rotate the collar to shorten or lengthen your drag link. You will need to LENGTHEN it. Be sure that your wheels are pretty much perfectly straight or it will be hard to eyeball it straight. It will still probably take you 3 or 4 times of adjusting it to get it exactly right.
This is a very easy thing to do.
Caryt is right though. If your kit didn't come with a trac bar drop bracket, you might want to get one. You know you need one if your drag link and trac bar are sitting at different angles. See how in the pictures both are perfectly parallel?
That is the problem with the economical quick lifts. They don't always have all of the neccessary parts. Lifting coil sprung trucks can make steering geometry kinda hairy, especially if you do it the cheap way.
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1,195 Posts
Yes, on a stock drag link, it is very close to the passenger side knuckle. With only 2.5" of lift, you might not really need the adjustable trac bar or drop bracket, but make sure your angles are the same for your drag link and trac bar. You could have some serious bump steer problems if they differ. Usually the kits come with a replacement trac bar, or brackets if they are needed. Since yours didn't, you probably don't.
readylift alignment
So I just put on stage 3tp on my 2012 f250. My suggestion is to spend the 70 bucks on an alignment. My toe was significantly out and they also straightened my steering wheel. Cheap reassurance after dropping significant cash on new tires. My 2 cents. Probably worth less than that though.
So I just put on stage 3tp on my 2012 f250. My suggestion is to spend the 70 bucks on an alignment. My toe was significantly out and they also straightened my steering wheel. Cheap reassurance after dropping significant cash on new tires. My 2 cents. Probably worth less than that though.
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